Palestinian American journalist and Executive Director of the Electronic Intifada (EI), Ali Abunimah, was deported from Switzerland yesterday evening after a three-day detention that sparked widespread condemnation.
Abunimah, detained on Saturday ahead of a scheduled speaking event in Zurich, described being violently arrested by plainclothes officers and held incommunicado. Swiss authorities accused him of “offending against Swiss law” but failed to present any charges. During his detention, Abunimah says he was questioned by Swiss Defence Ministry intelligence agents without legal representation or contact with his family.
I’m free! I wrote this on the plane and I’m posting it just after landing at Istanbul. On Monday evening I was brought to Zurich airport in handcuffs, in a small metal cage inside a windowless prison van and led all the way to the plane by police. This is after three days and two… pic.twitter.com/GKvme89ouR
— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) January 27, 2025
Yesterday, in a lengthy post on X, made after his release, as he landed in Turkiye, Abunimah revealed he refused food and drank only water until informed of his deportation. He compared his treatment to the red-carpet welcome afforded to Israeli President Isaac Herzog at Davos – “a carpet soaked in [Palestinians’] blood,” condemning the disparity in how Switzerland addresses advocacy for Palestinian rights versus Israeli officials.
Abunimah’s arrest is seen as part of a broader Western crackdown on solidarity with Palestinians. Last year, fellow EI journalist and associate editor Asa Winstanley faced similar treatment, with his home raided and devices seized under counter-terrorism powers, despite no charges.
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International bodies have condemned Switzerland’s actions. UN experts Irene Khan and Francesca Albanese called for a prompt investigation, citing concerns over Europe’s increasingly restrictive climate on free speech. Amnesty International said: “The global crackdown on those who are critical of Israel’s violations of Palestinians’ human rights is alarming and must be immediately stopped.”
In expressing solidarity with Abunimah, and echoing calls for his release, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) stated that “Abunimah’s arrest is a stark reminder of the increasing attempts to stifle voices calling for justice and accountability.”
“This ordeal lasted three days but that taste of prison was more than enough to leave me in even greater awe of the Palestinian heroes who endure months and years in the prisons of the genocidal oppressor,” Abunimah said.
“More than ever I know that the debt we owe them is one we can never repay and all of them must be free and they must remain our focus.”
READ: Palestinian-American journalist arrested in Switzerland ahead of speaking event