UN expert says arrest of student in US ‘constitutes apartheid’
Protesters march during a demonstration in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil in New York on March 10
Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil has been detained by US immigration authorities for participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Commenting on the case, UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory Francesca Albanese said under international law, “persecuting those who oppose Apartheid constitutes Apartheid itself”.
“As we may be confronted with a case of global Apartheid, defending the defender is a global civic duty,” she added.
Khalil’s lawyer says he was made example of to ‘stifle dissent’
Khalil’s lawyer, Amy Greer, has come out with a public statement on her client’s arrest, saying he is “healthy and his spirits are undaunted by his predicament”. Greer added that she believes Khalil was “chosen as an example to stifle entirely lawful dissent in violation of the First Amendment”.
“The remarks by government officials, including the President, on social media only confirm the purpose – and illegality – of Mahmoud’s detention,” Greer said. “The government’s objective is as transparent as it is unlawful, and our role as Mahmoud’s lawyers is to ensure it does not prevail,” she added.
Greer said the New York District Court has scheduled a review of the legality of Khalil’s detention for Wednesday at 11.30am local time (15:30 GMT).
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