WASHINGTON, June 13, 2025 (WAFA) – Human rights organizations active in the U.S. have called for the immediate and unconditional release of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, following a federal court ruling that deemed his detention unlawful.
Activists and human rights groups considered the arrest of Khalil, a legal resident of the United States and a student at Columbia University, as part of a broader campaign of intimidation against voices supporting the Palestinian cause. Despite the court ruling, Khalil remains in detention.
The organizations also demanded that Congress open investigations into the abuse of power targeting dissenting voices by using immigration laws as a political weapon against activists.
On March 8, U.S. authorities arrested Khalil, the Palestinian student who led solidarity protests at Columbia University last year to condemn Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
In January, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on combating anti-Semitism, which allows the deportation of students participating in pro-Palestinian protests.
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