Esad Širbegović – Ali Abunimah stood his ground in Zurich

On 23 June 2026, Palestinian-American journalist Ali Abunimah stood at a podium in Zurich and did something simple: he gave a talk. For most people, that would not be remarkable. For Abunimah, it was the completion of something that had been violently interrupted seventeen months earlier — a statement that he could not be silenced, and that he would not be intimidated.

The event was hosted by Watermelon University, a Zurich-based group focused on Palestinian history and rights. It was their eighth teach-in. The first seven had gone ahead without incident. The eighth — originally planned for 25 January 2025 — never happened, because on the morning it was supposed to take place, the venue cancelled the rental agreement under pressure from senior members of its board. Hours later, Abunimah was arrested on the street by plainclothes police and thrown into a cell. He would not speak at that event. He would not speak in Switzerland at all. Instead, he was deported.

Tuesday night, that event finally happened. Abunimah stood his ground and came back to finish what he started.

What Happened in January 2025

When Abunimah arrived at Zurich Airport on 25 January 2025, he was there at the invitation of Swiss citizens to speak about Palestinian rights. Police held him at the airport for an hour before letting him in. The next day, as he and an event organiser were walking on the street, two plainclothes officers who refused to identify themselves grabbed Abunimah, and pushed him into an unmarked car.

He was not told why he was being arrested. He was informed that he had been banned from Switzerland and was considered “a threat to the internal and external security of Switzerland.” No evidence was given. No criminal charges were ever brought against him.

What followed was three days of detention that his lawyers later described as a serious violation of his rights. He was locked in a cell 24 hours a day. He was not allowed to contact his family. Abunimah was effectively held without charge. Except after his arrest and once more on the day he was deported, he was not permitted to see or speak to his lawyer during his detention, despite his repeated requests. His phone was only returned to him at the gate of the plane that flew him to Istanbul.

“I can only conclude that my unlawful imprisonment was intended to suppress freedom of expression,” Abunimah said later, “by preventing me from speaking openly about the genocide in Palestine, as well as to punish me for views I’ve expressed in the past that someone in power did not like.”

The political background to the arrest was not subtle. Mario Fehr, Justice Director of Canton Zürich, had publicly called Abunimah an “Islamist,” an “antisemite,” and a  “Jew hater” — claims that were false — and declared him unwelcome in Switzerland.

The arrest drew immediate international condemnation. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, called it “shocking” and demanded Switzerland investigate and release him. Amnesty International warned that a “global crackdown on those who are critical of Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights is alarming and must be immediately stopped.”

The Courts Ruled It Was Illegal

After his deportation, Abunimah and his legal team challenged the decision in court — and won several times.

In December 2025, the Zurich Administrative Court ruled that his arrest and detention had violated both the Swiss Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. In February 2026, Switzerland’s Federal Administrative Court went further. It found that the entry ban and expulsion order had not been supported by any evidence that Abunimah had broken Swiss law or posed any genuine threat. It also found that his procedural rights had been seriously violated. As a result, it ordered Fedpol — Switzerland’s federal police office — to contribute significantly to his legal costs and to refund his court fees.

By March and April 2026, Fedpol itself issued decisions acknowledging that Abunimah had not posed a threat to Swiss security when he entered the country in January 2025. The agency confirmed that his opinions fell within the scope of free speech protected under the Swiss constitution. In other words, the government that arrested him eventually admitted there had been no legal basis to do so.

A Swiss parliamentary investigation added another layer. It found evidence that the entry ban had been issued following improper political interference by Nicoletta della Valle.  Ali Abunimah reported that the Swiss Justice Ministry has lifted the immunity of Nicoletta della Valle, the pro-Israel police chief whom he says ordered his illegal arrest. Prosecutors are now set to begin a criminal investigation.

Ali himself perhaps best captured the lawlessness surrounding his arrest in the following words:

“There was no justification to abduct me off the street and throw me in prison. To this day, I have not been informed of the reasons for my arrest,” Abunimah said. “I can only conclude that my unlawful imprisonment was intended to suppress freedom of expression by preventing me from speaking openly about the genocide in Palestine, as well as to punish me for views I’ve expressed in the past that someone in power did not like.”

Returning on His Own Terms

Abunimah’s return to Zurich this week was not just symbolic. He came back to participate in legal hearings connected to the criminal complaints he has filed over his detention. To make sure he could not be arrested again, his lawyers prepared carefully. Under Article 204 of the Swiss Code of Criminal Procedure, they obtained a letter of safe passage from the prosecutor, guaranteeing that he would not be arrested or restricted while attending the hearings. Swiss federal authorities also provided written confirmation that there were no limitations on his entry into the country.

Abunimah’s case is not just about one journalist. His arrest appeared to be part of a growing backlash from Western governments against expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people. His colleagues at The Electronic Intifada noted at the time: “Speaking out against injustice in Palestine is not a crime. Journalism is not a crime.” The Electronic IntifadaThe Electronic Intifada

He arrived. He attended his hearings. And then, on Tuesday evening, he walked into a room in Zurich and gave the talk that Swiss authorities had once decided he should never be allowed to give.

Ali Abunimah stood his ground in Zurich and left of his own free will!