It is unclear whether Electronic Intifada founder Ali Abunimah has been charged with a crime
Police in Switzerland have arrested Palestinian-American journalist Ali Abunimah ahead of a speaking event in Zurich, according to Electronic Intifada, a pro-Palestine news outlet run by Abunimah.
Abunimah was detained in Zurich on Saturday, hours before he was due to speak at the event, Electronic Intifada reported. It is unclear whether he has been charged with a crime, but he has had access to legal counsel, the outlet stated.
One day earlier, the 53-year-old journalist was questioned for an hour by officers when he arrived at Zurich Airport.
“Abunimah’s arrest appears to be part of a growing backlash from Western governments against expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people,” Electronic Intifada wrote.
Born in Washington DC to parents from the West Bank, Abunimah co-founded Electronic Intifada in 2001. The site reports on events in the Middle East from a Palestinian perspective, and Abunimah regularly appears on mainstream news networks to advocate for the Palestinian cause.
Abunimah’s arrest came three months after British police raided the home of Electronic Intifada associate editor Asa Winstanley. Nearly a dozen officers entered Winstanley’s London home at dawn and seized several electronic devices, telling him that they were investigating him for possible “encouragement of terrorism” in connection with his social media posts.
Winstanley was not arrested or charged with any crime.
Pro-Palestinian activists Mick Napier and Tony Greenstein have both been arrested by British police since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, while in August, police arrested British journalist Richard Medhurst on charges of “expressing an opinion or a belief that is supportive of a proscribed organization.” He was eventually released, but his phone and work equipment were seized, while Medhurst himself was subjected to a search and questioning.
Abunimah’s arrest “appears to be a direct result of his outspoken advocacy,” the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee wrote in a statement on Saturday. The organization called on the US State Department to intervene and secure his release.
The State Department has not commented on the arrest.
