UN rights office stresses free speech protections amid US efforts to deport activist Mahmoud Khalil

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UN Human Rights Office on Wednesday voiced concern over the potential deportation from the US of Mahmoud Khalil, a former student at New York’s Columbia University and Palestinian activist, warning that using peaceful expression and protest as grounds for removal could undermine core human rights obligations.

"We reiterate that everyone, regardless of their nationality or immigration status, must be able to fully enjoy their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, without fear of retaliation for their exercise," OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement to Anadolu.

Al-Kheetan's comments came after a US immigration judge ruled Friday that Khalil could be deported – a decision his attorney is set to appeal.

While the office refrained from commenting directly on the court ruling, it underscored that the US, as a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), is bound to uphold protections for free speech, peaceful protest, and protection against arbitrary expulsion – rights that apply to citizens and non-citizens alike.

"The ICCPR … protects the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly, as well as the rights of non-citizens lawfully present in a country to protection against arbitrary expulsion. It also protects everyone, including all non-nationals, from discrimination," Al-Kheetan added.

He cited UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk's recent remarks during a visit to Princeton University saying: "Universities are the natural homes of discussion and dialogue around what our rights mean and how to protect them in the 21st century. That open and frank debate is what helps us progress."

Al-Kheetan said the office will continue following developments in the case as additional judicial proceedings are pending.

In March, a group of UN experts also called for Khalil's immediate release and warned that detaining or deporting him based on his views could violate international human rights standards. The experts urged the US to ensure that freedom of expression is not criminalized or penalized for foreign nationals.

"The U.S. Government must immediately release Mahmoud Khalil, a U.S. resident, student and Palestinian rights activist detained by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents, and stop threatening and harassing foreign students who are campaigning for Palestinians' rights," they said in a joint statement.

"The arrest, detention, and pending deportation of Mr. Mahmoud Khalil marks a dangerous escalation in the U.S. Government's crackdown on student activism and censorship of pro-Palestinian voices," the experts added.

Khalil, who lives in the US legally with a green card, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 8 after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the revocation of his student visa and green card.

The administration of President Donald Trump accused Khalil, who played a leading role in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the school last year, of engaging in "activities aligned with Hamas," though no evidence has been provided.

There has been a slew of executive actions by Trump to deport foreign nationals deemed to have "hostile attitudes" toward the US, including a crackdown on what he called antisemitism, which resulted in the deportation of foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests.