Switzerland’s national government has acknowledged that there was no justification for an entry ban and expulsion order against The Electronic Intifada’s director Ali Abunimah in January 2025.

The Federal Council – Switzerland’s national cabinet – said that the order against Abunimah had been issued without supporting evidence and in violation of established procedures.

The ban on Abunimah resulted in his arrest and detention – actions that a Zurich court has already ruled violated the Swiss constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Abunimah was held in prison for three days and then deported, preventing him from speaking at two planned events about the Israeli genocide in Gaza – an abuse that occurred amid intensifying global censorship related to Palestine.