In response to a U.S. District Court Judge ordering Mahmoud Khalil to be released on bail, Amnesty International’s Americas Regional Director Ana Piquer said:
“After more than three months of unjust detention, Mahmoud Khalil has finally been granted his freedom to return home, embrace his wife, and hold his child. His detention was not only unnecessary, but emblematic of a broader effort by the Trump administration to suppress solidarity with Palestinian people and weaponize the immigration system. Mahmoud was targeted for exercising his human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. All of these rights must be respected in the United States and around the world, without exception.
“We remain deeply concerned by the escalating use of detention, intimidation, deportation, and disregard to right of due process, to silence protest and chill public debate in the United States. This is not just about one student, it is about the growing pattern of authoritarian practices by the Trump administration that undermine human rights. We urge the U.S. government to end the political targeting of students and other individuals based on their beliefs and to respect freedom of speech. Mahmoud’s detention is a stark reminder of the human rights that are at stake in the country, and we will continue to monitor his case.”
Header image of Mahmoud Khalil by Amnesty International
