(BCN) – An American Muslim civil rights group announced Monday that it helped secure the release of British journalist and political analyst Sami Hamdi from a federal immigration detention center.
Hamdi, managing director of The International Interest, a geopolitical consulting magazine, was arrested on October 26 at San Francisco International Airport while in the middle of a speaking tour of the United States.
He was in the country on a valid visa that was “secretly” revoked by federal officials as a pretext for his arrest, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which worked to secure his release with the help of attorney Hassan Ahmed of the HMA law firm and the Islamic Legal Fund of America.
Hamdi will be allowed to return to the United Kingdom voluntarily, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“The immigration charging document filed in his case only alleges a visa overstay — after the government revoked his visa without cause and without prior notice — and never identifies any criminal conduct or security reasons,” CAIR officials said in a press release. He added, “This agreement stipulates that the government does not consider Al-Hamdi a threat to society or national security.”
“His only real crime was speaking clearly about the war crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians,” said Hossam Ayloush, CEO of CARE California.
A federal judge blocked the government’s move to transfer Hamdi out of California while his case was pending.
His lawyers argued that detaining a journalist over a “fake” visa issue raised serious concerns about the First Amendment and due process, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Civil rights groups say the United States sought to punish him for criticizing Israel, not for any alleged wrongdoing.
A spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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