Palestinian American journalist Ali Abunimah has confirmed his release and deportation by Swiss authorities after being held for three days, Reuters reported.

Abunimah, who serves as the executive director of the Electronic Intifada, claimed in a social media post that his detention was linked to his advocacy for Palestinian rights.

“My ‘crime’? Being a journalist who speaks up for Palestine and against Israel’s genocide and settler-colonial savagery,” he stated.

Abunimah was arrested in Zurich on Saturday, just before he was scheduled to deliver a speech, prompting outrage among Palestinian rights advocates.

Swiss police cited an entry ban and other immigration law measures as the reasons for Abunimah’s arrest.

He added that during his detention, authorities accused him of “offending against Swiss law” but did not specify any charges. Abunimah described being isolated in a cell and unable to contact his family, only regaining access to his phone just before being placed on a plane to Istanbul.

He added on the irony of his treatment, noting that while he was detained, Israeli President Isaac Herzog was welcomed at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Herzog has been criticised for his remarks regarding the Israeli military actions in Gaza, which have resulted in over 47,000 Palestinian deaths.

“This ordeal lasted three days, but that taste of prison was more than enough to leave me in even greater awe of the Palestinian heroes who endure months and years in the prisons of the genocidal oppressor,” Abunimah said, emphasizing the ongoing plight of Palestinian detainees.

United Nations experts have condemned Abunimah’s detention as an attack on free speech. Irene Khan, a UN special rapporteur for freedom of opinion and expression, characterized his arrest as “shocking news” and called for his immediate release.

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, urged an investigation into the matter, highlighting the increasing toxicity surrounding freedom of speech in Europe.

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Abunimah’s detention follows a broader trend of crackdowns on pro-Palestinian voices in Europe amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

In April, Germany cancelled a conference for Palestinian rights advocates and barred entry to British doctor Ghassan Abu Sittah, who has worked in Gaza. Activists have accused German authorities of suppressing protests related to the war.