Indian citizen Badar Khan Suri has been arrested in the US over his criticism of Israel.

Washington, March 20 (RHC)-- Indian citizen Badar Khan Suri has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents due to his criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Sari, who is a post-doctorate fellow in peace and conflict studies at Georgetown University in Washington, is currently being held at an ICE detention facility in Virginia without contact with lawyers and family.  ICE has detained Sari even though he is a U.S. permanent resident.

After his arrest, the dean of Georgetown University made a statement that Sari had not engaged in any illegal activities or posed a threat to campus security.  In a statement, the University Board of Georgetown Law SJP has called his arrest to be for expressing “constitutionally protected speech,” warning that if such arrests continue “higher education will crumble.”

Sari is believed to have been specifically targeted because of the anti-genocide activism of his wife Mapheze Saleh.  Saleh, a U.S. citizen, is a prominent pro-Palestine activist who has come under attack by pro-Israel political organizations.

Jenin Younes, a lawyer and civil liberties expert, believes that Sari’s arrest is a case of citizens being held guilty by association.  “If they can’t target a Palestinian activist for deportation because they’re a citizen, they’ll target their spouse instead,” Younes said in an interview.

Imprisoning and punishing family members of political dissidents is a common repression tactic used by dictatorial regimes.