Free Mohammed Hoque: No More Political Prisoners, End ICE Detentions Now!
UPDATE: Mohammed has been released after 40 days spent in custody for exercising pro-Palestine free speech. This is a huge victory, but the work isn't over.
From CNN:
"Hoque was detained until US District Judge Jerry Blackwell ordered his release this week, saying his arrest matched a pattern of activity by the Trump administration targeting non-citizens who engaged in protest activity against the war in Gaza, raising concerns about First Amendment violations.
"Hoque was detained until US District Judge Jerry Blackwell ordered his release this week, saying his arrest matched a pattern of activity by the Trump administration targeting non-citizens who engaged in protest activity against the war in Gaza, raising concerns about First Amendment violations.
'The record contains sufficiently clear evidence of viewpoint-based targeting for (Hoque’s) exercise of protected speech on a matter of public concern,' the judge wrote in his order, adding that the arrest 'aligns with the publicly stated executive policy of targeting social media users who express support for Palestinian human rights and criticize violence in Gaza, as Petitioner had done.'
Blackwell added the Department of Justice failed to present any evidence to justify Hoque’s initial arrest and his continued detention."
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Original Description:
Mohammed Hoque, a 20-year-old international student at MNSU, Mankato, has been kidnapped and unjustly detained by ICE for peacefully protesting the genocide of Palestinians. ICE is denying him medical care following major abdominal surgery, placing his recovery at risk. Despite a judge ordering his release, DHS is continuing to imprison him. His detention is political retaliation for speaking out on Palestinian human rights—a violation of his First and Fifth Amendment rights. This is part of a growing pattern of discriminatory enforcement targeting international students from South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Asian countries. We must act now to protect Mohammed’s life, his rights, and the rights of all students to protest genocide without fear of retaliation.
Letter Campaign by
Mankato MN, Minnesota