Khaled El Qaisi, an Italian university researcher of Palestinian origin, was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces.
Palestinian-Italian researcher Khaled al-Qaisi, a translator, researcher and student in the Department of Oriental Languages and Civilizations at Sapienza University of Rome, has been detained by Israeli occupation forces since 31 August. Al-Qaisi, a Palestinian and Italian citizen, was visiting Palestine with his wife and four-year-old son. While leaving Palestine at the bridge to Jordan, he was suddenly seized by occupation forces and handcuffed in front of his young child.
His family and many supporters in Italy note that he has been denied legal visits despite having retained a lawyer and was expected to be brought before an occupation military court on Thursday, 7 September with no opportunity to meet with his lawyer. Al-Qaisi works with the Giovani Palestinesi d’Italia (Palestinian Youth of Italy) and is the co-founder of the Palestinian Documentation Center, a project that works to archive, translate and make accessible Palestinian historical documents, items and works.
Several Italian parliamentarians have spoken out, urging the Italian government to act swiftly to secure al-Qaisi’s immediate release. Stefania Ascari of the Movimento 5 Stella said, “We have appealed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, to the ambassador of Israel in Italy, Alon Bar, and to all the competent authorities to ascertain Khaled’s health conditions and to exert all the necessary pressure for his release. Khaled El Qaisi must be released immediately.” Continue
