Suspension and visa revocation of student Usama Ghanem

Usama Ghanem, a 22-year-old Egyptian national and undergraduate in International Relations at King's College London, was indefinitely suspended by senior leadership in May 2025, following three disciplinary reviews arising from his participation in pro-Palestinian protests. The three incidents were the disruption of an alumni dinner in June 2024, a demonstration against a talk by a pro-Israel Iranian speaker in February 2025, and a divestment protest at the London Defence Conference in May 2025. KCL's head of security also alleged he was a principal organiser of the campus encampment, which Ghanem denies. 

The suspension carried immigration consequences. University officials told Ghanem in writing to return to his home country pending a review of the suspension in August, and KCL withdrew his visa sponsorship. The Home Office issued formal notice of visa cancellation on 28 November 2025, giving him 60 days to leave (a deadline of 27 January 2026). Ghanem holds no lawful status in a third country, making removal to Egypt the likely outcome. He alleges that in 2020, aged 16, he was detained with his brother and father and was beaten, electrocuted and starved; he has a PTSD diagnosis, and his legal claim against KCL alleges breaches of human rights, assault, personal injury, discrimination and harassment. 

Ghanem's lawyers say KCL has taken disciplinary action against 28 students in total over pro-Palestinian activism, and that hundreds of staff and students have supported his case; more than 40 academics from the King's Race Research Network wrote to senior management in November 2025 accusing them of institutional racism.

The BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom wrote to Professors Kapur, Fagan and Berkhout on the case. The letter argues that although the university is legally required to report suspensions of international students exceeding 60 days to the Home Office, the decision to suspend and the length of suspension lie entirely within the university's discretion, and that KCL's duty of care obliges it to weigh Ghanem's history and the consequences of return. It situates the case within documented restrictions on expression, assembly and protest on UK campuses relating to Palestine, citing the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and calls on KCL to reconsider the suspension, review its disciplinary and protest policies, and enable Ghanem to continue his studies in safety in the UK.