Ankara: Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has filed a federal lawsuit against the Heritage Foundation, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and others. The lawsuit accuses them of participating in a coordinated effort to retaliate against Khalil for his advocacy on Palestinian rights.

According to Anadolu Agency, Khalil stated that the case was brought under the Ku Klux Klan Act, a civil rights law from the Reconstruction era designed to combat conspiracies aimed at depriving individuals of their constitutional rights. Khalil emphasized that the lawsuit is about "accountability and justice."

Khalil, who is a lawful US resident and former Columbia University graduate student, recounted his experience of being detained last March without a warrant by immigration officers in New York City. He was subsequently transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana, where he was held for several months. In January, a US federal appeals court ruled that a judge had no jurisdiction to order Khalil's release.

Expressing his determination, Khalil declared, "I will not stop fighting until everyone who willingly contributed to my missing the birth of my son and to taking 104 days of my life from me answers for what they've done." He also mentioned that additional legal actions would follow.

Khalil further stated, "This lawsuit is about far more than what was done to me. It is about a coordinated, ongoing plot to punish, silence, and intimidate everyone who dares to dissent and speak out for Palestinian liberation. We will hold them accountable."