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KING’S College London is under growing scrutiny following its decision to indefinitely suspend Egyptian student Usama Ghanem over his pro-Palestine activism — a move that has triggered the cancellation of his UK student visa and placed him at risk of deportation to Egypt.
Lawyers representing the 21-year-old international relations student said he faces an “imminent risk of removal” to Egypt, where he previously suffered political persecution and torture.
The suspension has resulted in the university informing the Home Office, which subsequently revoked his visa and issued a notice of removal, new reports claim.
In a pre-action letter, Ghanem’s legal team accused King’s of breaching human rights protections and discriminating against him for his anti-Zionist political beliefs.
The case has drawn condemnation from alumni and rights advocates, including Setiawangsa Member of Parliament and former cabinet minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who graduated from King’s College London in 2005.
“As an alumnus of King’s College London, I am deeply disappointed at the university’s decision to indefinitely suspend Usama Ghanem, effectively triggering the revocation of his student-visa sponsorship,” Nik Nazmi said.
“This action not only contradicts King’s longstanding commitment to freedom of speech and academic inquiry but also betrays the duty of care it owes to its students.”
Reflecting on his time at King’s, Nik Nazmi said the university had once been a beacon of open political debate, where students were encouraged to engage passionately on issues such as global justice, democracy and human rights.
“It was precisely this spirit of open intellectual engagement that made King’s stand out as a place where difficult questions could be asked without fear,” he said. “Ghanem’s activism for a free and sovereign Palestine has instead been met with disproportionate disciplinary action.”
He noted that the university had acted “in full knowledge of Ghanem’s personal history – his prior political persecution and torture in Egypt, his PTSD diagnosis, and his complete dependence on his UK student-visa sponsorship for safety.”
Nik Nazmi urged King’s leadership to “immediately reverse Ghanem’s suspension and reinstate his student status and visa sponsorship”, adding that the institution must “reaffirm its commitment to protecting legitimate political dissent and student activism.”
Ghanem, who helped co-found the House of Wisdom society at King’s to promote debate and dialogue on campus, has yet to comment publicly. The university has not issued a detailed statement on the case. - November 3, 2025
