PEN AMERICA Condemns U.S. Decision to Bar Entry to Austrian Academic Doing Research in Rojava

Thomas Schmidinger was banned entry to the U.S., where he had been invited by his U.S. publisher, PM Press, for a series of events at universities and book stores to promote his book, The Battle for the Mountain of the Kurds: Self-Determination and Ethnic Cleansing in the Afrin Region of Rojava.

Read the full statement at PEN America.

"The news that Austrian scholar and expert on Kurdish affairs Thomas Schmidinger was subject to extensive questioning about his work and political views before being denied boarding for a flight to the U.S. raises questions about whether the United States, perhaps in coordination with other governments, is unlawfully employing ideological criteria to restrict entry into the country. Schmidinger, who states that he had a valid visa, has expressed concern that Turkish officials, may have requested that the U.S. deny him entry."

"He was denied boarding to a U.S.-bound flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis on September 12, after being questioned extensively by airline personnel about his research and travel in Iraq, Syria, and Iran. According to Schmidinger, U.S. embassy officials in Austria later assured him that his visa was valid and that he was not subject to any type of travel ban."