New Delhi: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has renewed international attention on the continued imprisonment of student leader Umar Khalid, using the inaugural session of the Nelson Mandela Global Leadership Forum to denounce his incarceration and call for global solidarity against political repression.
Speaking at the event on July 16, Mamdani argued that Khalid has been subjected to the same kind of false terrorism allegations that were once levelled against Nelson Mandela. He questioned the continued silence over Khalid's imprisonment as the former JNU student leader enters his sixth year in jail without his trial having begun.
Mamdani said Mandela's legacy lay in extending solidarity beyond national boundaries and urged people not to wait for history's final judgment or for politically convenient moments before opposing injustice. Referring to Omar El Akkad's 2025 book One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, he stressed that genuine commitment to justice must be demonstrated while oppression is taking place.
He raised Khalid's case after speaking about the plight of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who remains imprisoned by Israel, and the deaths of Palestinian children.
Khalid was arrested in September 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act over an alleged conspiracy in the 2020 Delhi riots following his participation in the anti-CAA protests. Named as an accused along with Sharjeel Imam and others, he has repeatedly been denied bail, while his trial is yet to commence.
India on Friday criticised Mamdani's intervention. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the New York mayor should respect the judicial processes of other democracies and concentrate on the responsibilities entrusted to him.