The administrative court of Berlin has ruled that an order imposed on Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu Sittah preventing him from speaking in Germany was unlawful, a court spokesperson has told Al Jazeera.
The court ruled that it was not to be expected that Abu Sittah, a surgeon who has worked in Gaza, would commit a criminal offence or pose a threat to the democratic order in Germany by speaking at the Palestine Congress, where he had been invited to speak in April 2024.
The judges said they could not find any statements by Abu Sittah since October 7, 2023 that were of a criminal nature, or indications of support for terrorist organisations.
The court added that Abu Sittah’s status as a historical eyewitness, whose testimony has been heard by the International Criminal Court, should also have been taken into account by the Berlin authorities, as well as his right to freedom of expression.
The state of Berlin had argued that Abu Sittah was a supporter of Hamas, inter alia because he participated in a press conference organised by the Palestinian Health Ministry outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
