NEW YORK - May 26 - The American Civil Liberties Union will be in federal court tomorrow to present arguments in the case of a prominent South African scholar who was denied a visa and is barred from attending speaking engagements in the United States. According to the ACLU, the government denied Professor Adam Habib a visa not because of his actions but because of his vocal criticism of U.S. foreign policy, and his exclusion violates the First Amendment rights of organizations that have invited him to speak in the U.S.

Habib is a renowned scholar, sought-after political analyst, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Advancement at the University of Johannesburg. He is also a Muslim who has been a vocal critic of the war in Iraq and some U.S. terrorism-related policies. The October 2006 revocation of Professor Habib's visa prevented him from attending a series of meetings with representatives from the National Institutes for Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Bank, Columbia University and the Gates Foundation. Since then, Habib has been prevented from speaking at a number of events sponsored by U.S. organizations. 

The ACLU and the ACLU of Massachusetts brought the lawsuit on behalf of organizations that have invited Professor Habib to speak in the U.S., including the American Sociological Association, the American Association of University Professors, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights.

WHAT:
Oral arguments in the case of Adam Habib, a prominent South African scholar who was refused a visa to enter the U.S. based on unsubstantiated national security claims.

WHO:
Melissa Goodman, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project, will argue before Judge George A. O'Toole, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

WHEN:
Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27
2 p.m. EDT

WHERE:
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Courtroom 9
1 Courthouse Way
Boston, Massachusetts 02210