Rights groups call on US to remove sanctions on Palestinian human rights organisation Addameer

Leading human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued an urgent call on Friday for the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to remove sanctions on Palestinian human rights association Addameer.

Amnesty International said the decision to sanction the organisation is a "deplorable illustration of the ongoing crackdown against Palestinian and pro-Palestinian human rights defenders and voices in the USA and other parts of the world."

Addameer is a renowned organisation, known for its advocacy for Palestinian detainees held by Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Their work has been particularly important in recent years as Israel steps up its arrest and crackdown on civilians in the occupied West Bank.

The organisation has long provided Palestinian prisoners with pro bono legal aid and raised awareness on the over 72 Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since October 2023.

The statements from the rights groups come around one month after the sanctions were announced.

At the time, Addameer issued a statement condemning the decision to designate them on the "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" list.

"The organization firmly rejects all forms of sanctions and arbitrary measures resulting from this unjust decision, including the freeze of its bank accounts, the blocking of its social media pages, and restrictions imposed by global companies and institutions," the statement read.

It also noted that the organisation "unequivocally denies any allegations suggesting links between it and any political party or group designated on 'terrorism' lists."

This refers to US claims that Addameer is affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which the US government has designated as a "terrorist organisation" despite providing no evidence to confirm this.

Amnesty International called the sanctions baseless and demanded that they be immediately reversed.

Both Amnesty International and HRW have for years worked with Addameer, which regularly sheds light on the plight of Palestinian prisoners.

The rights groups said the US sanctions are the "bidding of the Israeli government, which has long systematically sought to muzzle human rights reporting and advocacy".

This is not the first time Addameer has been targeted. In 2021, Israeli authorities outlawed the organisation along with five other human rights groups, designating them as "terrorist" or "illegal". Palestinian rights groups’ offices have also been raided by Israeli authorities.

According to Amnesty International, Israeli authorities are currently holding over 3,000 Palestinians in administrative detention, without any charge against them or trial. Detainees face dire conditions, malnutrition, and torture in Israeli prisons.

"The US sanctions have catastrophic consequences for Addameer, Palestinians who rely on their vital work, and Palestinian civil society more broadly," Amnesty International said in a statement.

They added that this sets a dangerous precedent and will make the group’s day-to-day operations more difficult.

"This will also negatively affect their engagement with their partner organisations, locally and internationally, including US-based groups," they said.