As organizations committed to civil society and open civic space, we, the undersigned, are gravely concerned by the U.S. government’s (USG) decision to impose sanctions under Executive Order (EO) 14203 against three leading Palestinian human rights organizations — Al-Haq: Law in the Service of Man (Al-Haq), Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights (Al-Mezan), and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) — for engaging with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek investigations into war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. These sanctions create a chilling effect on humanitarian and human rights work in Gaza and undermine the abilities of civil society actors to pursue accountability under international law. They further threaten the civil society infrastructure in Gaza, hinder the documentation of human rights abuses, impede fact-finding missions, and deter legal cooperation with the ICC. If this suppression continues, accountability for the gravest international crimes will erode.
We join the Sept. 4 response of Volker Türk, Chief of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), who unequivocally called on the United States to “withdraw immediately these sanctions,” warning that they pose a dire threat to independent civil society organizations (CSOs) engaged in essential accountability work. These calls were echoed by civil society and legal organizations.
This escalation — from sanctioning ICC individuals to now targeting organizations and UN officials — infuses political reprisals into the international justice and accountability framework. It deters organizations worldwide from pursuing accountability due to the fear of retaliation, creating a chilling effect on humanitarian and human rights work, where protection is most needed.
We urge the USG to immediately rescind the sanctions against Al-Haq, Al-Medan, and PCHR.
Signatories:
1. A New Policy
2. American Civil Liberties Union
3. American Council for Judaism
4. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
5. Amnesty International USA
6. Ben and Jerry’s Foundation
7. CAIR-WA (Council on American-Islamic Relations, Washington State Chapter)
8. Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)
9. Center for Constitutional Rights
10. Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)
11. Center for Jewish Nonviolence (CJNV)
12. Charity & Security Network
13. Churches for Middle East Peace
14. CIDSE – International Family of Catholic Social Justice Organisations
15. CIVICUS16. CODEPINK
17. Confinium Strategies
18. Decolonize Sudan
19. Defence for Children International DCI
20. Defending Rights & Dissent
21. Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
22. DIAKONIA
23. Diana’s List
24. Dominican Sisters of Sparkill
25. Dorchester People for Peace (DPP)
26. Ensaaf
27. European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
28. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
29. Foundation for Middle East Peace
30. Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
31. Funding Freedom
32. HEART to Grow
33. Historians for Peace and Democracy (HPAD)
34. Human Rights First
35. Human Rights Funders Network (HRFN)
36. Human Rights Watch (HRW)
37. IfNotNow Movement
38. Jewish Voice for Peace
39. Just Foreign Policy
40. Kenya Human Rights Commission
41. KinderUSA
42. Kolibri Foundation
43. MADRE
44. Maine Coalition for Palestine
45. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns (MOGC)
46. Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA)
47. MedGlobal
48. MENA Rights Group
49. Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA)
50. Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
51. Minnesota Peace Project
52. MPower Change Action Fund
53. Muslim Civic Coalition
54. Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA)
55. Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
56. National Lawyers Guild – Bay Area Chapter
57. Nonviolence International
58. Oxfam America
59. Palestine Legal60. Pax Christi International
61. Peace Action
62. Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness
63. Project South
64. Rabbis for Ceasefire (R4C)
65. Regenerative Economies Organizing Collaborative (REO)
66. ReThinking Foreign Policy (RTFP)
67. rochester, minnesota franciscan community
68. RootsAction
69. Sagner Family Foundation
70. Statewatch
71. Terre des hommes Italia (TDH IT)
72. The Carter Center
73. The Episcopal Church
74. The Palestinian Assembly for Liberation (PAL)
75. The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft (QI)
76. United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
77. United for Peace & Justice (UFPJ)
78. Western States Legal Foundation (WSLF)
79. World BEYOND War
80. Zakat Foundation of America
