United Nations human rights experts have expressed deep concern over the United States’ decision to impose sanctions on three leading Palestinian human rights organisations—Al-Haq, Al-Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights—calling the move a “direct attack on international justice”.
The U.S. sanctions, issued under Executive Order 14203, target organisations that have long documented human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories and provided evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding alleged Israeli abuses in Gaza. The experts warned that the decision appears to be part of a broader campaign to undermine the ICC’s investigations into Israel’s actions.
“These three organisations are among the oldest, most credible, and globally respected in monitoring abuses by all parties in the occupied territories,” the UN experts said. They noted that Al-Haq, Al-Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights have played a vital role in exposing violations at a time when foreign journalists and international observers remain barred from entering Gaza.
The announcement comes amid growing international outrage over Israeli airstrikes, the killing of civilians, the targeting of journalists and medical staff, and the severe restrictions on humanitarian aid that have led to famine in Gaza. “Sanctioning organisations for denouncing human rights violations is a blatant violation of the rights to freedom of expression and association,” the experts stressed.
The latest measures follow similar U.S. action in June 2025, when Washington sanctioned Addameer, a Palestinian group advocating for prisoners’ rights. The UN experts said the sanctions were being misused to silence pro-Palestinian voices and obstruct international accountability, adding: “These organisations deserve to be supported and funded, not punished, for their courageous work documenting Israeli violations in Gaza and the West Bank.”
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