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Türk calls on the US to withdraw sanctions against Palestinian rights groups

Press releases
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

05 September 2025

GENEVA -- The sanctions imposed by the US Government on three prominent and well-respected Palestinian human rights groups are completely unacceptable and should be withdrawn, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said today.

The US sanctions announced on Thursday target Al-Haq group, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, in relation to their support of the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. These measures follow other sanctions imposed by the US Government in June on renowned Palestinian NGO Addameer.

"For decades now, these NGOs have been performing vital human rights work, particularly on accountability for human rights violations," the High Commissioner said. "The sanctions will have a chilling effect not only on civil society in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, but potentially globally," he added.

"The work of civil society in documenting violations and engaging with international accountability mechanisms is all the more important when international humanitarian and human rights laws are being violated systematically in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," Türk said.

He added that sanctions against such human rights NGOs "only deepen impunity, silence victims' voices and encourage a climate of continued commission of violations and international crimes".

"Such attacks on NGOs working to promote the respect for human rights run directly counter to respect for the rule of law and other values which the US has long stood for and promoted," the High Commissioner said.

"I urge the US Government to withdraw immediately these sanctions, as well as the ones imposed earlier on the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, and on multiple Judges and Prosecutors of the ICC."