Issa Amro

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2014-025-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2014
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 31.046051

Longitude: 34.851612

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Israel
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
  • Unclear
Dates of prior UN action
02 August 2013
Type of record
Named individual
Gender
Male
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

founder of Youth Against Settlements and winner of the 2010 OHCHR Human Rights Defender of the Year in Palestine award

Type of rights defended
  • Caste/Ethnic minorities' rights/Racism
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

two statements to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-third session, on 10 June 2013, and participated in a side event entitled “Human rights in Palestine” on 11 June 2013

Engagement with UN body
  • UN Human Rights Council: UN Human Rights Council - General
Dates of engagement
10 June 2013; 11 June 2013
Type of attempted engagement
  • Participation in meeting on UN premises
Dates of mentioned reprisals
8 July 2013; 25 July 2013; 26 July 2013
Location of mentioned reprisals
Hebron
Reprisal information

)n 8 July 2013, after his return to the country, Israeli soldiers confiscated Mr. Amro’s passport and transferred him to the Israeli military police station in Hebron, where he was beaten until he collapsed, threatened with death and left handcuffed and lying on a stretcher for several hours before being taken to hospital. Mr. Amro was summoned to appear at the police station the next day and interrogated for several hours. On 25 July 2013, at least 12 Israeli soldiers allegedly invaded the Youth Against Settlements centre and harassed the persons present. The following day, Mr. Amro and three others were shot at in front of the centre and two days later several olive trees in the vicinity of the centre were set on fire.33

Types of reprisals suffered
  • Physical attack: Attempted killing
  • Physical attack: Torture/Cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment
  • Detention/Imprisonment: Release within a day
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
  • Travel restriction
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
4
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
2021
Follow up information provided in SG report 0
  1. The case of Mr. Issa Amro, founder of Youth Against Settlements in Hebron and winner of the 2010 OHCHR Human Rights Defender of the Year in Palestine award, was included in the 2014 report of the Secretary-General.180 Mr. Amro had engaged with the Human Rights Council in June 2013 and special procedures mandate holders addressed allegations that, upon Mr. Amro’s return to Israel in July 2013, Israeli soldiers confiscated his passport and he was beaten, threatened and handcuffed at a military police station in Hebron (ISR 7/2013). Reportedly, the Youth Against Settlements centre was invaded and Mr. Amro and three others shot at in front of the centre (A/HRC/27/38, para. 25). On 6 January 2021, Mr. Amro was convicted of six charges related to his human rights activities between 2010 and 2016 by an Israeli military court, 181 addressed by special procedures mandate holders.182 He was sentenced on 22 March 2021 by the Israeli military court in Ofer to a suspended sentence of three months’ imprisonment, which can be invoked within two years, and a fine.
Followup Trends 0
Deterioration/further reprisals
Date of follow up 0
26 January 2021
Did the government respond? 0
Yes
Was this case followed up by a UN body? 0
  • UN Special Procedures: Country
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 1
2022
Follow up information provided in SG report 1
  1. The case of Mr. Isra Amro, founder of Youth Against Settlements in Hebron and winner of the 2010 OHCHR Human Rights Defender of the Year in Palestine award, was included in the 2014 and 2021 reports of the Secretary-General related to his engagement with the Human Rights Council in 2013 and allegations addressed by special procedures mandate holders that, upon Mr. Amro’s return to Israel in July 2013, Israeli soldiers confiscated his passport and he was beaten, threatened and handcuffed at a military police station in Hebron (ISR 7/2013). Reportedly, in July 2013 Israeli soldiers allegedly invaded the Youth Against Settlements centre and harassed the persons present. The following day, Mr. Amro and three other individuals were shot at (A/HRC/27/38, para. 25). Following almost five years of judicial proceedings, in March 2021, Mr. Amro received a three-month suspended sentence with a two-year probation period and a fine in relation to his human rights work. According to information received by OHCHR, on 2 August 2021, Mr. Amro filed an appeal to the Military Court, which was heard on 10 January 2022 and, as of 30 April 2022 the next hearing or verdict was pending.
Followup Trends 1
Deterioration/further reprisals
Did the government respond? 1
No
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 2
2023
Follow up information provided in SG report 2
  1. The case of Mr. Issa Amro, founder of Youth Against Settlements in Hebron was included in the 2014, 2021 and 2022 reports of the Secretary-General120 on allegations of reprisals for his engagement with the Human Rights Council in 2013 (ISR 7/2013). Following almost five years of judicial proceedings, in March 2021, Mr. Amro received a three-month suspended sentence with a two-year probation period and a fine in relation to his human rights work, which he appealed. The next hearing or verdict on his appeal was scheduled for 25 June 2023.
  2. On 17 November 2022, special procedures mandate holders condemned attacks against Mr. Amro and urged the immediate lifting of the closed military zone imposed on his house, a day after he had filed a police complaint against Israeli settler violence.121 According to information received by OHCHR, on 28 November, Mr. Amro was brought for interrogation at the Givat Ha’avot Israeli police station, in connection to a video he had filmed and uploaded online on 25 November 2022, of an Israeli soldier physically assaulting an Israeli citizen in the city of Hebron, for which two soldiers had been suspended. Mr. Amro was released two days later, upon being formally charged by the competent military court with “attacking a soldier, disturbing the Israeli army work, breaching public order, disturbing the police investigation and assaulting a police officer and preventing him from doing his work.”
  3. On 2 December, Mr. Amro was reportedly searched and detained by four Israeli intelligence officers while conducting a media interview. He was released on the same day. On 13 February 2023, Mr. Amro was reportedly assaulted by an Israeli soldier while providing a tour for international journalists on the human rights situation of Palestinians in the H2 area of Hebron. Mr. Amro allegedly sustained bruises on his hand, arm and back as a result. The soldier involved was sentenced to 10 days in prison.
Followup Trends 2
Deterioration/further reprisals
Date of follow up 2
17 November 2022
Did the government respond? 2
No
Was this case followed up by a UN body? 2
  • UN Special Procedures: UN Special Procedures - General
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 3
2024
Follow up information provided in SG report 3
  1. The case of Mr. Issa Amro, founder of Youth Against Settlements in Hebron, was included in the 2014, 2021, 2022 and 2023 reports of the Secretary-General140 on allegations of reprisals for his engagement with the Human Rights Council in 2013 (ISR 7/2013). Following almost five years of judicial proceedings, in March 2021, Mr. Amro received a three-month suspended sentence with a two-year probation period and a fine in relation to his human rights work, which he appealed.
  2. According to information received by OHCHR, on 25 June 2023, following seven years of judicial proceedings, Mr. Amro was acquitted in relation to two of his six convictions, namely one count of obstructing a soldier and one count of participating in an unauthorized march. 141 Reportedly, on 7 October 2023, Mr. Amro was prevented from accessing his house and the offices of Youth Against Settlements in Hebron H2 by an Israeli settler dressed in an army uniform along with two Israeli soldiers. Reportedly, Mr. Amro was subsequently arrested and detained for a day in a caravan located at a military post in the nearby settlement of Ramat Yashai, where he was subjected to alleged ill-treatment andsexual violence at the hands of soldiers, including being threatened with rape and being repeatedly beaten, kicked, and spat on.
Followup Trends 3
Significant positive and negative developments
Did the government respond? 3
No