Laith Abu Zeyad
Cases- Location of case in SG report
- 2020-062-001
- Relevant SG report
- Year of the report
- 2020
- From Country
- 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
- Dates of prior UN action
- 17 April 2020
- 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
Amnesty International campaigner on Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories; called on States to support the UN database and the work of OHCHR to compile and update it / rights of Palestinian people
- 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
could be a reprisal for his cooperation with the UN, and his endeavours to raise concerns at the Human Rights Council (ISR 1/2020). In a briefing to the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on 15 February 2019, 48 Mr. Zeyad called on States to support the UN database and the work of OHCHR to compile and update it (A/HRC/RES/31/36). 49
- Engagement with UN body
- Other
- UN Human Rights Council: UN Human Rights Council - General
- Dates of engagement
- 15 February 2019; March 2020
- Type of attempted engagement
- Participation in meeting on UN premises
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- Unclear
- Reprisal information
As a consequence of the travel ban, Mr. Zeyad was unable to travel to Geneva to attend the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council (ISR 1/2020).
- Types of reprisals suffered
- 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
- Government response dates
- 15 June 2020
- Government response content
Government stated 50 that the travel ban against Mr. Zeyad was issued for security reasons, as according to material evidence and classified intelligence, Mr. Zeyad, in addition to his work at Amnesty International, is involved with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The Government maintains that PFLP is an illegal terrorist group, and, as such, poses a security risk and a risk to public safety. The Government stated that the allegation that the travel ban is a reprisal for Mr. Zeyad and Amnesty’s cooperation with the UN is false and unfounded, and that between 2017 and 2019, Mr. Zeyad was issued three different permits to enter Israel as an international organization employee. The Government confirmed that a lawyer submitted a petition to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) on Mr. Zeyad’s behalf to appeal the travel ban decision, and this petition was denied. Subsequently, his case has been sent to the District Court, and is undergoing judicial review.
- 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?
- 1
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
- 2021
- Follow up information provided in SG report 0
- The case of Mr. Laith Abu Zeyad, Amnesty International campaigner on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), was included in the 2020 report of the Secretary General.183 In April 2020, special procedures mandate holders had raised concern about the travel ban which prevented him from leaving the OPT, following his engagement with the UN184 (ISR 1/2020) where he called on States to support the UN database and the work of OHCHR in this regard (A/HRC/RES/31/36).185 On 15 June 2020, the Government186 stated that the travel ban against Mr. Zeyad was issued for security reasons. It was reported to OHCHR that Mr. Zeyad’s petition to the Jerusalem District Court to lift the travel ban was heard on 31 May 2020 and later rejected. The Court reportedly accepted the evidence submitted by the Israeli Internal Security Agency, alleging that Mr. Zeyad poses a “security threat.” Additional petitions were filed in November 2020, which were dismissed. The Jerusalem District Court held a hearing on the case on 6 April 2021, but as of May 2021 had not issued a decision.
- On 17 August 2021, the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report. Regarding the situation of Mr. Issa Amro, the Government shared information on his sentencing and charges, currently under appeal, and stated that his organization “Youth against Settlements” acts as a proxy for the terror organization Hamas in the West Bank. Regarding the travel ban against Mr. Abu Zeyad, the Government stated that this was issued for security reasons because he is currently involved in Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) activity, but that as of August 2021 a new request for travel by Mr. Abu Zeyad would be allowed should he commit in writing to refrain from terror activities, which is still pending
- Followup Trends 0
- Stayed same
- Did the government respond? 0
- Yes