Addameer
Cases- Case status
- Unresolved
- Location of case in SG report
- 2021-057-001
- Relevant SG report
- Year of the report
- 2021
- From Country
- Country Geolocation
Latitude: 31.046051
Longitude: 34.851612
- Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
- Israel
- From Region
- Type of record
- Named organization
- Was the victim a foreign national?
- No
- Was the victim a minor?
- No
- Individual's/organization's activity
provides legal aid to Palestinian prisoners
- Type of rights defended
- Civil/political rights
- Reported trigger of reprisal
“Addameer was active in UN institutions and took part in the Human Rights Council’s discussions on Israel, including in March 2018, where it urged the International Criminal Court to take action against Israel. The NGO continues to interact with the UNHRC on issues pertaining to Israel.”
- Engagement with UN body
- International Criminal Court
- UN Human Rights Council: UN Human Rights Council - General
- Type of attempted engagement
- Participation in meeting on UN premises
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- 13 May 2020
- Location of mentioned reprisals
- Israel
- Reprisal information
On 13 May 2020, the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs released a public report on Palestinian human rights organization Addameer, which provides legal aid to Palestinian prisoners. The report references Adameer’s cooperation with the UN and claims that the organization is “tied to terrorism” and is among the NGOs which “advocate for the boycott of Israel and have a radically anti-Israel agenda.”43 The report alleges that previous and current staff of Addameer are “affiliates” of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which has been defined as illegal under Israeli military law, and that Addameer is linked to terrorism, including for its provision of legal aid. The report specifically states that “Addameer was active in UN institutions and took part in the Human Rights Council’s discussions on Israel, including in March 2018, where it urged the International Criminal Court to take action against Israel. The NGO continues to interact with the UNHRC on issues pertaining to Israel.” 44 The Ministry calls on “Western governments, international humanitarian organizations, social media networks, financial institutions and foundations” to refrain from meeting with Addameer’s personnel or issuing them visas, to audit their social media posts, and to increase oversight and transparency regarding Addameer’s financial accounts to ensure compliance with terror financing laws.
- Types of reprisals suffered
- Defamation / Defamation campaign
- 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?
- Yes
- Government response dates
- 17 August 2021
- Government response content
On 17 August 2021, the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report noting that while Israel does not seek to curtail freedom of expression nor to limit humanitarian activity, it does seek and will continue to act to stop terror and cut off its funding. Regarding Addameer in particular, the Government stated that it promotes the interests of PFLP operatives who serve prison terms in Israel, with emphasis on terrorists who are responsible for serious terrorist attacks committed against Israelis, and that calls by the Ministry of Strategic Affairs to increase oversight and transparency regarding Addameer’s financial accounts are legitimate and appropriate.
- Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
- Yes
- Which State raised the case at the UN and when?
Namibia raised Reprisals against "Palestinian Human Rights Organizations" by Israel - so not Addameer by name specifically
- 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?
- 2
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
- 2022
- Followup Trends 0
- Deterioration/further reprisals
- Date of follow up 0
- 27 December 2021
- Did the government respond? 0
- No
- Was this case followed up by a UN body? 0
- UN Special Procedures: Country
- UN Special Procedures: Thematic
- UN Special Procedures: UN Special Procedures - General
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 1
- 2024
- Follow up information provided in SG report 1
The cases of six Palestinian human rights and humanitarian organizations, namely the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer), Al Haq, the Bisan Center for Research and Development (Bisan), Defense for Children International – Palestine, (DCI-P), the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees (UPWC) were included in the 2022 and 2023 reports of the Secretary-General on allegations that their designations as “terror[ist] organizations” under the Counter-Terrorism Law 5776 of 2016 were related to their cooperation with the United Nations and their human rights and humanitarian work.130 UN actors condemned the designations131 and noted the critical work of these long-standing key partners of the United Nations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.132134. In May 2023, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel (the Commission), reported that it was not aware of any credible evidence to support the terrorist designations. 133 The Commission reported having received information suggesting that, six months prior to the designations, the Israeli Ministry of Intelligence had advised the Government to incriminate individuals and organizations receiving foreign funding, tarnish their reputation and expose their connections to “terrorist” elements. 134 The Commission noted that the Israeli authorities’ use of anti-terror legislation to categorize civil society organizations as terrorist organizations aimed to delegitimize and isolate them, undermine their activity, and harm their international funding and support.135 It then concluded, on the basis of reasonable grounds, that the designations were unjustified, undertaken to silence civil society voices, and violate human rights. 136 During the reporting period, the Commission and OHCHR addressed the significant impacts that the designations had had on the programmes, activities and work of the concerned organizations, including as a result of the withdrawal of funding and the imposition of travel bans.137 OHCHR also reported that, as a result of the designations, the organizations operated under constant threat of closure, and their staff and legal representatives operating with a continuing threat of arrest.138
- Followup Trends 1
- Stayed same
- Date of follow up 1
- May 2023
- Did the government respond? 1
- No
- Was this case followed up by a UN body? 1
- UN Special Procedures: Thematic