EU rights envoy urges US to lift sanctions on Palestinian human rights groups

ISTANBUL

The EU’s special representative for human rights, Kajsa Ollongren, voiced concern Wednesday about US sanctions imposed on three Palestinian human rights organizations.

She urged Washington to immediately withdraw the measures.

“I am alarmed by the sanctioning of Al Haq, Al Mezan and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, key partners of my office,” Ollongren wrote on the US social media company X.

She stressed that the organizations provide “vital information on the situation in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem” and play a central role in documenting violations of international law.

“I urge the immediate withdrawal of the sanctions to enable civil society to exercise its role in documenting violations,” she added.

The US Treasury Department announced sanctions last week against the NGOs, alleging they provided support to the International Criminal Court in investigations into alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip and occupied territories.

Ollongren underlined that the groups are crucial partners for the EU in its human rights work, and said penalizing them undermines efforts to monitor and report on conditions in Palestinian territories.