Human Rights Watch criticizes the Palestinian Authority for obstructing civil rights after it denied the registration of a lawyers association.
Lawyers for Justice — which represents Palestinians detained by the PA — says the renewal of its registration has been denied after it was accused of accepting foreign funding in violation of its legal status.
The legal group was also accused by a PA official of “nonprofit activities” when its renewal was blocked in March, HRW says.
Lawyers for Justice says accepting foreign funding is not in violation of PA law.
“So long as the PA blocks groups from carrying out work focused on their abuses, their calls to safeguard Palestinian civil society and protect Palestinian rights will continue to ring hollow,” Omar Shakir of Human Rights Watch says.
Without official registration, it could lose access to bank accounts, have its offices closed, and its staff could face arrest, the group’s head Mohannad Karaje tells Human Rights Watch.
The move to muzzle Lawyers for Justice reflects a larger trend of the PA “shrinking the space for civil society organizations and further empowering its security services,” Karaje says.
The PA does not respond to a request for comment from AFP.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate professional journalism
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, during an ongoing war when facts are often distorted and news coverage of Israel often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this