State Department must act to protect Palestinian human rights defender Issa Amro

Kareem El-Hosseiny, the national government relations coordinator for American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), and Codepink’s Ariel Gold met with US State Department officials on Jan. 5 to advocate on behalf of Issa Amro, a Palestinian human rights advocate who currently is facing several years in Israeli military detention on politically motivated charges. Amro is internationally known as the founder of Youth Against Settlements (YAS), a group based entirely on non-violence.  

Amro’s track record on human rights is well documented. The UN Office for High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in 2010 declared him Human Rights Defender of the Year; and was a guest of the State Department as part of its International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in 2011. As reported on in Haaretz and Amnesty International, Amro’s trial highlights Israel’s systematic policy of persecuting nonviolent activists in Palestine.

AMP calls on the U.S. State Department to issue a statement recognizing Issa Amro as a renowned human rights defender and calling for the safety of all human rights defenders, affirming the fact that those who engage in nonviolent activities should be able to do so without fear of political prosecutions.