The undersigned Israeli and Palestinian NGOs strongly condemn the night raid of Addameer - Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association in Ramallah - by the Israeli army. During the raid, which took place on the 19th of September, the army confiscated laptops, laptop drives and other items - all of which are critical to Addameer’s work.
Addameer’s work in protecting the rights of prisoners is crucial in preventing violations of human rights. A prestigious human rights organization founded nearly 30 years ago, many of us have worked closely with Addameer on a variety of issues in order to safeguard basic rights, including prevention of torture, arbitrary arrests and unfair trials.
This raid is part and parcel of an ongoing attack on the legitimacy of Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, aiming to silence criticism of the occupation. The crackdown on human rights defenders and Palestinian civil society, including the attempt by Israeli authorities, such as the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, to dry up sources of funding for all human rights organizations, publishing false accusations and creating an intimidating atmosphere must end and be condemned by the international community.
It is through the work of organizations such as Addameer that Palestinians and Israelis can struggle against the ongoing, catastrophic damage caused by the occupation. We ask you to speak out against this attack. As organizations that care deeply about the societies in which we work, we believe that only by ending the occupation and protecting human rights can we ensure a better future for Palestinians and Israelis.
The signed organizations: ACRI – The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Adalah – The legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Akevot Institute, Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights, B’tselem, Emek Shaveh, Gisha, Haqel: ln Defense of Human Rights, HRDF - Human Rights Defenders Fund, Ir Amim, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, PICATI - The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Torah of Justice, Yesh Din - Volunteers for Human Rights