On September 4, 2025, the United States government imposed sanctions on three prominent Palestinian human rights organizations—Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)—citing their cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. This action has elicited strong condemnation from a coalition of 78 rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the American Civil Liberties Union, who argue that the sanctions undermine the pursuit of accountability under international law.
The joint statement issued by these organizations emphasizes that the sanctions threaten the civil society infrastructure in Gaza, hindering the documentation of human rights abuses and impeding fact-finding missions. This, in turn, undermines efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for grave international crimes. The statement also supports UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s call for the United States to withdraw the sanctions, noting that punishing actors who pursue accountability deepens impunity and silences victims, thereby encouraging the continuation of crimes.
In September, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sanctioned Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and PCHR for supporting the work of the ICC. Rubio argued that these organizations have engaged in efforts led by the ICC to illegally arrest, detain, and prosecute Israeli nationals without Israel’s consent, a non-member of the Rome Statute. This decision follows Executive Order 14203, issued in February 2025 by President Donald Trump, which authorized the U.S. government to impose sanctions, freeze assets, and restrict U.S. entry against individuals and organizations supporting ICC investigations of U.S. citizens or allied nationals.
The work of Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and PCHR includes testimony collection and dossier submissions to the ICC, which have been crucial to the documentation of war crimes committed in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Despite the sanctions, these organizations have vowed to continue their cooperation with the ICC. Raji Sourani of PCHR dismissed the sanctions as “shameful” and affirmed their ongoing engagement with the court.
UN experts have expressed dismay over the U.S. sanctions, describing them as a direct attack on international justice. They highlighted that these organizations are among the oldest and most effective in covering human rights violations and abuses by all parties in the occupied Palestinian territories. The experts warned that such measures could have a chilling effect on civil society organizations globally, deterring them from pursuing accountability due to fear of retaliation.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also condemned the sanctions, stating that instead of pressing Israel to stop its ongoing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide against Palestinians, the U.S. is taking draconian measures against human rights defenders. They argue that this move sets a dangerous precedent of using sanctions as a tool to punish those exposing abuses by U.S. allies.
The Center for Constitutional Rights echoed these sentiments, condemning the State Department’s escalation of its attacks on Palestinian human rights organizations. They stated that this attack cements the United States government’s complicity in Israel’s crimes and represents a broader pattern of repression aimed at Palestinian civil society.
These developments have raised significant concerns about the implications for the enforcement of international law and the protection of human rights defenders worldwide. The international community continues to call for the immediate withdrawal of these sanctions to uphold the principles of justice and accountability.