Lawyers for Justice: ‘Deportation of HRW director should not deter activists’
Israel’s political deportation of Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch (HRW) director in Palestine/Israel, aims to silence anyone that dares criticize Israel’s violation of human rights. That policy never succeeded, never will.
RAMALLAH, 23 Nov 2019 (WAFA) — As the deportation date for Human Rights Watch (HRW) director in Palestine/Israel, Omar Shakir, approaches, (Monday Nov 25), the Ramallah-based Lawyers for Justice called on human rights defenders and activists not to be deterred by the Israeli measure.
Shakir is supposed to leave the country in two days after the Israeli High Court denied him a stay pending a hearing by a panel of seven judges after a panel of three High Court judges upheld in early November and April Jerusalem District Court ruling in favor of his deportation at the request of the Israeli Interior Minister due to his alleged support for boycott of Israel activity.
“This is an integral part of the policy of deportation practiced by the Israeli occupation authorities against anyone who carries a humanitarian and moral message towards the reality of which Palestinians are subjected to continuously by the ongoing occupation that has lasted for more than seventy years,” said Lawyers for Justice in a statement.
It said it considers this act “a continuation of a long-existing policy of legalization and legitimization of the occupation as well as authorization to the Israeli army to wipe out any humanitarian message or anti-occupation human rights speech, and eradicate any call to end the occupation which has long been and continues to be a burden on the people of the free world.”
Lawyers for Justice called on “all activists, human rights defenders and freedom activists to continue to carry out their humanitarian mission and their human rights activities to end the occupation and achieve freedom.”
It urged them “to intensify messages of solidarity and provide moral support to the activist Omar Shaker and all defenders, liberals, and activists for freedom and for the respect for human rights.”
