London, 16th April 2026 – The International Centre for Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) condemns the decision by the French authorities to ban Shawan Jabarin, a prominent and well-respected Palestinian rights activist and Director of Al-Haq, from entering France.
Jabarin, who was due to speak at the European Parliament’s human rights committee in Strasbourg this past Tuesday, was denied a French visa despite being granted entry to the Netherlands and Belgium.
ICJP extends its solidarity to Jabarin, who is also a former vice president and secretary general of the International Federation for Human Rights. He was due to travel to Paris with fellow NGO leaders as part of a campaign against the sanctions imposed by the US administration following the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s decision to issue international arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
France’s decision to deny a visa to Jabarin, who is also under US-imposed sanctions, is notably incoherent given the country’s staunch opposition to the sanctioning of ICC judgeswhile simultaneously blocking European entry to NGOs that cooperate, collaborate and inform the ICC’s work.
The silencing by French authorities of Palestinian voices, who provide necessary testimony, expertise, and collaboration at a European level, is wholly contradictory and without legal grounds. It is also remarkable that in 2018 Al-Haq, which was already being led by Jabarin, received the French Republic’s Human Rights Prize, together with its Israeli counterpart, B’Tselem, yet today, French authorities are denying entry to that same advocacy.
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
- The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians is an independent organisation of lawyers, politicians and academics who support the rights of Palestinians and aim to protect their rights through the law.
- For more information, to arrange an interview with a spokesperson, please contact the ICJP news desk at [email protected].
Image: ZeusUpsistos via Wikimedia Commons.
