Pro-Palestinian students protest on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, the United States. [Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP]
It is imperative for the Washington elite to heed the voice of conscience expressed by student demonstrations
Mwatana for Human Rights stated today that the seizure of freedom of expression and the crackdown on protests against the Israeli military campaign on Palestinians in various American universities by US law enforcement signify a troubling regression in the liberties safeguarded by international laws and US statutes. Given the United States' portrayal of itself as a champion and custodian of these freedoms on a global scale, it is imperative for it to reevaluate its current course of action.
Radhya Al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights, remarked, "At a time when the American administration should have ceased its generous political and military support for Israel and its horrific war against Palestinians, granting it a green light to continue killing, injuring, and starving tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, it instead turned to suppressing and arresting university professors participating in protests." Al-Mutawakel urged the American governing authorities, including the US Congress, to learn from governments that have suppressed freedom of expression in the Middle East, leading to shameful outcomes.
On April 18th, students at Columbia University in New York organized a protest in the university campus park condemning the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza. During the demonstration, protesters called for an end to the war and the cessation of continuous US funding for the Israeli government. However, US police intervened to disperse the protest and detain dozens of protesting students at the university president's request. Subsequently, university protests continued at Columbia University and spread to other American universities in various cities, including New York, Yale, Stanford, George Town, Texas, North Carolina, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Student protests escalated with police forcefully dispersing sit-ins and detaining participants amid an authoritarian discourse inciting against and vilifying them.
In its statement, Mwatana condemned the US authorities' resort to detaining students and their professors participating in protests condemning the crimes committed by Israeli forces against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is coupled with the continuous American support for the Israeli government and its behavior undermining everything related to Palestinian life. Protesters have called on the US administration to halt the massacres and appalling violations committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and occupied Palestinian territories since the armed attack launched by Palestinian factions on Israeli settlements in Gaza in October 7th, 2023, with overt support from the US administration. The latest development was the US Congress approving a new $26.4 billion aid package to Israel, coinciding with the revelation of mass graves containing hundreds of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces during operations targeting hospitals in Gaza.
Mwatana added, "At a time when the American ruling elite should have heeded the humanitarian conscience emerging from American universities, stepped back from their ongoing unwavering support for Israel amidst its atrocious crimes against Palestinians, initiated actions to halt these crimes, upheld the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and safeguarded the right to peaceful protest, they chose to suppress and detain protesters on campuses. Moreover, they unjustly accused them of anti-Semitism, aiming to intimidate and silence them. This reprehensible behavior starkly exposes their glaring double standards and undermines their claims of championing and defending human rights."
Additionally, Mwatana called on all active organizations and entities worldwide to take effective action to prevent the repressive practices against university students, safeguard their rights to expression and peaceful protest, listen to and respond to their legitimate demands, and release those who have been arrested. It also urged university administrations to respect students' rights to peaceful protest and refrain from obstructing them or taking arbitrary measures against them, ensuring the protection of their guaranteed rights.
It is noteworthy that the United States has unequivocally sided with Israel in its war against civilians in Gaza, despite the severe and egregious crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians. These crimes include acts that violate international humanitarian law, such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and starvation tactics. The United States' unwavering support has enabled Israel to evade accountability, disregarding fundamental principles and rules of international law. This continuous and overt support from the United States implicates it in these crimes, contradicting its professed commitments to human rights and rendering its claims of supporting, sponsoring, and upholding human rights hollow.
