Access Now

Activities

• Active in campaigns against what it calls Meta “censorship” and “Israel’s Digital Occupation.”
• Access Now supports https://stopsilencingpalestine.com/, a website jointly run by 7ameh, Amnesty International, Article 19, and others involved in the campaign against Meta content moderation policies.
• In May 2021, Access Now published a press release regarding social media posts pertaining to Sheikh Jarrah, stating, “The removed content and suspended accounts on both Instagram and Twitter are involved in documenting and reporting what is happening in Sheikh Jarrah, as well as denouncing Israel’s policies of ethnic cleansing, apartheid and persecution.”
• On October 13 2023, in the aftermath of the brutal Hamas atrocities on October 7, Access Now claimed, “The Israeli government declared war on Sunday, October 8, in response to an assault by Hamas militants beginning Saturday, October 7. These escalations come in the context of Israel’s ongoing 16-year blockade in the occupied territory of Gaza, 56 years of military occupation, and decades of struggle for a just and sustainable peace in the region.”
• Between October 13 and December 31, 2023, Access Now posted 23 press releases on the conflict.
• In August 2022, Access Now was a signatory on a letter to President Biden condemning the decision by the Israeli Ministry to designate six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organizations. According to the letter, “The targeted organizations form part of the bedrock of Palestinian civil society that has been protecting and advancing Palestinian human rights for decades across the full spectrum of issues of global concern.” The letter also called to “Suspend U.S. military funding to the Israeli government and cease any diplomatic efforts that enable systemic impunity for Israel’s gross violations of internationally-recognized human rights.”
• In March 2022, MENA Policy Manager Marwa Fatafta participated in a webinar on “issues surrounding Palestinian civil society, and in particular human rights defenders and democracy activists, and the challenges and threats they face — including direct attacks by Israel, targeting by Palestinian authorities, and apathy/indifference from the international community in the face of these attacks.”