U.S. and Canada Sanction the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
Painting depicting the struggle of Palestinian prisoners. X/ @DavideMastracci
October 16, 2024 Hour: 7:54 am
Pro-Israel groups have been pushing to list Samidoun as a ‘terrorist group for years.
On Tuesday, the Canadian government announced that it has listed the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun) as a terrorist entity.
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According to a news release from Public Safety Canada, Samidoun has close links with and advances the interests of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is a listed terrorist entity in Canada, the United States and the European Union.
As a now-listed entity, Samidoun meets the definition of a “terrorist group” under Canada’s Criminal Code which prohibits certain actions in relation to terrorist groups, including those related to terrorist financing, travel and recruitment.
In reality, however, Samidoun is an international network of organizers and activists working to build solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for freedom.
“We work to raise awareness and provide resources about Palestinian political prisoners, their conditions, their demands, and their work for freedom for themselves, their fellow prisoners, and their homeland,” it said.
“Pro-Israel groups across North America and Europe have been pushing to list Samidoun as a “terrorist” group for years. But the organization came under renewed scrutiny in recent months during mass protests in Canada, the US and elsewhere against Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip,” Al Jazeera recalled.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller also issued a statement imposing sanctions against Samidoun under the pretext that this humanitarian organization is just a “sham charity” that raises funds for radical groups.
“The United States is committed to working with our partners to expose and deter those who exploit humanitarian impulses for their malignant goals. Today, in coordination with Canada, we are sanctioning the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network,” he stated.
teleSUR/ JF Source: Xinhua – AL Jazeera – State Department
