Defamation and online violence campaign against human rights defender Mohannad Karajah and Lawyers for Justice

Front Line Defenders expresses its serious concern that human rights defender Mohannad Karajah and his organization Lawyers for Justice have recently been targeted by a systematic defamation and incitement to violence campaign, mainly on a Telegram channel with tens of thousands of followers, and Facebook. The online campaign, initiated by unknown individuals, targets Mohannad Karajah and Lawyers for Justice for their role in exposing the Palestinian Authority’s human rights violations, inciting their supporters against them through defamation, doxxing, calls for violence, and harassment.

Mohannad Karajah is a Palestinian human rights defender and lawyer. He is the head of Lawyers for Justice, a Palestinian non-governmental human rights organization that works to support Palestinian activists and political prisoners held by the Palestinian Authority. The organization also documents human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory which Palestinians are subjected to by the Palestinian Authority. As a result of his human rights work, Mohannad Karajah has been subjected to different forms of targeted harassment, including judicial harassment and defamation.

Since 24 May 2024, a Telegram channel with tens of thousands of followers has defamed Mohannad Karajah and Lawyers for Justice, and incited violence against the human rights defender. The human rights defenders’ private information, including phone numbers, addresses, and social media accounts, has been published on the Telegram channel. The unknown individuals behind the postings have also urged followers to post defamatory content, stirring up hatred against Mohannad Karajah and inciting followers to harm him. They have falsely accused the human rights defender of inciting disobedience against the Palestinian Authority’s security services, supporting collaborators, and receiving funding from abroad, among other defamatory claims. Threats towards Mohannad Karajah’s safety have also been made through posting of a photo of the human rights defender injured from a past attack.

The online campaign has led to human rights defender Mohannad Karajah receiving numerous death threats via Facebook, phone calls and text messages from unknown numbers, as well as a stalking incident and harassment at his home address on 6 June 2024. One unknown phone number sent a message to Mohannad Karajah stating that a “decision” had been taken against him and that he would be “eliminated.” The campaign has also resulted in his Facebook account, and that of Lawyers for Justice, being flooded with defamatory comments. Some accounts posting defamatory messaging allege to be officers with the Palestinian Authority’s police services.

The human rights defender has reported a profound concern for his personal safety and well-being, even fearing for his life. On 11 June 2024, Mohannad Karajah submitted a complaint to the Public Prosecution office, providing all necessary details and evidence for an investigation.

Last October and November, a Hebrew Telegram channel with thousands of followers used similar language to defame Mohannad Karajah, labeling him a terrorist and calling for his elimination. The unknown individuals behind the postings published a photo with a crosshair and doxxed him several times. This led to multiple death threats, forcing the human rights defender into hiding.

Front Line Defenders condemns the defamation and incitement to violence online campaign and subsequent acts of intimidation against human rights defender Mohannad Karajah and his organization Lawyers for Justice. Front Line Defenders believes that the human rights defender and his organization have been targeted because of their legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights.

Front Line Defenders urges the Palestinian Authority to:

1. Conduct an immediate, thorough, and impartial investigation into the defamation and online incitement to violence campaign, as well as subsequent acts of terror and intimidation, against Palestinian human rights defender Mohannad Karajah and his organization Lawyers for Justice, publish the results, and hold those responsible accountable;
2. Publicly condemn the defamation and incitement against the human rights defender and take all necessary measures to ensure his physical and psychological security;
3. Guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.

It also urges social media companies Telegram and Facebook to:

1. Immediately suspend and remove channels and accounts responsible for the defamation and incitement to violence against human rights defender Mohannad Karajah and take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of their users;
2. Fulfill their responsibility in ensuring they do not contribute to violent and dangerous campaigns or allow users to incite targeted violence against human rights defenders on their platforms which puts their lives at serious risk.

Front Line Defenders stands ready to assist Telegram and Facebook with identifying the defamatory and violent content in question and the accounts on which they are hosted or shared.