Sign the petition to free Ghassan and Shukri through executive clemency.

 

Known as one of the most egregious injustices in modern history, the persecution of humanitarian leaders Ghassan Elashi and Shukri Abu Baker has gone unchecked for far too long. We, as advocates of compassion, are calling upon President Biden to release them through executive clemency. Ghassan and Shukri, who are among the highest profile political prisoners in the United States, have already served 15 plus years of a 65-year sentence for distributing aid to Palestinians in need. According to Human Rights Watch, they "were wrongfully convicted and have been imprisoned for years on the basis of vague and politically-motivated claims."  

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As co-founders of the HLF, a successful Texas-based charity, they distributed $56 million of aid between 1992 and 2001 not only to the West Bank and Gaza, but also to countries across the world in response to natural and man-made disasters. Following a mistrial and a retrial rife with due process and human rights violations including prejudicial evidence, anonymous witnesses, unreliable informants and guilt by association, they were falsely convicted for sending humanitarian assistance through the same credible Palestinian organizations used by our own government agency, USAID.

 

Their wrongful imprisonment and disproportionate sentences endangers our fundamental human right to engage in charitable efforts that transcend borders while highlighting the global concern of political persecution. Like Gandhi and Mandela once were, Ghassan and Shukri are being canceled and imprisoned for their groundbreaking contributions.

 

Ghassan and Shukri offered a praiseworthy solution to an ongoing crisis. It is time they are recognized as agents of hope. It is time they are hailed as heroes. It is our collective responsibility to reconcile this human issue that is affecting us all, to realize that their freedom is our freedom, to join the human rights organizations, law scholars, journalists and academics who oppose this miscarriage of justice. It is time we bring them home to their grandchildren and families. Be the change and sign this petition to urge President Biden to commute Ghassan and Shukri’s sentences to time served.  #FreeTheHumanitarians