US sanctions pro-Palestine solidarity group

The US has introduced sanctions against Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network Samidoun, declaring it a ‘sham charity’ and threatening criminal charges against anyone who continues doing business with them.

Vancouver-based Samidoun, which was founded in 2011 after a hunger strike in Israeli prisons, describes itself as “an international network of organizers and activists working to build solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for freedom.”

According to a press release issued on Tuesday by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the move is a coordinated effort with the government of Canada, which has designated the organization a ‘terrorist entity.’

OFAC has accused Samidoun of serving as an international fundraiser for the blacklisted Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), calling the latter a terrorist organization. The PFLP is described as a Marxist–Leninist movement that does not recognize Israel.

According to the OFAC, the PFLP founded Samidoun to maintain fundraising operations in both Europe and North America. The report alleged that the PFLP has been active in the Israel-Hamas conflict and participated in the October 7 attack.

“Organizations like Samidoun masquerade as charitable actors that claim to provide humanitarian support to those in need, yet in reality divert funds for much-needed assistance to support terrorist groups,” said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. “The United States, together with Canada and our like-minded partners, will continue to disrupt those who seek to finance the PFLP, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations,” he added.

OFAC also designated a Canadian citizen it said serves as a member of the PFLP’s leadership abroad and helps raise money for the group.

The Treasury said that all the assets of the targeted individuals and entities in the US have been blocked, noting that anyone who engages in certain transactions or activities with them may expose themselves to sanctions risk or be subject to an enforcement action.

According to Al Jazeera, Samidoun has come under renewed scrutiny in the wake of recent mass pro-Palestine protests in Canada. OFAC also wrote that Germany banned the organization in 2023.