British-Palestinian doctor denied entry to Schengen Area, rights group call for investigation
The man, a British-Palestinian national and surgeon, was invited to speak at several events highlighting the war in Gaza, including an event at The Hague.
The international non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch called on the German government to explain its alleged imposition of a Schengen-wide entry ban on a British-Palestinian surgeon, Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah.
Sittah has reportedly been denied entry to Germany, France, and the Netherlands in recent weeks, all belonging to the Schengen Area, a 29-country zone where internal border controls are generally removed.
According to Human Rights Watch, Sittah was denied entry to France last week, where he was scheduled to speak about the ongoing war in Gaza at the French Senate, at the invitation of France's Green Party. French authorities cited a year-long ban imposed by Germany as the reason for his exclusion. However, German authorities have not officially disclosed the basis for his ban.
On May 9, Dutch officials informed the Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands that Sittah would not be allowed to enter the country on May 15 for an event at the Palestinian Mission in The Hague.
Many governments in the region involved
The UK and Scottish governments have been urged to intervene and seek explanations from the German government regarding the entry ban.
Yasmine Ahmed, the UK Director at Human Rights Watch, criticized the German government’s decision and called on Germany to clarify the reasons behind the entry ban. Human Rights Watch has previously written to the German government seeking explanations, but reportedly has not received a response.
Sittah was meant to participate in events related to Gaza, including a planned speech at a Palestinian conference in Berlin, as well as an invitation to speak at an event at The Hague on Nakba Day. Sittah was also reportedly meant to speak on the war in Gaza. Human Rights Watch cites the ban as violating freedom of expression and assembly, and possible discrimination.
Jerusalem Post Store
`; document.getElementById("linkPremium").innerHTML = cont; var divWithLink = document.getElementById("premium-link"); if (divWithLink !== null && divWithLink !== 'undefined') { divWithLink.style.border = "solid 1px #cb0f3e"; divWithLink.style.textAlign = "center"; divWithLink.style.marginBottom = "15px"; divWithLink.style.marginTop = "15px"; divWithLink.style.width = "100%"; divWithLink.style.backgroundColor = "#122952"; divWithLink.style.color = "#ffffff"; divWithLink.style.lineHeight = "1.5"; } } (function (v, i) { });