Andy,

My name is Omar Shakir, and I’ve spent more than a decade documenting human rights abuses across the Middle East and beyond – from Israeli government repression to violations by Palestinian armed groups, Egyptian authorities, and others. In that time, I’ve been banned from or forced out four countries because of my work, three of them directly tied to Human Rights Watch.

People sometimes ask how we keep going when governments try to stop us – when they shut us out, attack our work or deny reality. The truth is simple: We apply the same rigor, the same methodology and the same tenacity to every government and every actor, no matter who they are. And we keep going because the people living through these abuses deserve nothing less.

Before I share more, I have one urgent request: Will you make a year-end gift today – while your impact is multiplied 5X – to support this work?

My days are never the same. Some days I’m interviewing families whose loved ones were forcibly displaced, detained, or killed. Some days I’m analyzing photos or videos from the occupied territory. Other days I’m in long meetings with government officials, pushing them to end complicity in abuses or support accountability efforts.

But even in the hardest moments, my colleagues and I keep going for one reason: The people who trust us with their stories deserve justice.

That’s what guides every decision we make, which investigations to pursue, which evidence to verify and how to keep pushing when governments try to shut us out.

And when they do try, the work doesn’t stop. We look for new ways in. We meet people in different places. We collect testimony from those just released from detention or those living under apartheid. We turn to satellite imagery, digital forensics and open-source investigations when access is denied.

Accountability requires persistence, and that persistence is only possible because of supporters like you. Will you make a 5X-matched, tax-deductible gift now to power our investigations in 2026?

Make a 5X-Matched Gift

Thank you for standing with us, especially when the work is difficult and the truth is hardest to uncover.

With appreciation,

Omar Shakir
Israel and Palestine Director
Human Rights Watch

*** Individual gift match capped at $10,000

DEFEND RIGHTS. SECURE JUSTICE.

Human Rights Watch investigates and reports on abuses happening all around the world. We are roughly 550-plus people of 70-plus nationalities who are country experts, lawyers, journalists and others who work to protect the most at risk groups and civilians in wartime, to refugees and children in need. We direct our advocacy toward governments, armed groups and businesses, pushing them to change or enforce their laws, policies and practices. To ensure our independence, we refuse government funding and carefully review all donations to ensure that they are consistent with our policies, mission and values. We partner with organizations large and small across the globe to protect embattled activists and to help hold abusers to account and bring justice to victims.

Our work is organized around three pillars:

Investigate: Our researchers work in the field in 100+ countries, uncovering facts that create an undeniable record of human rights abuses.

Expose: We tell the stories of what we found, sharing them with millions of social media and online followers each day. News media often report on our investigations, furthering our reach.

Change: We meet with governments, the United Nations, rebel groups, corporations and others to see that policy is changed, laws are enforced and justice is served.

Your support will power our work to investigate human rights abuses, expose the truth and hold perpetrators accountable in 100+ countries.

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