(MENAFN) According to reports, a three-day judicial review examining the UK government’s decision to label Palestine Action a terrorist organization opened on Wednesday, with Amnesty International UK warning that the measure amounted to a “disproportionate misuse” of counter-terror laws.

Palestine Action received its official “terrorist group” designation on July 5, 2025. In the months that followed, authorities have detained more than 2,200 individuals under terrorism provisions, with 254 of them charged exclusively for participating in non-violent demonstrations.

Amnesty International UK and the rights organization Liberty have joined the legal challenge, arguing that the ban represents a major departure from how the UK has historically treated protest movements that engage in disruptive direct action. They contend the proscription violates Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which safeguard free speech and the freedom to assemble.

Kerry Moscogiuri, who oversees campaigns and communications at Amnesty International UK, said in a statement that the "proscription of Palestine Action was an enormous overreach of the UK’s terrorism powers and should never have happened." He added that "The UK has a deeply flawed and overly broad definition of terrorism which human rights monitors including Amnesty International have been warning about for years. Palestine Action’s proscription only serves to highlight that those warnings were justified."

He described the fallout as severe, saying: "The consequences of the proscription decision have been chilling. Over the past four months, organizations have been silenced and thousands of people have been arrested for sitting peacefully with placards saying they support Palestine Action," and emphasized that "The Government must wake up and realize that the world is watching, and that people are extremely disturbed by the erosion of protest rights in the UK."

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