Eight years after being acquitted of all terrorism related charges, on May 7, 2012 a Tunisian resident of Italy was removed from the United Nations’ al-Qaida terrorism blacklist.  Kamel Darraji had been kept on the list by the U.S. and Italian governments on the basis that he was connected with al-Qaida, despite a lack of evidence linking him to the group. Many observers say Darraji ’s ordeal reveals major flaws with the entire UN blacklisting process, violating basic human rights and failing to provide any redress if an individual or organization is wrongfully listed.

Darraji was originally listed by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee in 2004 during his prosecution and subsequent acquittal on charges related to supporting a terrorist organization in Italy. Since then, neither government nor the UN  provided evidence to justify keeping him on the UN blacklist. According to the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) “In 2005 Italian courts found there was no evidence to support the allegation that he was part of a terrorist cell.”   This was corroborated by a U.S. embassy cable leaked by Wikileaks in 2009, saying:
  • “After careful and detailed review and analysis of all available information, the USG [US government ] has determined that it currently lacks information sufficient to conclude that DARRAJI continues to engage in the activities for which he was originally listed or other activities that would provide a basis for continued listing.”

Darraji’s listing came with stiff sanctions. Both he and his wife had their assets frozen, were banned from travelling, and anyone providing him with money could be prosecuted for supporting terrorism. Wolfgang Kaleck, General Secretary of ECCHR, stated in a press release, “We are glad to have helped Mr Darraji’s get off this list and out of the legal ‘black hole’ which it creates. But if his case is indicative, there must be scores of others who remain unjustifiably blacklisted in this way, victims of the global ‘war on terror’ who are rarely spoken about.”
The entire blacklisting regime at the UN and in the U.S. has been widely criticized for lacking transparency and restricting civil society groups from operating in global hot spots. Once a charity is listed, its assets are frozen and it is effectively shut down leaving the needs of vulnerable individuals it serves unmet. And just as in Darraji’s case, no formal avenue exists to remove its name from the blacklist.
Darraji’s name still appears on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list maintained by the Department of Treasury.