Statement
Afro-Palestinian Artist and Activist Arrested by Israeli Authorities
Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories
ARC Condemns the Arbitrary Arrest of Artist and Student Shaden Al-Qous by the Israeli Military in Occupied East Jerusalem
January 9, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(NEW YORK) - Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) today strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of Afro-Palestinian Artist, Student, and Activist Shaden Al-Qous by the Israeli military from her home in East Jerusalem on January 6 and calls for her immediate and unconditional release. Following five days of forced house arrest, the Israeli military ransacked Shaden’s home and confiscated her laptop and phone. She is currently being held at Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, facing charges related to incitement on social media.
“Shaden is an outspoken artist and activist, known for using her art and her platforms to call for Palestinian freedom and justice,” said Julie Trébault, Executive Director of ARC. “Like her fellow artists and activists protesting the Israeli bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza and the systemic oppression of those in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Shaden has been targeted by yet another wave of mass arrests. Young Palestinians who exercise their inherent right to freedom of expression are routinely targeted by the Israeli military in an attempt to instill fear and silence them. As an Afro-Palestinian artist and aspiring lawyer, her arrest exposes the Israeli authorities clamping down on diverse Palestinian voices, particularly when they challenge preconceived notions and simplistic narratives of identity. ARC strongly condemns the arrest and calls for Shaden’s immediate release.”
Shaden is a 27-year-old dancer with the El Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe, whose mission is to revive and disseminate Palestinian folk dance and songs in schools and community centers all over the world. Aside from traditional Palestinian dabke, Shaden is known for her Afro-Palestinian dance, a unique fusion that merges elements of West African and Levantine folk dance traditions. In February 2024, Shaden was interviewed on Al-Jazeera’s AJ Stream program, where she spoke about her Afro-Palestinian community, whose presence in the Old City of Jerusalem dates back to the British Mandate, and the routine “double-harassment” it faces at the intersection of Black and Palestinian identities. She highlighted the impact of Israeli occupation and the effect of social media censorship by Israeli authorities and social media platforms, with her arrest showing a clear example of non-violent resistance being targeted.
In addition to dance, Shaden paints murals depicting Palestinian cultural and political symbols and scenes in East Jerusalem despite the criminalization of the display of the Palestinian flag by Israeli authorities. Shaden is also a law student at Birzeit University in the West Bank.
ARC demands the immediate and unconditional release of Shaden Al-Quos, along with other artists who are currently being held unjustly in Israeli military prisons, and urges the Israeli authorities to stop all arbitrary attacks on Palestinian artists and activists who are exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression.
ABOUT ARC
The Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) is an international organization committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. Founded in 2017, ARC works to protect artists and cultural workers who are at risk because of their creative expression, often connected to their identities or roles within their communities. By providing vital resources and support, ARC helps artists at risk overcome challenges like persecution, censorship, threats, and violence from both state and non-state actors—whether for their artistic expression or the broader impact they have on cultural, social, and political issues.