US Gaza Donor's Wife Calls Spain Extradition Case a 'Frightening Precedent'

Madrid, Spain – James “Fergie” Chambers, an American donor to humanitarian efforts in Palestine, is being held in Spain pending a decision on a US extradition request. His wife, actress and activist Stella Schnabel, and his legal team call the case “political persecution.”

Chambers, heir to one of America's wealthiest families, was arrested on the Spanish island of Ibiza on July 10 while he and his wife were looking at schools for their 5-year-old son. The family had recently moved to Spain from Ireland.

According to Chambers's lawyers, he has backed numerous Gaza humanitarian projects totaling more than $1 million, including providing bread, clean water, and medical services. The core allegation from the US relates to the transfer of $7.5 million from the US to Tunisia, which Washington claims was ultimately used to support Hamas, the Palestinian armed group.

The indictment remains sealed, however, and specific charges against Chambers have not been made public. His wife said the $7.5 million was sent to Tunisia because the family once lived there, and the funds were for charitable activities, including supporting the Club Africain football club – helping the team pay off debt, rebuild training facilities, and develop youth pitches.

Stella Schnabel described the arrest as “awful” as police stopped their car and took her husband away in front of the family. She believes the administration of President Donald Trump is targeting him because he is one of the largest donors to humanitarian projects in Gaza.

“He should be at home with his family, continuing his humanitarian work. Instead, he is facing political persecution for standing with the Palestinian people. This sets a frightening precedent for the repression of the movement for a free Palestine, including the Trump administration exporting its repression beyond US borders to target people in Europe,” Schnabel said.

The US Justice Department declined to comment, while Spanish human rights lawyer Baltasar Garzon, who represents Chambers, insists the case is politically motivated and tied to his client's humanitarian work in Palestine. Garzon gained international fame when he sought the extradition of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet from London in 1998.

Another notable point is that Chambers, who describes himself as a Marxist-Leninist, has publicly voiced criticism of Israel following the Hamas-led attack in October 2023. On social media platform X, he wrote: “Don't call it 'collective punishment.' There is nothing to 'punish.' No faction of the Palestinian resistance, Hamas or otherwise, did anything wrong. This is simply genocide.”

The US sent the indictment and case file to Spain last week, meeting the 45-day deadline from Chambers's arrest. Spanish authorities must now review the request, including considering whether the extradition would constitute “political persecution” – a ground that could lead to refusal.

Chambers, 41, comes from the family that owns US media giant Cox Communications. In 2023, he reached an agreement with relatives to sell his stake in the family company for roughly $250 million after cutting ties with the family. Since then, he has funded dozens of projects across 20 countries.