Washington DC, March 29 -- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) issued a statement to its 11,000 members following massive criticisms over its lack of support for Oscar-winning director Hamdan Ballal after he was detained by Israeli police earlier this week in the West Bank, reported Variety.

According to the outlet, the Academy released a statement on Wednesday condemning "harming artists," but did not name Palestinian director Ballal in it who was detained by the Israeli forces.

By Thursday morning, a letter began circulating among AMPAS members, criticizing leadership's failure to defend Ballal publicly.

In response to this, on Friday, the Academy issued a follow-up letter explicitly naming Ballal and apologising ...