Palestine
07.03.00
Urgent Interventions
Palestine Autonomous Areas: Attacks against NGO
URGENT APPEAL- THE OBSERVATORY
PAL 001/0003/ OBS 014
Attack against NGO
Palestine Autonomous Areas
7th March 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your URGENT intervention with the Palestinian Authorities on the following situation.
Brief description of the situation :
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders has been informed by the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human rights and the Environment (LAW) and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, members of both the FIDH and OMCT, of a verbal attack against LAW by members of the Palestinian Intelligence Service.
According to the information received, the daily newspaper Al Hayat Al Jadida published statements from the General Director of the Palestinian Intelligence Service (GIA) in the West Bank, Toufiq Atiwari, on 5th March 2000. In his statements he accused LAW of publishing false information to incite people against the Palestinian National Authority (PNA); according to the information received, he considered the reports indicating torture and threats against some of the Birzeit students as ‘fabricated information meant to defame and incite against the PNA’. In his statement, Atirawi accused LAW of targeting at defaming the PNA’s reputation and sees the Society as an ‘organisation that should be held in question.’
These accusations came in the wake of LAW's extensive coverage of the recent detentions of tens of Birzeit students by the security services. LAW wishes to confirm that the information gathered about the detention of the Birzeit students by the GIA and the use of torture and threats are based on an affidavit given to LAW by one of the detainees released. The information in this affidavit has been corroborated by statements from other detainees. As a result of publishing this information, LAW was denied access to the detained students.
Action Requested :
Please write to the Palestinian authorities urging that they :
i.- adopt all necessary measures in order to ensure full freedom of action of the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment (LAW) and others human rights organisations as well as their members;
ii.- instruct the relevant authorities to allow Palestinian non-governmental organisations, particularly LAW, to carry out their work without being subjected to such attacks;
iii.- abide by the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9th 1999 ("Declaration on the Rights and Responsibility of individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ") and more particularly article 1 which provides that "Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels".
iv.- more generally to abide by the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the regional and international covenants.
Addresses :
Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Khadra Building, Omar al-Mukhtar Street, Gaza, via Israel. Fax : + 972 7 2822 365/6 ( if voice, say «fax, please»).
Freih Abu Meddein, Palestinian Authority, Minister of Justice, Abu Khadra Building, Omar al-al-Mukhtar Street, Gaza, via Israel. Fax : + 972 7 2822 236
Khalid al-Qidrah, Attorney General, Palestinian Authority, Attorney General Building, Yarmouk, Gaza, via Israel. Fax : + 972 7 2824 502.
Geneva, 7th March 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a joint FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency line :Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT + 4122 809 49 39
E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
PAL 001/0003/ OBS 014
Attack against NGO
Palestine Autonomous Areas
7th March 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests your URGENT intervention with the Palestinian Authorities on the following situation.
Brief description of the situation :
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders has been informed by the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human rights and the Environment (LAW) and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, members of both the FIDH and OMCT, of a verbal attack against LAW by members of the Palestinian Intelligence Service.
According to the information received, the daily newspaper Al Hayat Al Jadida published statements from the General Director of the Palestinian Intelligence Service (GIA) in the West Bank, Toufiq Atiwari, on 5th March 2000. In his statements he accused LAW of publishing false information to incite people against the Palestinian National Authority (PNA); according to the information received, he considered the reports indicating torture and threats against some of the Birzeit students as ‘fabricated information meant to defame and incite against the PNA’. In his statement, Atirawi accused LAW of targeting at defaming the PNA’s reputation and sees the Society as an ‘organisation that should be held in question.’
These accusations came in the wake of LAW's extensive coverage of the recent detentions of tens of Birzeit students by the security services. LAW wishes to confirm that the information gathered about the detention of the Birzeit students by the GIA and the use of torture and threats are based on an affidavit given to LAW by one of the detainees released. The information in this affidavit has been corroborated by statements from other detainees. As a result of publishing this information, LAW was denied access to the detained students.
Action Requested :
Please write to the Palestinian authorities urging that they :
i.- adopt all necessary measures in order to ensure full freedom of action of the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment (LAW) and others human rights organisations as well as their members;
ii.- instruct the relevant authorities to allow Palestinian non-governmental organisations, particularly LAW, to carry out their work without being subjected to such attacks;
iii.- abide by the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9th 1999 ("Declaration on the Rights and Responsibility of individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ") and more particularly article 1 which provides that "Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels".
iv.- more generally to abide by the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the regional and international covenants.
Addresses :
Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Khadra Building, Omar al-Mukhtar Street, Gaza, via Israel. Fax : + 972 7 2822 365/6 ( if voice, say «fax, please»).
Freih Abu Meddein, Palestinian Authority, Minister of Justice, Abu Khadra Building, Omar al-al-Mukhtar Street, Gaza, via Israel. Fax : + 972 7 2822 236
Khalid al-Qidrah, Attorney General, Palestinian Authority, Attorney General Building, Yarmouk, Gaza, via Israel. Fax : + 972 7 2824 502.
Geneva, 7th March 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a joint FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency line :Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT + 4122 809 49 39
E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch