Israel/OPT
09.02.00
Urgent Interventions
Threats to human rights organisation
URGENT APPEAL- THE OBSERVATORY
ISR 001/0002/OBS 008
Threats to human rights organisation
Israel
9th February 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests you to intervene with the Israeli authorities with utmost urgency in connection with the following situation.
Brief description of the facts
The Observatory has received information from the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG) based in Jerusalem, member of the OMCT, that four staff-members of PHRMG have received letters and phone calls threatening them to resign from their work at the organisation.
The first letter was received on Saturday 5th February and two more were received on the Sunday 6th February. The letters were sent by mail to their private addresses. The letters are signed by «Committees Fighting Corruption», unknown to PHRMG. On Monday 7th February, employees of PHRMG received threatening phonecalls to their homes.
The letters defame the organisation and the director, Bassem Eid. For example, «Bassem Eid has strong warm relations with the Jews, and foreigners, especially after working with them in B’tselem which is a center for the Israeli Mossad (Intelligence service), …..his office is a center of corruption….All the Jewish journalists who come to his office are Israeli agents who have in the past interrogated some nationalistic figures…..to remain clean and respectable, we urge you to stay away from this dirty wheel…..We inform you that the coming few days will reveal more facts about this ugly person, Bassem Eid, an we will inform all the decent citizens about this center of corruption and dirt…..This evil creature will certainly get the end that he deserves».
The letter further threatens to reveal the names of the staff members in public communiques if they don’t resign from their work.
Action requested:
Please write to the Israeli authorities urging them to:
i. guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all members of PHRMG;
ii. carry out a full and impartial investigation into these threats in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
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 realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels" and Article 5 which provides that «For the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels: (a) To meet or assemble peacefully; (b) To form, join and participate in non-governmental organizations, associations or groups..»
iv. more generally to abide by the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the regional and international covenants ratified by Israel
Addresses :
Prime Minister/ Minister of Defense Ehud Barak
Tel: 02 670 5510 Fax: 02 670 5415 E-mail: rohm@pmo.gov.il, sar@mod.gov.il
Minister of Justice Yosi Beilin Tel: 02 670 8527 Fax: 02 628 5438 E-mail: sar@justice.gov.il
Minister of the Interior Natan Sharanski Tel: 02 560 2330 Fax: 02 560 2246 E-mail: sar@moin.gov.il
Attorney General Eliakim Rubinstein Tel: 02 670 8522 Fax: 02 627 4481
Chairman of Knesset Committee on Constitution, Law, and Justice Amnon Rubinstein: Tel: 02 675 3115 Fax: 02 675 3490
Geneva - Paris, 9th February 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
New coordinates :
Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92 Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT + 41
22 809 49 39 E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
ISR 001/0002/OBS 008
Threats to human rights organisation
Israel
9th February 2000
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, requests you to intervene with the Israeli authorities with utmost urgency in connection with the following situation.
Brief description of the facts
The Observatory has received information from the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG) based in Jerusalem, member of the OMCT, that four staff-members of PHRMG have received letters and phone calls threatening them to resign from their work at the organisation.
The first letter was received on Saturday 5th February and two more were received on the Sunday 6th February. The letters were sent by mail to their private addresses. The letters are signed by «Committees Fighting Corruption», unknown to PHRMG. On Monday 7th February, employees of PHRMG received threatening phonecalls to their homes.
The letters defame the organisation and the director, Bassem Eid. For example, «Bassem Eid has strong warm relations with the Jews, and foreigners, especially after working with them in B’tselem which is a center for the Israeli Mossad (Intelligence service), …..his office is a center of corruption….All the Jewish journalists who come to his office are Israeli agents who have in the past interrogated some nationalistic figures…..to remain clean and respectable, we urge you to stay away from this dirty wheel…..We inform you that the coming few days will reveal more facts about this ugly person, Bassem Eid, an we will inform all the decent citizens about this center of corruption and dirt…..This evil creature will certainly get the end that he deserves».
The letter further threatens to reveal the names of the staff members in public communiques if they don’t resign from their work.
Action requested:
Please write to the Israeli authorities urging them to:
i. guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all members of PHRMG;
ii. carry out a full and impartial investigation into these threats in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
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 realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels" and Article 5 which provides that «For the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels: (a) To meet or assemble peacefully; (b) To form, join and participate in non-governmental organizations, associations or groups..»
iv. more generally to abide by the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the regional and international covenants ratified by Israel
Addresses :
Prime Minister/ Minister of Defense Ehud Barak
Tel: 02 670 5510 Fax: 02 670 5415 E-mail: rohm@pmo.gov.il, sar@mod.gov.il
Minister of Justice Yosi Beilin Tel: 02 670 8527 Fax: 02 628 5438 E-mail: sar@justice.gov.il
Minister of the Interior Natan Sharanski Tel: 02 560 2330 Fax: 02 560 2246 E-mail: sar@moin.gov.il
Attorney General Eliakim Rubinstein Tel: 02 670 8522 Fax: 02 627 4481
Chairman of Knesset Committee on Constitution, Law, and Justice Amnon Rubinstein: Tel: 02 675 3115 Fax: 02 675 3490
Geneva - Paris, 9th February 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
New coordinates :
Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92 Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT + 41
22 809 49 39 E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch