2016-08-15

Ramallah & Gaza

Human Rights Defenders / West Bank / Gaza

Palestinian Bar Association along with 160 Civil Society Organizations 
Demand Rapid Adoption, Approval, Issuance and Enforcement of 
Palestinian Human Rights Defenders Declaration

On 15/08/2016, the Palestinian Bar Association along with 160 civil society organizations, including the Palestinian NGOs Network which consists of more than 130 civil society organizations; the General Union of Palestinian Women; MUSAWA – The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession; the Palestinian Human Rights Defenders Network; the Union of Agricultural Work Committees; the Palestinian Postal Service Workers Union; the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association; Roles for Social Change Association; Khutwat for Family Counseling Center; Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development; the Women’s Affairs Center; the National Society for Democracy and Law; the Culture and Free Thought Association; the Thalassemia Patients Friends Society; the Center for Freedom and Justice (Beit Ummar); the Institute for Development Studies; Friends of the International Criminal Court; Al-Waleed Charity; Brilliant Tomorrow for Homes Sons Society; Al-Sharq for social and psychological health; Forsan Al-Ghad Youth Association; Bisan Center for Research and Development; Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation; the Human Rights and Democracy Media Center (SHAMS); the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center; the Women Center for Legal Aid and Counselling; Press House – Palestine; the Palestine Center for Legal & Judicial Studies (alqistas); Qader for Community Development – Bethlehem; Hiwar Center for Youth and Women Empowerment; the Palestinian Consultative Staff for Developing NGOs; the Center for Women Legal Research and Consulting; the Land Research Center; Maghazi Community Rehabilitation Society; Rowad Society for Social Development; Basma Society for Culture and Arts; the Community Media Center; the Developmental Organization to Build a Family; Youth Development and Innovation; the Give Palestine Association; the Future Home Association; and the Rehabilitation and Development of Palestinian Homes Society, jointly sent a written memo to the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Legal Adviser to Mr. President, demanding the rapid adoption, approval, issuance and enforcement of the Palestinian Human Rights Defenders Declaration (hereinafter PHRDD).

The aforementioned organizations expressed their support for the proposal developed by MUSAWA and the Palestinian Human Rights Defenders (PHRDs) Network, which MUSAWA had already presented to the Minister of Justice demanding that the appropriate legal action be taken to adopt, approve, issue and enforce the PHRDD.

As the PHRDD meets an urgent national need, the organizations declared their agreement to MUSAWA’s demand. They assert that the adoption, approval, issuance and enforcement of the PHRDD is basically a fulfillment of State obligations pursuant to the relevant international conventions which Palestine has duly acceded to, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It is worth noting that the coalition for the Palestinian Human Rights Defenders Declaration comes as part of a project to empower Palestinian Human Rights Defenders, conducted by MUSAWA in both the West Bank and Gaza, with the support of the European Union. 

The whole memo can be found here.