2017-08-10

West Bank & Gaza

West Bank / Gaza / Announcement

On Wednesday, the 9th of August, 2017, representatives of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), NGOs, trade unions and political parties convened on an urgent call from Al-Haq organization to consult on the unusual increase in the issuance of legislation and the violation of basic rights and freedoms, and the accompanying serious deterioration in the human rights situation.

The meeting discussed the measures taken by the Palestinian Authority against the Gaza Strip, and the consequent serious repercussions on the citizens of the Gaza Strip, in addition to the recent developments regarding the independence of the judiciary, the interference of the executive authority in the judiciary, the operation of the Constitutional Court and the accompanying great concern. Moreover, the meeting addressed the unusual increase in the issuance of legislation, including the Decree-Law on Cybercrimes and the re-proposition of the Draft Decree-Law on the High Criminal Court without taking into consideration the feedback of the civil society in this regard. Not to mention the unprecedented interference of the security forces in the civil life; the issuance of regulations and measures that aim at narrowing down the work of CSOs; the practice of political detention; and the imposition of restrictions on the right to freedom of opinion, and the detention of journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The attendees agreed that this serious deterioration is a grave violation of the rights and public freedoms guaranteed by the international convention to which the State of Palestine has acceded, and of the relevant Palestinian legislation as well. This warns of devastating consequences for the Palestinian national cause and the struggle of the Palestinian people aiming at getting rid of the Israeli colonial occupation.

The participants agreed to take a series of steps towards widening the scope of the discussion so as to include the various components of civil society, in addition to taking social and professional steps aimed at putting an end to this state of deterioration. The attendees stressed the need to stop this stream of unusual legislation, restore the judiciary and respect the rule of law.

The meeting included representatives of:

The Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO); the Bar Association; the Journalists Syndicate; the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR); AMAN; the Economic and Social Monitor; Addameer; the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC); the Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms “MADA”; Hurryat for the Defence of Liberties and Civil Rights; Palestinian People’s Party; the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine; MUSAWA – The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession; Women’s Studies Center; and Al-Haq.