Upon invitation from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European
Commission, PCHR Director, Raji Sourani, attended the Euro-Mediterranean
Seminar on ensuring respect for human rights in the fight against terrorism
in accordance with international law in Prague on 16 and 17 June 2008.
The 2-day seminar included one plenary session and 4 workshops. Sourani
moderated the first workshop on “Respect for Basic Principles” on the first
day of the conference. It is noted that the conference enjoyed distinguished
attendance that included influential governmental officials, civil society
activists, and UN and EU experts.
In the first workshop, Sourani highlighted the overall situation in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and the Arab region as a whole. He
talked about terrorism, affirming that governments cannot combat terrorism
without respecting International Humanitarian Law. He pointed that violating
International Humanitarian Law establishes for the rule of the jungle.
Sourani pointed that up till now there is no agreed upon international
definition of terrorism, which allowed some governments to oppress civilians
and violate International Humanitarian Law under the pretext of
counter-terrorism. Sourani stated that there is a difference between
peoples’ right to self-determination as established in the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the right to resisting the
occupation on the one hand, and terrorism on the other. He added that the
lack of definition of terrorism resulted in mixing up between the right to
self-determination and terrorism.
Sourani also stated that terrorism is not perpetrated by individuals and
groups only, but also by governments that commit state-sponsored terrorism.
He clearly pointed to Israeli policies against Palestinian civilians, and
cited several key examples of this form of terrorism.
Sourani met several European officials and civil society activist from
Europe and the Mediterranean during the conference.
