Ref: 37/2012
Part of the Board of Trustees’ meetings –
al-Mathaf Hotel
On Monday morning, 23 April 2012, Members of
the Board of Trustees of the Arab Organization of Human Rights (AOHR), who were
hosted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), concluded a series of
activities carried in the past few days by participating in the weekly sit-in
of the Palestinian prisoners’ families at the head office of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City.
AOHR’s delegation started their visit to the
Gaza Strip on 19 April 2012 after the Board of Trustees had decided to hold its
meetings and those of the Executive Committee in the Gaza Strip. This step was taken to express AOHR’s
solidarity with the Palestinian people and the population of the Gaza Strip,
who have been living under an illegal closure for years. The delegation included some members of the
Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee, in addition to some of AOHR’s
staff members of the head office in Cairo.
The delegation was comprised of: Mr. Alaa Shalabi, AOHR’s Secretary
General; and the Board of Trustees’ Members that included Dr. Ameen Mekki
Madani, Dr. Hassan Mosa, Mr. Rassem al-Atasi, Mr. Mohsen Awad, Mr. Omar Farouq
Hassan and Mr. Fadel Ali Abdullah; Mohammed Radi, the Executive Director; Haidi
al-Tayeb, A researcher; al-Mo’taz Bellah Othman, a researcher; Islam Abu
al-‘Einein, a lawyer; Fatma Farghali, Financial Officer; and Sami Zaqariya,
secretary.
AOHR is a leading regional human rights
organization in the Arab World. It was
established in 1983 as an international, non-governmental and non-profit
organization. AOHR has 22 sub-offices
and member organizations in the Arab countries, including three sub-offices in
European countries that serve the Arab communities abroad. PCHR is a member in AOHR, and lawyer Raji
Sourani, PCHR’s Director, was elected as the President of AOHR’s Board of
Trustees on 15 April 2011.
The delegation arrived on 19 April 2012 and was
received by Sourani, President of AOHR’s Board of Trustees and PCHR’s
Director. The meetings of the Executive
Committee and Board of Trustees were held over two days. On 21 April 2012, PCHR organized a series of
activities for members of the delegation, which gave them an opportunity to
observe the current situation in the Gaza Strip and challenges facing the
Palestinian civilians in view of their ongoing suffering due the Israeli
violations and war crimes, in addition to the ramifications of the internal
split.
The activities started by a number of official
meetings that included a visit to Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian Prime Minister
in Gaza, a meeting with Faraj al-Ghoul, the Minister of Justice in Gaza, and a
meeting with Dr. Mohammed Awad, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Gaza. These meetings addressed the aggravation of
the internal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory due to the
internal split. Members of the
delegation called for working seriously towards achieving the Palestinian
reconciliation, as it is the key to put an end to all forms of the
fragmentation and violations of liberties, demanding all parties to join
efforts to put an end to the political split.
On the same day, members of the delegation
participated in an activity organized by PCHR, in which they met with
representatives of the families of Palestinian prisoners detained in the
Israeli jails, ex-prisoners and Palestinians forcibly transferred to Gaza. They expressed their support to, and
solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners’ issue, stressing that it is on top
of AOHR’s agenda.
On 22 April 2012, members the delegation held a
meeting at PCHR’s head office with representatives of international
organizations working in the Gaza Strip, incluidng WHO, UNRWA, Norwegian
Cooperation Council, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR),
UNDP, CARE, OCHA, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and Oxfam.
The delegation met also with representatives of
civil society organizations and human rights organizations, including the
Palestinian Bar Association, Union of Health Work Committees, Medical Relief,
Women’s Affairs Technical Committee, Independent Commission for Human Rights,
Women’s Research and Legal Advice Center, National Society for Democracy and
Law, Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center, Union of Agricultural Work
Committees, NGO network and Women’s Affairs Center.
The two meetings addressed the activities and
duties of the partner organizations, in addition to the obstacles and
challenges under the ongoing closure and the policies adopted by Israel, which
constitute a violation of the Palestinian civilians’ rights. They also discussed the impacts of the
political split on the programs of those organizations.
On the same day, the delegation visited the
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in Gaza and met with Ahmed Bahar, the
First Deputy Speaker of PLC, and a number of PLC Members from the Change and
Reform Bloc. The delegation met later
with a number of PLC Members from Fatah movement and the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine.
The two meetings discussed the impacts of the
political split on all aspects of life.
Members of the delegation called for uniting the legislative and
judicial authorities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, to put an end to the
Palestinian political split and to restore respect for the Palestinian
Authority institutions.
Members of the delegation concluded their visit
to Gaza today morning by participating in the weekly sit-in organized by the
Palestinian prisoners’ families at the head office of ICRC in Gaza City. They participated in unveiling the Statue of
Faith and Loyalty to the Palestinian prisoners, in addition to visiting a
gallery of prisoners’ photos and products that is organized by the Cultural
Forum for Youth and Prisoners’ Supporters Organization.
The Board of
Trustees’ meeting with Dr. Ahmed Bahar, the First Deputy Speaker of PLC, and
PLC Members from the Change and Reform Bloc – PLC head office
The Board of
Trustees’ meeting with representatives of the international organizations –
PCHR’s head office
The Board of
Trustees’ meeting with representatives from the Islamic and national factions –
al-Mathaf Hotel
Ex-prisoner Hana’
Shalabi addressing the Board of Trustees in their meeting with the Palestinian
prisoners’ families – al-Mathaf Hotel
The Board of
Trustees’ meeting with PLC Members from Fatah movement and PFLP – al-Mathaf
Hotel
President and
Members of AOHR’s Board of Trustees join families of Palestinian prisoners in a
sit-in in front of the ICRC office in Gaza
