Ref:
11/2013

On
27 February 2013, PCHR’s delegation, which includes a number of families of Palestinian
prisoners in Israeli jails, started activities of their international tour in
Egypt with a meeting with Mr. Sayed Abdel Ghani, Assistant Secretary-General of
the Arab  Bar Association, in the
association’s headquarter in Cairo.   The
meeting was held in the presence of Mr. Islam Abu al-‘Aenein, Director of Programs
of the Arab Organization for Human Rights, and members of the general secretariat
of the association.

During
the meeting, the delegation discussed the latest developments of the situation
of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in the light of continued Israeli
violations against them, the most recent of which resulted in the death of
‘Arafat Jaradat, 30, due to torture.   Members
of the delegation called upon the association to work on coordinating and
communicating with the bar associations around the world to hold an Arab-international
conference, in which the legal status of the Palestinian prisoners should be
determined, a comprehensive plan should be prepared to prosecute suspected
Israeli war criminals, and mechanisms should be established to ensure
this.  They also called upon the
association to put the cause of Palestinian prisoners as a permanent item on
its agenda stressing the importance of inviting representatives of the prisoners
and their families to attend events related to prisoners to present their
testimonies and explain their suffering caused by the Israeli practices against
them in various regional and international forums.  The delegation also urged the association to
establish a specialized body to document Israeli war crimes and to prepare the
relevant legal files.

Mr.
Sayed Abdel Ghani appreciated PCHR’s continued work and efforts to prosecute
suspected Israeli war criminals.  He
stressed the association’s interest in the issue of Palestinian prisoners
pointing out that the bar association currently is currently preparing for a
conference titled “Activating Legal Action at the International Level to allow
Palestinians to Practice Their Inalienable Legitimate Rights.”

PCHR’s
delegation visited the National Council for Human Rights where he met with Mr.
Abdullah al-Asha’al.  Members of the
delegation talked during the meeting about the suffering of their sons in
Israeli jails highlighting the most prominent policies adopted by the Israeli
authorities against them and their sons. 
Al-Asha’al was deeply impressed by the testimonies he heard confirming
his strong interest in the cause of Palestinian prisoners and his deep
commitment to the Palestinian cause.

The
delegation will meet with Mr. Mohammed Subeih, Assistant Secretary-General of
the League of Arab States, and Mr. Sameh Ashour, President of the Egyptian Bar
Association.

It
should be mentioned that Egypt is the first transit in the program of the
international tour of the delegation. 
The delegation will also visit Switzerland and France to participate in
international events to review the latest developments related to Palestinian prisoners
in Israeli jails.  PCHR organized this
tour for the delegation headed by Jaber Wishah, PCHR’s Deputy Director for Branches Affairs, which
is comprised of 2 mothers of 2 detainees and 2 citizens who experienced detention.  This tour is part of PCHR’s efforts to
internationalize the prisoners’ cause and mobilize international public opinion
to support this cause.