Ref: 17/2013

On Thursday
morning, 14 March 2013, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) organised
a special event to launch its 2012 Annual Report.

PCHR invited representatives
of local civil society organisations, government officials, members of the
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), jurists, academics, journalists, and
other prominent public figures to attend the event.

Dr Riad
al-Zanoun, Head of PCHR’s Board of Directors, announced the publication of the
report, highlighting its special value due to the international trust it enjoys
based on its professionalism and credibility. 
Mr. Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, then introduced the report and its key
contents. 

This is the seventeenth Annual Report produced by PCHR since the Centre’s first
report was published in 1996.   The report is an account of PCHR’s work throughout the
year and includes comprehensive documentation of the human rights situation in
the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) during the reporting period, 1 January
– 31 December 2012.

The report
consists of two main parts. The first part addresses war crimes, violations of international
humanitarian law (IHL), and violations of international human rights law
committed by Israeli forces in the oPt during 2012. It also documents
violations of human rights committed by Palestinian authorities, as well as
existing obstacles to democratic reform within the oPt. The second part of the
report outlines the activities of PCHR’s various units, as well as the Centre’s
public, national, and international activities in 2012.  Among other topics, the report addresses:
PCHR’s efforts during and after the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in
November 2012; efforts to defend Palestinian detainees and prisoners in Israeli
jails; participation in international and regional meetings; resumption of
PCHR’s work before the courts in the Gaza Strip; and PCHR’s institution- and
capacity-building. 

The report
is published in Arabic, and an English-language version is currently being
finalised.   The report will be widely disseminated at the
local and international levels to civil society groups, human rights organisations,
official bodies, diplomatic missions, UN bodies, journalists, and media
institutions.

PCHR has
prepared a summary of the report , which is available online. 

PCHR’s Annual Report contributes to the struggle for
human rights for the Palestinian people by providing a comprehensive picture of
the human rights situation in the oPt.  It
serves as a guide for PCHR’s future work and also reflects PCHR’s strong belief
in the importance of transparency for a non-profit, non-governmental organisation
that provides a service to the community.