Ref: 37/2008
Date: 06 October 2008
Director Denied Permit to Attend
International Human Rights Meeting and Forum
Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), the leading human rights organisation in the Gaza Strip, has again been denied a permit to leave Gaza by the Israeli authorities. Raji Sourani was invited to attend the European Social Forum in Sweden on September 17-21, and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Executive Committee Meeting in Geneva on 7-8 October. However, the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) denied his permit application to leave the Gaza Strip via Erez Crossing.
Raji Sourani was also denied a permit to leave Gaza in order to travel to Brussels on 12 September, where he had been invited by the Swedish NGO Diakonia to give a keynote speech at a major conference of legal and international human rights law experts.
The Egypt brokered Tahdiya or ‘Period of Calm’ between Israel and Gaza, which officially began on 19 June 2008, included agreement on the gradual easing of restrictions of freedom of movement for civilians inside Gaza. However, almost four months later, there have been no significant changes in freedom of movement for the 1.5 million civilians who continue to be imprisoned, and under siege, in the Gaza Strip.
