Press Release
Expert Meeting on the Legal Status of Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails to be held to coincide with Prisoners Day, 17 April.
Date: 12 April 2000
Ref: 44/2000
Within the context of the activities to commemorate Palestinian Prisoners Day, 17 April 2000, PCHR is preparing to host a meeting of international and local experts in international law to discuss issues concerning the legal status of Arab and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The meeting will be held in PCHR headquarters in Gaza on 18 and 19 April 2000.
The meeting will discuss the following:
- International comparative cases concerning political prisoners in the context of political accords, including South Africa and Northern Ireland.
- Torture, including the Israeli High Court decision to ban torture, developments since the decision, and the implications of the decision including accountability of those responsible for torture and redress, retrial and release of those subjected to torture.
- Israeli violations of international standards and humanitarian law regarding conditions of detainment: including isolation, prevention of family visits and prevention of access to legal counsel, and the conditions of confinement, which fail to meet the relevant minimum standards.
This meeting is one of the activities planned to commemorate Palestinian Prisoners Day in cooperation with the Ministry for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs, the Hussam Association for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners. The planned events include a ceremony on 17 April 2000, in which speeches will given by representatives of the Ministry of Prisoners’ and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs, the Association for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoner and PCHR. Speeches will also be delivered on behalf of prisoners in Israeli jails.
The ceremony will be accompanied by an exhibition of Prisoners’ Art in the exhibition hall of the Ministry of Prisoners’ and Ex-Prisoners Affairs.
The Expert Meeting will be held on 18 and 19 April 2000, and will culminate in a press conference on 19 April 2000 to release the conclusions of the expert meeting. These conclusions will be circulated to all concerned parties.
PCHR places great importance on this expert meeting, particularly as the State of Israel continues to detain more than 1500 Palestinian prisoners. In addition, Israel continues to use the detainees for political gain. The organisers of these activities hope to activate international, regional and local efforts to end the suffering of the detainees and their families, and to secure the release of all these detainees without exception.