PARALLEL MEETING OF HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATIONS

FOURTH GENEVA CONVENTION

14 –16 July 1999

PRESS RELEASE

Geneva, 15 July 1999

Bad Precedent After Fifty Years

The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 protects civilians under conditions of military occupation against violations by the Occupying Power of their fundamental human rights, such as torture, wilful killing and the transfer of civilian nationals of an Occupying Power into occupied territories.

A parallel meeting of international, Arab and Palestinian human rights organisations and experts is extremely disappointed by the conference of High Contracting Parties on Measures of Enforcement of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. That conference convened today and adjourned after ten minutes, failing even to set a follow-up meeting.

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, we deeply regret that the High Contracting Parties meeting here have not fulfilled and appeared to have repudiated the mandate they took upon themselves when they voted for the General Assembly resolution calling for this conference. By failing to hold a substantive conference to address pressing questions of enforcement of the Convention, the Parties have undermined and politicised the application of international humanitarian law, not only with regard to this conflict but other and future conflicts as well.

We remind all High Contracting Parties that they are under obligation according to Article One to respect and ensure respect for the Fourth Geneva Convention in all circumstances.

We expect the Parties to take immediate steps to ensure that the protection of civilians under occupation as mandated by the Fourth Geneva Convention is implemented.

 

For further information contact:

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights LAW Society

Tel/Fax: 972 7 2823725 – 2825893 Tel: 972 2 58335530 – fax: 5833317

E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]