Press Release

PCHR and Civil Society Groups Take  Action Regarding Ghazi Jabali’s Police Order

Date: 27 March 2000

Today, 27 March 2000, a group of political parties and NGOs sent a letter to the PNA President Yasser Arafat appealing to him to intervene in order to cancel the police order issued by the General Director of Police Ghazi Jabali’s on 29 February 2000. The police order bans the holding of public meetings and marches without his prior permission. The letter stated that the police order “contradicts the Palestinian Law of Public Meetings (Law No. 12) of 1998 which provides the right of peaceful assembly after sending notification to the police directorate 48 hours in advance”. (for more details see PCHR Press Release ).

Moreover, the letter stated that the Law of Public Meetings of 1998 “is an achievement for the Palestinian people, serving their aspiration of a democratic state, and is consistent with the relevant international human rights standards concerning the right of peaceful assembly”.

In addition, the group sent another letter today to the PLC Speaker Ahmad Qrieh, the PLC Committees, and PLC members, calling on them to:

1. To hold a special PLC session in order to discuss the police order and to adopt a clear stance regarding it;
2. To take the necessary action to cancel the police order;
3. To take all necessary action to bring the Law of Public Assembly of 1998 into force; and
4. To follow up all laws issued by the PLC and to take all necessary steps to guarantee the implementation of such laws by the law enforcement bodies.

The group includes the following political paties and NGOs:

1. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine;
2. The Palestinian Democratic Union (FEDA);
3. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine;
4. The Peoples Party;
5. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights;
6. El Mizan Center for Human Rights;
7. Democracy and Labour Rights Center;
8. El Dameer Institute (Gaza);
9. Red Cross Society for the Gaza Strip;
10. Gaza Community Mental Health Programme.

These steps were taken after a series of consultation meetings were held over the past three weeks at the initiative of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. The meetings were aimed at finding measures and actions to be taken in response to the police order. The participants in these meetings formed a steering committee including the following members:

1. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights;
2. El Mizan Center for Human Rights;
3. Democracy and Labour Rights Center;
4. El Dameer Institute (Gaza).

Moreover, the group intends to file an application with the Palestinian High Court to have the police order canceled on the basis that it contradicts Palestinian law, in particular the Law of Public Assembly of 1998.

For more details please contact:

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights: ph. 282 3725 / 282 5893

El Mizan Center for Human Rights: ph. 245 3555

Democracy and Labour Rights Center: ph. 285 3011 / 285 3010

El Dameer Institute (Gaza): ph. 286 0956 / 282 6660