Ref: 19/2007
Date: 29 March 2007
PCHR and the Palestinian Bar Association Complete the 2nd Training Course for Young Lawyers
The second training course organized by PCHR and the Palestinian Bar Association was concluded on Thursday, 29 March 2007. The closing session was held in attendance of Adel Abu Jahal (vice-president of the Bar Association), Raji Sourani (PCHR director), Safi El-Dahdouh (member of the Bar Association Board of Directors), and Bassam El-Aqra (PCHR’s training director).
In his closing speech, Abu Jahal thanked PCHR for its role in promoting human rights and the rule of law among lawyers, especially young lawyers. He also pointed that courses for young lawyers will continue in the future, especially in light of the excellent results of the two courses organized thus far.
Raji Sourani commended the role of lawyers and the Bar Association in protecting human rights. He called for exerting more effort by lawyers to get involved in the field of human rights. Sourani pointed that lawyers are the closest sector to human rights due to their legal knowledge. Furthermore, he called upon lawyers to visit PCHR to find what they need in the field of human rights, especially since the Centre owns a rich library of resources in the field.
Bassam El-Aqra indicated that this is the second of three courses the Centre and the Bar Association agreed to hold. The three courses are planned to cover the whole Gaza Strip. It is noted that 71 young lawyers attended the first two courses.
Each course covers a variety of human rights topics, including international human rights instruments: Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Covenant on Economic, social, and cultural rights; Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Second Protocol Additional to the Convention against the Death Penalty; International Criminal Court; and the Fourth Geneva Convention and its applicability in the OPT. In addition, the course covers some basic UN principles such as the role of public attorneys, independence of the judiciary, role of lawyers in furthering human rights, international legislation, and prosecuting war criminals.
The training is conducted by a team of experts from within and outside PCHR. The Center’s trainers are Raji Sourani, Khalil Shahin (director of PCHR’s Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights Unit), Hamdi Shaqoura (director of PCHR’s Democratic Development Unit), and Bassam El-Aqra. From outside the Center, the trainers are Adel Abu Jahal, Abdel Rahman Abu El-Naser (ex-president of the Bar Association), and Muneer El-Oqbi (assistant to the Attorney-General).
