Ref: 06/2015
Date: 27 January 2015
Time: 13:00 GMT

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns attacks carried out by unknown persons against the Association the Wounded and Martyrs’ Families and the office of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs in Gaza City. PCHR calls for taking serious legal measures against the perpetrators of such crimes, which constitute a form of security chaos and undermine the rule of law, and proving necessary protection for local associations.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 05:15 on Tuesday, 27 January 2015, unknown persons stole two laptops from the office of the Association of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs in Gaza City and then set fire to the office. According to Mr. Atef Abu Mer’i, Director of Public Relations at the abovementioned office, at approximately 05:30, he received a phone call from the building’s guard informing him that the office caught fire, so he hurried up to the office. The Civil Defense was there to extinguish fire and the police arrived to inspect the scene. It was found the incident was an arson attack and two laptops were stolen.

Major Ayman al-Batniji, Spokesman of the Palestinian Police, said that unknown persons set fire to the office of Association of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs after they had stolen two laptops, so, the police headed to the scene to inspect and investigate the attack.

The office of the Association of the Wounded and Martyrs’ Families belonging to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), located in the west of Gaza City, was similarly attacked on Saturday, 24 January 2015. Mr. Mohammed Jouda al-Nahhal, Director of the Association’s office in the Gaza Strip, said that around 40 unknown persons raided the office and damaged PCs, photocopiers, furniture and other contents. Therefore, the Administration decided to close the office until further notice.

PCHR strongly condemns these crimes and:

1. Stresses that these crimes constitute a flagrant assault on the rule of law and part of the state of security chaos prevailing in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) that has escalated in the Gaza Strip in the past two months, especially with the absence of legal measures by the competent authorities to confront them and prosecute the perpetrators and those engaged in such attacks;
2. Calls upon the Palestinian National Authority to take serious legal measures to confront the state of security chaos and attacks on local and international organizations according to the law and international human rights standards; and
3. Calls upon the Attorney General to investigate these crimes and attacks, disclose their circumstances and bring the perpetrators to justice.