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Ref: 135/2004

Date: 21 September 2004

Time: 10:30 GMT

PCHR Condemns Continued Closure of 6 Election Registration Centers by Israeli Occupying Authorities in Jerusalem

PCHR condemns the continued closure of 6 Palestinian election registration centers in Jerusalem, believing that this measure obstructs preparations for holding Palestinian elections and violate the rights of Palestinians to register to, and participate in the elections. 

According to information available to PCHR, on 13 September 2004, Israeli occupying troops closed 6 election registration centers in the neighborhoods of al-Tour and al-Thawri; the villages of Silwan, Shu’fat and al-‘Eisawiya; and Shu’fat refugee camp.  They also arrested a number of members of the staff at these centers, but released them later, and confiscated documents related to the process of registration.  This assault was carried out according to an order by the Israeli Minster of Internal Security Gid’on ‘Ezra, as copies of the order were stuck on doors of these registration centers.       

As soon as the registration process started on 4 September 2004, Israeli occupying troops took a series of measures to obstruct the registration process in Jerusalem.  On 5 and 6 September 2004, Israeli troops raided and searched 3 registration centers in the city.  They also recorded names of members of the staff at these centers and those who had registered.  In addition, Israeli troops summoned and interrogated a number of members of the staff.  On 12 September 2004, Israeli troops attempted to break into an election registration center in Shu’fat. 

Israeli attempts to obstruct the election registration process have not been limited to the closure of the aforementioned centers.  For example, Israeli troops attacked a registration official and detained another one for one hour in Hebron.  In addition, Israeli military checkpoints erected at the entrances of Palestinian communities throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the curfews imposed on a number of communities obstruct access of Palestinians to registration centers. 

PCHR believes that such Israeli measures violate all international human rights standards and instruments.  So, PCHR calls upon the international community, including the European Union, to confront these Israeli violations and pressure the Israeli government to reopen the election registration centers that have been closed, remove all restrictions that affect the registration process and allow Palestinians living in occupied Jerusalem to participate in the elections by voting and candidatures the same way they had done in the general elections of 1996.  

“End”

Public Document

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