April 2, 1999
PCHR intervenes to the UN Committee Human Rights
PCHR intervenes to the UN Committee Human Rights

 

PRESS RELEASE

 PCHR intervenes to the UN Committee Human Rights

Ref: 35/99

Date: 2nd April, 1999

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) on Wednesday, March 31 made an intervention regarding Israeli human rights violations to the members of the UN Committee for Human Rights. The 55th Assembly of the Committee began on the same day. Article 8 of its agenda related to Israeli human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Issam Younis, coordinator of the Economic and Social Rights Unit, represented the Centre before the UN Committee. PCHR and the International Federation for Human Rights presented a shared report about the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories which was submitted into the UN record (.E/CN.41997/NGO/18). The Palestinian Centre mentioned the deteriorating human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories due to Israeli policies, including the continuing confiscation of Palestinian land for establishing new settlements, expanding already existing ones, or constructing bypass roads.

PCHR referred to the Israeli policy regarding Jerusalem, Israeli efforts to change the demographic facts on the ground, the hard effects of the Israeli policy of closure on all sectors of Palestinian society, and the ongoing violation of basic Palestinian rights.

PCHR mentioned the continued holding of over 2,500 Palestinian political prisoners in poor conditions and the torture to which many of them are subjected. The Palestinian Centre asserted that Israel is the only country in the world to have legalized torture. The Centre stated to the participants in the Committee that all UN committees related to human rights and its mechanisms have maintained that Israel is responsible for violations of international human rights law and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. The Centre asked the UN Committee for Human Rights to condemn Israeli practices and asked the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to find means to implement the Convention de jure in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in accordance with the relevant UN General Assembly resolutions.

PCHR will be launching a campaign in the near future to ensure that the July 15 conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention is in harmony with the letter and spirit of relevant UN resolutions and international law. PCHR is taking the July 15 conference with the utmost seriousness in order to ensure that the High Contracting Parties and Switzerland (the depository of the Convention) in no way water down the protections offered by the Fourth Geneva Convention to Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Territories.

For More Information Contact:

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

Tel/Fax: (+) 9727 2824776/2823725

E-mail: [email protected]