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On
Thursday morning, 10 March 2011, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights’
(PCHR) Democratic Development Unit (DDU) organized a new panel discussion on
the right to freedom of opinion and expression under the rule of the
Palestinian Authority (PA), in cooperation with the Call of Palestine
Society in Jabalia, northern the Gaza Strip. 

The
meeting was held in the main office of the Call of Palestine Society.
Participating were 15 women who are members of the Society. Mahmoud al-Efranji,
a researcher at DDU, presented a paper on “The Right to Freedom of Opinion and
Expression under PA Rule.”  The participants were then given the
opportunity to engage in discussions on the concept of the freedom of opinion
and expression, international standards and local laws regulating the freedom
of opinion and expression, and the situation of the right to freedom of opinion
and expression under the PA rule.

This
meeting was a part of a three-year project funded by the European Union and
Oxfam Novib. The project is titled ‘Improving Awareness and Respect for Human
Rights in the OPT.’  This meeting is part of continued efforts made by
PCHR to raise awareness on the concept of democracy in the Palestinian society,
especially in view of the retreat of Palestinians’ trust in the democratic
process due to the ongoing political fragmentation and its consequences.