Ref: 13/2010

On Tuesday, 09 February 2010, the
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) received a delegation from the
Finnish Foreign Ministry in its head offices in Gaza City. Helena Tuuri,
Director of the Middle East and North Africa Unit at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Finland; Pia Rantala-Engberg, the Finnish Representative to the
Palestinian Authority; and First Secretary Johanna Birkstedt, who represents Finland
at the European Union level, came to learn about PCHR’s work and discuss the
current situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

The group spoke with PCHR’s Director
Raji Sourani about the current political situation in the OPT and how it affects
human rights issues. Sourani answered the delegation members’ questions
concerning the ongoing Palestinian reconciliation talks and the political mood
in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The PCHR Director further discussed the
activities of the Centre itself in light of the current political division and
the challenges faced by PCHR in its struggle to uphold human rights and
democratic freedoms in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. PCHR and the Finnish
delegation agreed to jointly explore avenues of improving the human rights
situation in the OPT.