Ref: 22/2016 

On Monday, 16 May 2016, Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) started an international advocacy mission in Sweden. As part of this visit, Sourani held a series of meetings with representatives of the Swedish government, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), international organizations and parties and experts in human rights and research institutes.

On Tuesday, 17 May, Sourani participated in a meeting organized by Sida and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Sida office in Stockholm.  The meeting was attended by experts and specialists in the Middle East issues and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and representatives of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, Sourani reviewed the human rights situation in the oPt and Israeli practices against Palestinian civilians.  He particularly focused on the Gaza Strip situation and the illegal and immoral closure.  Sourani stressed that the closure is a form of collective punishment policy and should be immediately and completely lift.

Sourani attended a seminar in the Swedish Institute of International Affairs “Utrikespolitiska Institute (UI)”, which is one of the most important Swedish research institutes.  The seminar was organized by the UI; Right Livelihood Award Foundation; the International Legal Aid Consortium (ILAC) and Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.  Surani, who was the main speaker in the seminar, talked about the human rights situation in the oPt.  The commentators on Sourani’s intervention were Bitte Hammargren, Editor of UI’s Utrikesmagasinet and Middle East Analyst, and Pål Wrange, Professor of Public International Law.  The seminar was moderated by Cherine Hussein, research fellow at UI’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

In the afternoon Sourani was hosted by the Right livelihood Award Foundation, which granted him its annual notable award in the field of human rights in 2013.  The meeting was attended public figures, human rights defenders and politicians, including Thomas Hammarberg, former Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe; Per Stadig, International Comission of Jurists (ICJ); Lena Ag, Secretary General of Kvinna till Kvinna; Anne Ramberg, Secretary General of the Swedish Bar Association; Ann Dismor, Head of Middle East and North Africa Dept., Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Fredrik Westerholm, Earlier Swedish Consul for Development Assistance in Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, Sourani also held series of meetings in the Right livelihood Award Foundation; Thomas Hammarberg, former Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe; Thomas Ulf Carmesuund and Hans Josefsson from Religious Social Democrats in Sweden.

On Thursday, May 19, 2016, Sourani will attend in the ILAC meetings which will continue till Saturday, 21 May.  It should be noted that Sourani is an elected Member of ILAC Executive Committee while PCHR is an elected Board Member of ILAC.