PRESS RELEASE

Released @ 2:00 GMT 29^th April 1998

At around 12:00pm on 28 April 1998, a student from Al-Azhar University was playing with his gun in a cafeteria near the university when suddenly a bullet was fired, resulting in the injury of Kamilia Al-Mughayar, a student who was walking on the opposite side of the street. Al-Mughayar was shot in the right side of her body and immediately transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital, where she received treatment. In addition to being a student in the Law School at al-Azhar, the perpetrator works with the Palestinian General Intelligence. He is currently being detained by the Palestinian police.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights expresses its deep concern about this bloody incident as well as the general lack of caution in the handling of weapons and lack of concern for the safety of civilians. Despite declarations by the Palestinian police that they have initiated a campaign to collect weapons from civilians and that they promote the protection of civilian lives, weapons remain widespread in Gaza. Several times this dangerous situation has raised the concern and drawn the attention of the PCHR. Now it has reached the point that university students carry weapons, endangering the lives of other students and violating respect for the campus and its surroundings.

The Palestine Center for Human Rights supports the demands of students as set out in leaflets distributed by the student union and other student factions. The PCHR:

1. Insists that the perpetrator be brought to trial as soon as the investigation is over.
2. Calls for the administration of Al-Azhar University to conduct an immediate internal investigation of the incident, address the presence of armed students claiming to be members of security branches, and carry out the required measures to put an end to this problem. The other universities should carry out similar measures to preserve academic freedom and students lives.
3. Demands that Palestinian police ensure the effective implementation of the law in regard to weapons and minimize the number of gun licenses.
4. Stresses that the majority of those who carry weapons are members of security branches, which does not justify their presence among civilians, especially in universities and other public places. Carrying weapons should be organized and strictly monitored in order to preserve citizens’ lives and property.