Human rights defenders in the OPT are subjected to acts of harassment, restrictions on freedom of movement, stigmatisation, abductions, long periods of arbitrary detention usually under administrative detention orders, illegal searches of their homes and offices and killings. In the Front Line report on Palestine it is stated that “many of the violations are state-sanctioned, or if not sanctioned at the highest levels of the Israeli political and military establishment, then condoned by the ongoing policy of impunity which permeates the military and judicial system in relation to the OPT”. In some instances Israeli settlers have also been the perpetrators of violence against human rights defenders.

The situation of human rights defenders in the OPT is particularly complex as they are carrying out their work in the context of the Israeli military occupation and the second Palestinian Intifada (uprising) which began in 2000. People considered to be human rights defenders in the OPT include journalists, lawyers, medical workers, fieldworkers, international volunteers who act as independent observers and carry out human rights work and defenders working for economic, social and cultural rights. According to the report of the UN SRSG on the situation of human rights defenders it is impossible to calculate an exact figure for the number of human rights defenders working in the OPT as many are not affiliated with any organisation. As many human right defenders have to cross Israeli military checkpoints in order to go to work their freedom of movement is often restricted as they may suffer harassment, their identity documents may be confiscated, they may be arrested or detained or may be prevented from crossing the border into and out of Israel so they cannot go to work. Many defenders from the OPT have encountered problems when trying to travel abroad in order to attend human rights related conferences or events and international human rights defenders who work within the OPT have been refused entry as an attempt to impede their human rights work. A number of Palestinian human rights defenders have also been subjected to illegal detentions in the form of administrative detention orders – they are not officially charged or given a fair trial in accordance with international legal standards. Journalists in particular are targeted for reporting on the human rights situation and are abducted by armed groups. In 2005 Front Line and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) published a report entitled, “Front Line Palestine: Killings, Arbitrary Detention, Restrictions on Movement, Threats, Harassment and Other Forms of Intimidation of Human Rights Defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. Ms. Hina Jilani, the UN SRSG on the situation of human rights defenders, visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 5 – 11 October 2005.

URGENT CASES

Palestina: enmascarados apuñalaron a Mahmoud Abu Rahma, defensor de los derechos humanos, en la ciudad de Gaza

Post date: 2012/01/19

El 13 de enero de 2012, el Sr. Mahmoud Abu Rahma, defensor de los derechos humanos, fue atacado por tres desconocidos armados en el distrito de Tal al-Hawa, ciudad de Gaza.

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