On the morning of Sunday 15 November 2009, the headquarters of human rights organisation Al-Dameer was found to have been burgled, and items belonging to the organisation had been stolen. Al-Dameer Association is one of the largest human rights organisations in the Gaza Strip, working on enhancing and respecting human rights and monitoring violations of human rights, as well as the operation of the parliamentary and judicial systems in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

At approximately 7.30pm on Sunday 15 November 2009, employees arriving at Al-Dameer's offices for work found that the door of one of the two apartments forming the headquarters was open. They later found that two computers were missing and that documents from the shelves and cupboards had been rifled. The memory card of a digital camera belonging to Al-Dameer had been erased. The door had been opened carefully and without force so that it was not damaged or marked.

The perpetrators remain unknown. Al-Dameer has not previously been subject to threats or intimidation, but it is believed from the nature of the break-in that the perpetrators were seeking information, as nothing else was missing or damaged. Al-Dameer informed the police who viewed the scene and promised to have information within 48 hours. However, no response has been forthcoming despite a meeting between Al-Dameer's lawyer and the police officer in charge of the case. On 16 November, Mr Khalil Abu Shammala, General Director of Al-Dameer, met the Minister of Interior in Gaza, Mr Fathi Hammad, and provided him with the details of the case. On 17 November, the Monitoring and Human Rights Committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council visited Al-Dameer and expressed their intention to work with Mr Fathi Hammad to investigate the incident.

Front Line believes that the burglary of Al-Dameer is directly related to their work in the defence of human rights, in particular human rights violations in the Gaza Strip. Front Line is concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Al-Dameer's employees.

Front Line urges the authorities in the Gaza Strip to:

1.Carry out an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into the burglary of Al-Dameer's headquarters, with a view to publishing the results and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards; 2.Guarantee the security of Al-Dameer's offices and the physical and psychological integrity of all its employees; 3.Ensure that human rights defenders in the Gaza Strip, carrying out their legitimate work in the defence of human rights, are able to operate free of restrictions and reprisals.