Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights
Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights is a Gaza-based organisation which promotes accountability, access to justice and monitors human rights abuses committed by Israeli authorities and Palestinian entities. Al Mezan carries out a wide range of programmes including documentation, awareness and capacity building, legal support, representation of prisoners, research and training sessions to different groups including human rights defenders.
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. 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.
