On Tuesday 10 August 2010, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights and the Palestinian Bar Association concluded a training course for lawyers in Gaza.
The training lasted for six months.
It is am annual activity organized by Al Mezan for lawyers and aims to strengthen their Legal skills in Palestinian law, international human rights law (IHRL) and international humanitarian law (IHL).
The course comprised 120 training hours.
This course was organized for the eighth consecutive year.
In 2010, 16 young lawyers were graduated from the course.
  The course introduced the participants to human rights law, IHL, criminal procedure law, democracy and the rule of law, insurance law, public service law, the revolutionary law, and other important legal issues and their linkages with the protection of human rights in the Gaza Strip.
  A team of trainers, experts, academics and judges from Al Mezan, Palestinian universities and civil society organizations delivered the trainings.
  Mrs.
Shirin Al Shobaki, Coordinator of the Training and Mass Communication Unit at Al Mezan, concluded the course.
Mr.
Issam Younis, Al Mezan's director, and the vice chair of the Palestinian Bar Association, Mr.
Salama Bississo, thanked the participants for their commitment and performance during the training, and handed them their certificates.
  Mrs.
Shobaki thanked the participants for their interest in the training and for the commitment and participation.
She also praised their dedication to the promotion and protection of human rights in Gaza.
She encouraged them to use the new knowledge and skills in their work.
She asserted that Al Mezan would always be supportive of their human rights work in the future, either through advice or providing library services for them.
  Mr.
Issam Younis, Al Mezan's director, also thanked the participants for their participation.
He expressed the hope that they use what they acquired in serving the human rights cause and contribute to democracy and the rule of law in their country.
Mr.
Younis talked about the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and pointed out the importance of enhancing awareness in human rights principles and standards; particularly as Palestinians are now living under a brutal occupations and an internal political split.
Mr.
Younis highlighted the fundamental role lawyers can play in making justice prevail, which requires developed skills and understanding of the questions of law and human rights.
  Mr.
Bississo expressed his thanks to Al Mezan for its continuous cooperation with the Palestinian Bar Association to develop and build the capacity of lawyers.
He said that lawyers need to know more about IHRL and IHL in order to be able to confront the flagrant violations committed in the context of the Israeli occupation.
Mr.
Bississo emphasized that this course has been officially integrated into the training scheme for trainee lawyers who seek to obtain their practice licenses from the Bar.
He also emphasized the importance of the cooperation between human rights organizations and the Palestinian Bar Association to strengthen the skills of Palestinian lawyers and to enable them to take an effective part in defending human rights.
Mr.
Bississo urged the participants to communicate with Al Mezan and the Bar, and to pursue with all the seriousness ensuring protection of, and respect for, human rights in oPt.
  Lawyer Nayif Al-Farra spoke on behalf of the participants.
He thanked Al Mezan for organizing the course which aimed to, and did, enhance the lawyers' skills and to activate their role in human rights and the legal work in oPt.
  Ends