Al Mezan Organizes Workshop on ‘Shalit Law and International Standards’

At approximately 11am on Thursday 22 July 2010, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights organized a workshop entitled ‘Shalit Law and the Related International Standards’.
The workshop was held at Al Mean's office in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
  Mrs.
Mervat An-Nahal, Al Mezan's lead lawyer, opened the workshop and welcomed the attendants.
She said the aim of the workshop was to discuss and disclose the violations embedded into what is called the 'Shalit Law' bill, which is expected to be approved by the Israeli Knesset in the soon future.
When passed, the law will apply to Palestinian prisoners in Israel and will severely restrict their rights and the legal safeguards that should be enjoyed by persons deprived from their liberty.
An-Nahal indicated the seriousness of the risks on prisoners rights by the bill, stressing that it deprives Palestinian prisoners of visits by lawyers and families and limits visits by ICRC to once every three months.
It also strips them of important rights, such education, and access to TV, books and magazines.
It also limits their access to the canteen services.
  Under this law, Palestinian prisoners can be kept in solitary detention for unlimited periods as a punishment.
This bill, if it passes in the Knesset, will render Palestinian prisoners hostages to be used by the Israeli government as a bargaining chip to exert pressure on Palestinian factions in the course of negotiating the release of Israeli soldiers who are held by these factions.
Significantly, the bill proposes that the law would only apply to members of Palestinian factions which hold, or participate in holding, Israelis.
  Mrs.
An-Nahhal emphasized the importance of intensifying international efforts to prevent this bill from becoming a law, as it violates human rights standards and international law; especially the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the basic rights of persons deprived from their liberty.
  Mr.
Abdel-Nasser Farwana, a researcher and expert on Palestinian prisoners and detainee issues, spoke in the workshop about the situation for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli.
He explained the violations of the international law and the international principles against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Mr.
Farwana warned that if this bill passed in the Knesset, it would mark a very serious development as it would provide the legal cover for violations and violators of human rights; therefore entrenching an already prevalent culture of impunity in Israel.
  Mr.
Rafeeq Hamdouna, a member at the Prisoners Committee and an official in charge of the Prisoners’ Families Committee, spoke about the role and efforts of Palestinian relevant bodies in defending prisoners’ rights and supporting their steadfastness in the Israeli prisons; including by caring for their families.
He also talked about the increasing efforts to confront the so-called ‘Shalit Law’ bill.
He added that it was very important of the negotiations to release the Israeli soldier, Shalit, not only to release prisoners, but also to ensure that Palestinian prisoners in Israel will be treated in accordance with the standards provided for by human rights and international law.
  Journalist Mohammed Al-Jamal also spoke in the workshop, focusing on the role of the media to defend the prisoners’ case.
He described the media role in covering the prisoners’ issues as weak.
He also suggested that the current Palestinian political split has caused more restrictions on the freedom of opinion and expression, which has undermined the work of Palestinian journalists both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; hence also affected their work on this issue.
  At the end of the workshop, Mrs.
An-Nahal thanked the participants for their active engagement.
She asserted the importance of accelerating the efforts and joining forces to ensure a more active role for Palestinian civil society and international community to ensure Israel’s respect its obligations under the international law as far as the rights and safeguards of Palestinian prisoners’ situation is concerned.
Prisoners must be treated with respect and their dignity must be preserved at all times.
Their rights must not be allowed to be jeopardized in pursuit of political gains by Israel, such as securing the release of an Israeli soldier.
She added that Israel must secure the release of all Palestinian prisoners and end its illegal occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
Ends