UN human rights experts call on Israel to reconsider the
charges against Palestinian activist Issa Amro
GENEVA (7 July 2017) – Israel should carefully reconsider
the charges it is pursuing against Palestinian human rights defender Issa Amro,
two United Nations independent experts said today.
Mr. Amro, founder of the Hebron-based Youth Against
Settlements, is facing trial in an Israeli military court on a number of
charges, some of which date back a number of years and have only recently been
reactivated.
“On the information available to us, many of the charges
against Mr. Amro appear to be directed squarely at his lawful right to
peacefully protest against the 50-year-old Israeli occupation,” said the
Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Michael Lynk, and
the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Michel Forst, in a joint statement.
“The non-violent work of human rights defenders must not
be disrupted and attacked by the authorities, even under a military
occupation,” the experts underscored. “Their rights to freedom of expression
and assembly must be respected and protected.”
Mr. Amro and Youth Against Settlements have campaigned
against the Israeli military’s shut-down of the once-thriving Palestinian
neighborhood around Shuhada Street in Hebron, and against illegal Israeli
settlements in and near the city. Their activities have included running a
community centre, organizing protest marches and opposing the many restrictions
placed by the military on daily Palestinian life, the two experts noted.
The Rapporteurs said Palestinian human rights defenders,
including Mr. Amro, have faced a long pattern of harassment, intimidation,
discriminatory treatment and physical interference from the Israeli military
and settler groups.
Mr. Lynk and Mr. Forst called upon the Government of
Israel to strictly abide by international human rights law in its dealings with
human rights defenders.
“We are also deeply concerned about the quality of
justice available to Palestinians under occupation,” they added. “The Israeli
military court system – which all Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to
– has a conviction rate above 99%, which raises serious concerns about the
system meeting many of the international standards of due process required by
human rights and humanitarian law.
“If the Israeli military court convicts Mr. Amro on any
of the charges against him, the convictions will be stained by reasonable
doubts about the system’s ability to ensure justice,” the Special Rapporteurs
said.
ENDS
In 2016, the UN Human Rights Council designated Mr.
Michael Lynk (Canada) as the seventh Special Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. The mandate
was originally established in 1993 by the then UN Commission on Human Rights.
Mr. Michel Forst (France) was appointed by the Human
Rights Council as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
defenders in 2014.
As Special Rapporteurs, they are part of what is known as
the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the
largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the
general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring
mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues
in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary
basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They
are independent from any government or organization and serve in their
individual capacity.
UN Human Rights, country pages: Occupied PalestinianTerritories and Israel
For more information and media requests, please contact
Katharine Marshall (+41 22 917 9695 / kmarshall@ohchr.org)
For media inquiries related to other UN independent
experts:
Xabier Celaya – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 /
xcelaya@ohchr.org)
You can access this press release online
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