H.E. Secretary General of the United Nations
(UN)
Antonio Guterres
CC.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid
CC.
Andrew Gilmour, Representative of the UN Secretary General on Reprisals
CC.
Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders
July 4, 2017
RE: Israel-Palestine:
Slandering statements against Palestinian human rights NGOs Al-Haq and Al-Mezan
Centre for Human Rights

Your Excellency,
We wish to request your
intervention in response to the public attacks[1]
against Palestinian human rights NGOs formulated by the Permanent
Representative of Israel to the UN, Ambassador Danny Danon, on the occasion of
a media stake-out in front of the Security Council on June 29, 2017.
In his speech, Ambassador
Danon said that “Al Mezan is an
organisation which cooperates with Hamas, an internationally recognised terror
group”, and linked “Al Haq (…), led
by Shawan Jabareen” to the so-called “PFLP
terrorist organisation”. Ambassador Danon went on falsely characterising
both human rights groups as “supporters
of terrorism”, and “inciters of
violence.”
The attack against legitimate
human rights organisations and activists, who are working tirelessly to monitor
and act against violations of human rights by all duty-bearers, comes as human
rights defenders advocating and working on Palestinian human rights from around
the world are facing intensifying threats and are increasingly targeted for
their work.
Over the past years,
Palestinian organisations Al-Haq and
Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights
have had staff members receive death threats, and have also been the targets of
a wider campaign that attempts to discredit and destabilise the organisations.[2]
These campaigns have included the hacking of emails, intimidating phone calls
to staff, and efforts to alarm donors; all of which seek to distract
organisations from their primary human rights work. While the Office of the
Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court[3],
the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the OPT[4],
and other stakeholders have recognised these threats, acts of intimidation have
persisted.
We are shocked that the smear
campaigns target human rights defenders and organisations that are
internationally renowned for their promotion of human rights and international
law. We are equally shocked that such baseless attacks are made at a UN
platform, and directed at human rights defenders invited by the UN, based on
their years-long consultative status with ECOSOC, to provide information and
analysis regarding the human rights situation in Palestine.
As the UN commemorates the
50th anniversary of the occupation, we believe the UN system as a whole should
be particularly alerted by the statement of the Israeli Ambassador, especially
as it comes in the context of Israel campaigning for being a member of the
Security Council. These attacks aim to silence and undermine any resistance to
Israel’s unlawful policies, and fuel an atmosphere of hostility against human
rights defenders working on Palestine. More broadly, Israel also regularly
prohibits access to the OPT for missions by UN experts and investigative
bodies, in violation of its duties under the UN Charter[5].
Accordingly, such statements should not be viewed in isolation, but examined
within the broader context of impunity in Israel itself, as well as the failure
of States to hold Israel accountable for its commission of internationally
recognised crimes.
Citizens and organisations
have internationally and domestically recognised rights to engage in
alternative means for accountability and advocate for justice for Palestinians.
Our organisations underscore the universality of human rights, including the
right to “participate in peaceful
activities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”, as
highlighted in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders[6].
Therefore
we call on you to:
- Protect all human rights defenders working on
issues related to Palestine and ensure that they are
able to carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance and fear of
reprisals;
- Publicly voice support for
- and respond to the above-mentioned attack against - human rights
organisations Al-Haq and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, human rights
defender Mr. Shawan Jabareen, who is also Secretary General of FIDH, and
to all human rights defenders in Palestine; and
- Address all instances of
reprisals by Israeli officials against human rights defenders working on issues
related to Palestine.
In
the hope that you will take all these elements into account, we remain at your
disposal for any further information.
Yours
sincerely,
Dimitris
Christopoulos Gerald Staberock
President of FIDH Secretary General of OMCT
The Observatory for the
Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by
FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this
program is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights
defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European
Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil
society.
[1] http://webtv.un.org/watch/danny-danon-israel-on-terrorism-and-other-matters-security-council-media-stakeout-29-june-2017/5487255078001
[2] Al Mezan Condemns Continued Death
Threats to Staff Members and Calls on the International Community to Intervene,
Al Mezan, 11 August 2016, available at
http://www.mezan.org/en/post/21475/Al+Mezan+Condemns+Continued+Death+Threats+to+Staff+Members+and+Calls+on+the+International+Community+to+Intervene;
Update: Attacks Against Al-Haq Continue, 4 June 2016, available at
http://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/topics/human-rights-defenders/1050-update-attacks-against-al-haq-continue
[3] Report on Preliminary Examination Activities 2016,
Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court, para. 144, 14 November
2016, available at https://www.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/otp/161114-otp-rep-PE_ENG.pdf
[4]
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the
Palestinian territories occupied since 196713 April 2017, available at
https://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/0/265EDDCECC8AA035852580E900664CB7
[5] UN-established bodies, including
the 2012 UN Fact-finding Mission on Israeli settlements and the UN Independent
Commission on Inquiry on Gaza in 2014, have been similarly prevented from
entering the OPT by Israel. Mandate holders for the UN Special Rapporteur on
the OPT have not gained access to the OPT since 2008. The former Special
Rapporteur, Makarim Wibisono, resigned as a result. See Special Rapporteur on Occupied
Palestinian Territory resigns due to continued lack of access to OPT, UN Office
of the High Commission for Human Rights, 4 January 2016, available at
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16922
[6] Declaration on the Right and
Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and
Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article
12(1), available at
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Defenders/Declaration/declaration.pdf.
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