Arrest & Detention
Detention of Human Rights Defenders
The threat and implementation of administrative detention is one of the many severe restrictions imposed by Israel on human rights defenders working towards the respect of human rights and the rule of law in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT). As the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Hina Jilani stated in a 2006 report to the Secretary General, information she gathered from Palestinian human rights organizations "suggests that administrative detention is being used as a means to deter defenders from carrying out their human rights activities." (Added 13 October 2006)

Jilani's report adds, "Human rights field workers associated with human rights organizations have been particularly targeted. Many of these are monitors who investigate and report on violations such as torture, treatment of prisoners and custodial and extrajudicial killings or targeted assassinations."
The report (Word document) gives a few examples of the "long list of defenders who are, or have remained, under administrative detention," including:
  • "Ahmad Maslamani, a doctor working as General Director of the Health Work Committees, and a member of the Coordination committee of the Palestinian National Organizations Network [sic]. He is a well-respected activist in civil society and is detained together with two other activists of civil society in Jerusalem. He has been charged with membership and participation in activities of a terrorist organization."
  • "... Ziyad Muhammad Shehadeh Hmeidan [held] at Ansar III/Kedziot prison ... a 32-year-old field worker of the Palestinian NGO Al-Haq who has been held under administrative detention since 23 May 2005, and was due to be released on 22 November 2005. A week before his expected release, Mr. Hmeidan was informed that an application for his detention to be extended for a further six months would be made. To date he has never been informed of the reasons for his arrest."
  • "The Special Representative also sent communications regarding the detention of Daoud Dirawi, a child rights lawyer working with Defence for Children International (DCI), in November 2004, and of Abd al-Latif Gheith, board chairman of Addameer Prisoner's Support and Human Rights Association, in July 2004."

    • As Front Line reports in their study conducted in conjunction with the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PDF) on the situation of human rights defenders in the OPT, "Lawyers and human rights activists face a number of difficulties in relation to Palestinian prisoners. Firstly, they face the risk of arrest and detention by the Israeli authorities. Secondly, if arrested, they are subjected to the same humiliating conditions as other Palestinian prisoners. Thirdly, as discussed in the chapter on restrictions on freedom of movement, lawyers are unable to visit prisoners or to represent the prisoners in the Israeli court system. Also secret evidence files are used against prisoners in Administrative Detention which makes it almost impossible to construct a proper defence."

    While Israel justifies its detention of Palestinian human rights defenders, along with the hundreds of others it holds in administrative detention, under the guise of state security, the UN Special Rapporteur observes, "There are too many such cases for the Special Representative to accept the Government's position that these individuals have not been targeted because of their human rights work but because they are threats to State security. Undefined and vague allegations with no evidence made available to support them, cannot be the basis for the Special Representative to draw any conclusions against persons who are acknowledged as legitimate human rights defenders by the organizations with whom they are associated. These are well-known organizations with respect and good standing in the human rights community and a consistent record of human rights work. Many of those detained have been associated with these organizations for long periods of time and have been involved in human rights activity."

    International human rights defenders are also subject to arrest and detention, including at Israeli-controlled ports of entry, where they are sometimes denied entry. Despite the odious threat of administrative detention, human rights defenders continue to carry on with their work towards the respect of international law and human rights in the OPT.


    News, reports and analysis
  • AIC Member Ahmad Abu Hannya Placed in Administrative Detention for an Additional Six Months, Alternative Information Center (30 November 2006)
  • Christian Peacemaker Teams members monitoring home invasion detained for five hours, Christian Peacemaker Teams (12 August 2006)
  • Open Letter to Consul Generals regarding treatment of Human Rights Defenders, various undersigned (26 April 2006)
  • Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders - Mission to Israel and the OPT (2006 - Word Document)
  • The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) condemns the extension of the administrative detention of its field researcher, PCATI (22 May 2006)
  • Israeli Military Judge Upholds Ziyad Hmeidan's Administrative Detention Order, Al-Haq (21 March 2006)
  • Administratively Detained Al-Haq Fieldworker Still Denied Justice, Al-Haq (13 March 2006)
  • EMHRN Open Letter to Ehud Olmert Regarding Detained Al-Haq and PCATI Fieldworkers, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (21 February 2006)
  • Ofer military court upholds administrative detention of Hassan Mustafa Hassan Zaga, field researcher for PCATI; shortened the period of administrative detention to 4 months (2 February 2006)
  • PCATI field researcher, Hassan Mustafa Hassan Zaka, placed in Administrative Detention, PCATI (20 January 2006)
  • Israeli Authorities Reject the Appeal of the Extension of the Administration Detention of Al-Haq's Fieldworker, Al-Haq (9 January 2006)
  • Front Line Palestine: Killings, Arbitrary Detention, Restrictions on Movement, Threats, Harassment and Other Forms of Intimidation of Human Rights Defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Front Line- The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (2005)
  • An Update on the Arrest of AIC Staff Member, Ahmad Abu-Hannye, Alternative Information Center (12 December 2005)
  • Israeli Authorities Renew Administrative Detention of Al-Haq Fieldworker, Al-Haq (19 November 2005)
  • An Update on the Arrest of AIC Staff Member, Ahmad Abu-Hannye, Alternative Information Center (12 September 2005)
  • Al-Haq Fieldworker Ziyad Hmeidan in Administrative Detention, Al-Haq (16 July 2005)
  • Israel's Criminalization of Nonviolent Protest, Pat O'Connor (22 February 2005)
  • State Department to be Questioned on Silence regarding American Detainees in Israel, Council for the National Interest (16 February 2005)
  • Letter from Prison: My Interview with Israel's Shin Bet Intelligence Agency, Pat O'Connor writing from Maasiyahu prison, Ramle (1 February 2005)
  • Arrest of Palestinian Human Rights Defender, HRW (6 August 2004)
  • Palestinian human rights defender detained for further 6 months without trial, DCI-PS (3 September 2003)
  • Israel denies Palestinian human rights lawyer access to medical treatment, OMCT/DCI-PS (13 May 2003)
  • Addameer's WSF representative given four months of administrative detention, Addameer (26 January 2003)
  • Addameer's WSF representative to WSF arrested, Addameer (24 January 2003)
  • Palestinian human rights activist Sha'wan Jabarin continues his work despite obstacles, Digital Freedom Network (2003)
  • Letter to Colin Powell about the arrest of Mustafa Barghouthi, Ali Abunimah (2 January 2002)
  • Screaming in the Dark: Life in Israeli Detention, Al-Haq (2002)


    Organizations
  • Amnesty International appeal cases
  • Front Line- The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
  • Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders
  • World Organization Against Torture - The Observatory


    Related Links
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