The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) is deeply concerned by the ban to travel and to leave the Palestinian territories imposed since March 2006 by the Israeli authorities on Mr. Shawan Jabarin, General Director of Al-Haq, a EMHRN member organization.
Appeal to respect the freedom of movement owed to the Al-Haq General Director
Copenhagen, 15 May 2008 – The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) is deeply concerned by the ban to travel and to leave the Palestinian territories imposed since March 2006 by the Israeli authorities on Mr. Shawan Jabarin, General Director of Al-Haq, a EMHRN member organization.
Mr. Jabarin was first denied the right to travel to Spain for a conference In October 2006; he was then prevented to travel to Egypt on December 2006; and later prevented from attending a conference in Germany in June 2007. The EMHRN questions the legitimacy of these decisions which seems to target Mr. Jabarin in the context of his work related to the promotion of human rights.
Mr. Jabarin has attempted to appeal the ban in front of the Israeli High Court of Justice. During that hearing, the Israeli army authorities justified the violation of Mr. Jabarin’s freedom of movement on grounds of national security and on claims that he was the member of an illegal political party. The appeal was rejected by the Court based on classified material which remained unrevealed to Mr. Jabarin and his lawyer.
More recently, on 24 March 2008, Mr. Jabarin was prevented from attending a hearing related to Al-Haq's case for compensation from Israel for damage caused to Al-Haq's office in 2002. For this hearing, he had received an official invitation from the Israeli Central Court.
After nearly one year of unheeded interventions to the Israeli authorities regarding Shawan Jabarin’s travel ban, Mr. Jabarin has today decided to once again challenge the ban through the Israeli High Court of Justice.
The EMHRN is worried that the Israeli authorities do not respect their commitment towards human rights, more precisely towards freedom of movement[1], as specified in Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) ratified by the government of Israel in 1991, and the right to a fair trial through the use of secret evidence.
In addition, the EMHRN is worried that the political situation in Palestine is used as a justification to prevent Palestinian human rights defenders to implement their activities related to the protection and promotion of human rights.
Therefore, the EMHRN calls upon the Israeli authorities:
- To respect its commitment towards human rights conventions; in particular, ICCPR, UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders as well as Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement;
- To immediately lift the ban and restriction of movements imposed on Mr. Jabarin and to stop preventing him from implementing activities in the context of his efforts towards the promotion and protection of human rights;
- To ensure that any allegations claiming that Mr. Jabarin is a threat to the national security of Israel are tried by a fair trial respectful of a due process and the rights of the defence.
[1] As of mid-July 2007, there were 455 physical obstructions just throughout the West Bank (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Report 44 on Implementation of the Agreement on Movement and Access, 26 July 2007, in “Ground to a Halt: Denial of Palestinians' Freedom of Movement in the West Bank Comprehensive” Report, July 2007 by B'TSELEM - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, p.12)
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