The patterns of violations to the right to freedom of opinion and expression varied, according to
the complaints received by the commission to three patterns, concerning the prohibition of citizens
from obtaining passports, which amounts to the violation of the denial of citizens’ entry to the
country or departure without legal justification, prohibition of travel through crossings without a
court order or for political reasons, and denial and restrictions on freedom of movement.
The Commission recommends that the Ministry of Interior in Ramallah suspend conducting
security vetting as a condition for the residents of the Gaza Strip to obtain a passport, stop all
denials of issuing passports under security pretexts without a judicial decision, in order to ensure
that the needs of citizens in the Gaza Strip are met and that they can obtain passports in a reasonable
time.
The fifth subject: The Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression
The ICHR received (74) complaints, (32) in the West Bank and (42) in the Gaza Strip, compared
to (57) complaints received in 2018, (37) complaints were received in the West Bank and (20)
others in the Gaza Strip, with an increase of (22) complaints over the previous year. It’s worth
noting that the increase in the Gaza Strip was by 20 complaints, while in the West Bank the number
declined by (5) complaints.
The patterns of violations to the right to freedom of opinion and expression varied, according to
the complaints received by the ICHR, into three patterns related to the violation of the freedom of
using social media websites, harassment on grounds of freedom of opinion and expression and
freedom of the press and the media.
Through follow-up, the Commission found that the relevant official entities have not developed
any policies, nor have they taken any new measures or steps to protect the right to freedom of
opinion and expression.
For the Protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Commission affirms its
recommendations in its previous report and recommends that the Council of Ministers instructs
the police and security agencies to stop detaining and summoning citizens or journalists grounds
of exercising the right to freedom of opinion and expression through social media and the practice
of press and media work. The Commission also stresses the need for President Mahmoud Abbas
to intervene by issuing instructions to the security services in the West Bank to stop detaining and
summoning citizens or journalists on grounds of exercising the right to freedom of opinion and
expression through social media. The commission also affirms the need for the Ministry of Interior
in the Gaza Strip to instruct the police and its security agencies, particularly the Internal Security
Service, to stop detaining and summoning citizens or journalists on grounds of exercising the right
to freedom of opinion and expression through social media, speaking through the media, issuing
statements, practicing journalistic and media work, and the need for the Ministry of Interior and
Ministry of Information in the Gaza Strip to remove restrictions on the Palestine television and
allow its crews to operate freely in the Gaza Strip.
The sixth subject: The Right to Peaceful Assembly