Status of Human Rights in Palestine
interventions in the West Bank. ICHR also recommends the National
Consensus Government to revisit the applicable legislation related to the
freedom of opinion and expression, such as the Penal Code and the Press
and Publications Law, and to amend the same in consistency with the
obligations of the State of Palestine under the international conventions.
2.1.6
26
The Right to Peaceful Assembly
ICHR received 53 complaints regarding violating the right to peaceful
assembly; including 16 in the West Bank and 37 in Gaza Strip. The
Complaints included 58 violations; including 18 violations in the West
Bank and 40 violations in Gaza Strip; ranging between assaulting of the
participants, disperse of peace assemblies, and ban of peaceful events.
Violation of the right to peaceful assemblies of political nature represented
the most common violation in the West Bank, while violation of the right to
peaceful assemblies held to voice economic or social demands represented
the most common violation in Gaza Strip.
The related official agencies failed to set any policy or adopt any new
measures or procedures to protect the right to peaceful assembly, noting that
the competent authorities still enforce restrictions on the public meetings
held in confined places in Gaza Strip, in violation of the provisions of the
law.
In relation to the administrative and criminal accountability measures
adopted by the competent authorities to hold the violators of the right
to peaceful assembly accountable, the security agencies did not respond
adequately to ICHR’s correspondence related to the accountability
measures adopted by these authorities.
In line with its vision to safeguard the right to peaceful assembly, ICHR
recommends that the lawmaking authorities adapt the national legislation
regulating the right to peaceful assembly with the international instruments
signed and upheld by the State of Palestine. It also recommends that the
MOI and security agencies immediately issue a code of conduct for the law
enforcement personnel which should be consistent with the international
human rights protection and promotion conventions signed and upheld by
23rd Annual Report 1 January - 31 December 2017