On Thursday, 15 September 2011, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights concluded a specialized training course on “Medical Professionals’ Role in Detecting and Combating Torture,” held at As-Salam restaurant in Gaza City.
The training was organized as part of a project on combating torture in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) implemented jointly by Al Mezan, Adalah, and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, and supported by the European Commission.
  In his concluding remarks to the trainees, Al Mezan’s Director, Mr.
Issam Younis, thanked the participants for their participation and expressed the hope that they would use the knowledge they had acquired to contribute to improving the human rights climate in the oPt.
  The course introduced participants to international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law, as torture is included under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The course also introduced participants to the Convention Against Torture and means of combating torture under both Israeli and Palestinian law.
In addition, it sought to enhance participants’ skills in monitoring and documenting torture and in writing effective reports, to make them aware of and able to detect the physical signs of torture, and to teach ways to help victims of torture psychologically.
  The course was delivered by a team of trainers from Al Mezan and external experts from Palestinian universities and civil society organizations.
  End   PROJECT FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION JOINT PROJECT OF ADALAH, AL MEZAN (GAZA) AND PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS-ISRAEL The contents of this press release are the sole responsibility of Adalah, Al Mezan and PHR-I and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.