Time: 4pm

On Saturday, 16 March 2019, the forces in Gaza arrested a number of human rights defenders (HRD) as they were working in the field in Al-Shujayya neighborhood in east Gaza City. The neighborhood was the scene of tension between protesters and police and security forces.

The four HRD who were detained were:

• -- Samir Al-Mana’ama, lawyer at Al Mezan Center for Human Rights,
• -- Khaled Abu Isbetan, field worker at Al Mezan,
• -- Sabreen Al-Tartour, field worker at the Palestinian Center for Human Rights; and
• -- Fadi Abu Ghunaima, field worker at Al Dameer Association for Human Rights in Gaza.

They were not assaulted during the detention and all were released two hours after their arrest.

Al Mezan strongly condemns the detention of these HRD and the hindrance of their documentation of human rights abuses during the protests. Al Mezan stresses that human rights organizations and HRD must be afforded the protection against any obstruction of their peaceful work and mandate.

Al Mezan reiterates its strongest condemnation of the use of force in dispersing peaceful protesters and policing free opinions in Gaza. The de facto authorities must properly investigate the committed violations of protesters and journalists’ rights, to hold to account those responsible for breaching provisions of Palestinian and international law, and to ensure the freedoms of peaceful assembly, of opinion, of press, and from arbitrary detention are all protected and promoted.