Ninety Women Prevented from Travelling to West Bank, Al Mezan Condemns Violations of Right to Freedom of Movement and Political Participation

On Wednesday 20 May 2009, the internal security apparatus of the Gaza Government's Ministry of Interior prevented 90 women who were representing Gaza districts at the Fifth General Conference of the General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW) from travelling to the West Bank to participate in the conference.
    The 90 women were stopped by the internal security apparatus when they arrived at al-Jamarek crossing on their way to Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing at around 12.
30pm on Wednesday 20 May 2009, according to Al Mezan field investigations.
The women were on their way to Ramallah in the West Bank to participate in the GUPW Fifth General Conference.
Security apparatus personnel stationed near the crossing confiscated their identification documents and files containing the working papers they were due to present at the conference, and then issued summons for them to go to the internal security premises on the morning of Sunday 24 May 2009.
The women remained at the al-Jamarek crossing protesting the decision to prevent their travel until 4.
00pm on the same day; they left after the Ministry of Interior promised to return their files and documents.
  The women then attempted at two hotels to hire a venue in Gaza City in order to link to the conference in Ramallah by video conference, but the management at both hotels requested a Ministry of Interior license for the activity.
It has been alleged that the Ministry of Interior has issued an order to Gazan hotels stipulating they should not hold such meetings without a license.
It should be noted that 95 women should have been attending the conference in Ramallah, but the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) prevented five of them from travelling for 'security reasons.
'   In a separate incident, the internal security apparatus in Gaza detained Ahmed Nasser, a Fatah movement leader, when he crossed Beit Hanoun crossing into Gaza at around 10pm on Monday 18 May 2009.
Earlier, the IOF had detained Mr.
Nasser for two hours when he tried to cross Qalandia checkpoint in the West Bank at around 5pm on the same day.
The IOF held him for two hours before releasing him and allowing him to make his way to Gaza.
Mr.
Nasser had been on a trip to Jordan in relation to his work with the Fatah movement.
Mr.
Nasser is working with the preparatory committee for the Fatah movement Sixth General Conference, is a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council and a member of the High Leadership Committee for the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip.
At the time of this press release, Al Mezan had been unable to ascertain where and why Mr.
Nasser is being held.
     Al Mezan Center for Human Rights is gravely concerned about the decision to prevent members of the GUPW from travelling and considers this action a violation of the law and a breach of Gaza Government's Prime Minister’s public statements in which he promised to work to uphold the rule of law.
  Al Mezan is also gravely concerned about the violations of the right to travel, freedom of movement and political participation, as well as information indicating that private meetings require prior licenses from the Gaza Government's Ministry of Interior.
Such an order would constitute a serious breach of Palestinian law which imposes no such restrictions on the holding of public meetings.
  Al Mezan stresses its previously stated positions which call for the primacy of the rule of law and the upholding of values of freedom and diversity, which are intrinsic in the Palestinian society, and warn against allowing the internal division to result in violations of human rights in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, a situation which seriously weakens Palestinian society.
  Ends