In the past week, police in Gaza have obstructed the proceedings of a video conference on active media and dispersed a meeting for the Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Lawyers (MUSAWA).
  Both activities were held in closed halls.
According to the information available to Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, at approximately 16:00 on Sunday, 4 December 2011, Gaza’s police suspended a conference taking place at the Lighthouse Restaurant in Gaza City.
The conference, entitled “The First Palestinian Conference for Social Media”, was organized by Ameen Media Network.
  In his affidavit to Al Mezan, Mr Mohammed Rafeq Abu Sharekh, 36, director of Ameen Media Network in Gaza Strip stated: “on 27 November 2011, I sent a letter to the Ministry of Information informing them of our intent to organize a conference for three days beginning Sunday, 4 December 2011 on social media issues in Palestine.
On 1 December 2011, I obtained consent from the Ministry to organize the conference.
  On Sunday 4 December 2011, we started the conference.
A number of staff at the Ministry of Information also attended the conference.
 “However at around 13:00 the same day, a police force came to the conference hall.
One of the police offers asked me about the nature of the conference.
I replied and he left.
An hour and a half later, at around 14:30, the same police officer came once again and asked me to show him the proof that I had permission to organize the conference.
I told him that we have permission from the Ministry of Interior.
He said that there must be permission from a security department particularly the General Investigation Unit.
He also asked me to end the conference and disperse the participants.
 “Some of participants who work at the Ministry of Information intervened and tried to convince the police officer that the Ministry of Information gave permission to organize the conference.
However, the police officer insisted on dispersing the conference.
We could hear the police officer receiving instructions via walkie-talkie to disperse the conference or another force would arrive.
 “Later that day, at approximately 16:00, I was forced to end the conference.
I stayed at the restaurant trying to make some phone calls as the conference is for three days.
The director of societies’ security at the police investigation unit came to the restaurant and told us that we can proceed with the conference but that we needed to obtain approval from the police.
   “At approximately 08:30 on Monday, 5 December 2011, I went to the Ministry of Information with a letter for the director of security apparatus in Gaza.
We obtained his approval and we continued the conference.
” In a separate incident, at approximately 10:00 on Tuesday 29 November 2011, Gaza’s police dispersed a video conference for the Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Lawyers (MUSAWA) within the programme of the fourth Palestinian Justice Conference.
The conference was on the rights of Palestinian working women and the available legal protection mechanisms.
The conference was planned to take place at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society hall in Tal Al Hawa neighbourhood in the west of Gaza.
According to the information available to Al Mezan, the administration of the Red Crescent Society received a phone call from a security department informing them to disperse the conference.
Two persons dressed in civilian clothes and holding weapons then appeared at the conference hall and introduced themselves as from the Police General Investigation Unit.
They asked Mr Mu’men Al Hattab, the coordinator of the conference, to show them the written permission to organize the conference.
Mr Hattab told them that he had oral approval from the General Investigation Unit.
The police officers then ordered the director of the hall to disperse the conference in ten minutes.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights expresses its concern regarding the ongoing assaults on meetings in closed halls.
It also asserts that the Public Meetings Law No.
12 of 1998 guarantees the right to public assembly and provides special protection and procedures that uphold the right of citizens to organize public meetings without prior permission.
  These special procedures are limited to the submission of a written notice to a governor or the chief of police at least 48 hours before convening a public meeting; if the meeting organizers do not receive a written response they have the right to hold their meeting at the determined time.
Al Mezan calls on the Gaza government to open investigations into the two incidents and to take effective measures to facilitate the organizing of public meetings, ensure respect for the rule of law and bring those who violate the law to justice, especially law enforcement officers.
  Ends