The security apparatus, aided by the Al Qassam Brigades, in Gaza has launched a campaign of arrests and raids on institutions since Friday, 25 July 2008.
This campaign started after the crime that claimed the lives of six people; including a girl, at the coast of Gaza City.
According to information available to Al Mezan Center, the security in Gaza raided the offices of at least 122 institutions, NGOs and political parties; including the office of the PLC member Dr.
Zyad Abu Amro; the office of Fateh PLC Bloc; the office of the PLC member Ibrahim Abu An-Naja; and the houses of Fateh chief in Gaza Dr.
Zakariya Al-Agha and Dr.
Dhohni Al-Whidi; as well as the offices that belong to the PLO and Fateh Movement; the Palestine Press Agency (Wafa), in addition to sports and social clubs.
The security also informed the Abu Dhabi Channel to close down their office in Gaza; however, this decision was not enforced as the office staff was informed that the decision was a mistake.
It has been observed that these institutions and offices were targeted by raids and searches, confiscation of contents, and in some cases taking over and closing off the offices.
Many non-governmental organizations had their computer sets and furniture confiscated; some of which are involved in projects funded by UNRWA, which had provided the equipment for them only two months ago.
The persons who were assigned to carry out the raids and searches committed serious violations of the law; which determines specific licenses and protections as far as raiding and confiscation are involved.
In the Nawar Educational Center in Khan Younis, they pulled out seats that were fixed in the theatre floor, damaged water taps and broke into storage rooms violently.
They also destroyed signboards after they could not take them off.
In addition, towels and food for children activities were confiscated.
Similar conducts also occurred when the office of Dr.
Zyad Abu Amro and the office of the Palestinian Center for Foreign Relations where raided, as kitchen equipment was confiscated and destroyed.
No search or confiscation or any other kind of warrants have been presented.
The targeted institutions varied in their field of work to include NGOs, Fatah movement offices, PLC members and blocs' offices, sports and social clubs.
Two houses were also raided and searched.
Raids occurred in all of the Gaza Strip's governorates as follows: 21 in North of Gaza Governorate; 27 in Gaza Governorate, (in addition to two houses); 35 in Middle Gaza Governorate; 31 in Khan Younis Governorate; and 8 in Rafah Governorate.
A number of these institutions run kindergartens and medical centers.
Raids are expected to continue as the campaign continues by the time of drafting this press release.
The institutions and numbers mentioned here are only those which Al Mezan has been able to document.
In one case, the Rafah Youth Activities Center was allowed to re-open its doors without any damages sustained to it.
Moreover, parallel to this campaign the security apparatus in Gaza launched mass arrests that targeted mainly Fateh members and activists.
The number of arrested persons whom Al Mezan has been able to document has reached 153; including the journalist Sawah Abu Seif, the cameraman of the German TV, who was arrested on Saturday morning and had his computer and portable phone confiscated.
More than 30% of the arrested persons were released shortly after their arrest.
Al Mezan believes that the number of arrested people is much higher.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights views with much concern this unprecedented assault on institutions, NGOs, political parties' offices, and offices of PLC members in Gaza.
The Center stresses that targeting these bodies constitutes a serious violation of constitutional rights as stipulated in article (26) of the Modified Palestinian Basic Law, which emphasizes the rights of Palestinians to participate in public life, and particularly by formation of syndicates, associations, federations, clubs and popular institutions.
It also constitutes a violation article (1) of the NGOs law, of the year 2000, which states that Palestinians has the right to practice freely the social, cultural, professional, and scientific activities.
This license includes the right to the form with others popular institutions and charities within the boundaries of the law.
AL Mezan Center also strongly condemns the wave of arbitrary arrests and the abusive way in which arrests have been conducted, which included destroying and seizing the contents of tens of offices and homes.
The contents of these offices are considered public property, since they are used to provide services to the community and, therefore, their ownership belongs to the community; not individuals.
As such, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights calls on the dismissed government in Gaza to: Halt the raids and seizure of institutions, offices and NGOs immediately, and to evacuate all armed members immediately from their offices in order to enable their staffs to work freely in accordance to the law.
The Government must stop its tendency to deal with civil society institutions from political lenses.
Return all documents and equipment that have been confiscated from institutions and to hand them over to their legitimate owners in accordance with an official record verifying the confiscated belongings.
Stop all arbitrary arrests that violate the Criminal Procedure Law, and release all the persons who have been arrested illegally.
Work towards ensuring adequate control over the conduct of the law enforcement officers and bodies belonging to it in accordance with the law, and to prevent the intervention of the illegal armed formations.
End