The police and security forces in Gaza banned a peaceful gathering and pursued activists from the Sharek Youth Forum (Sharek) as they protested opposite to an official ceremony organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sport in Gaza.
This conduct represents a violation of Palestinian law and human rights standards.
Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights calls on the Gaza Government to ensure the respect of the law and freedoms; particularly the freedom of expression and opinion in the Gaza Strip.
The Government is under an obligation under the law to investigate these violations and punish those who perpetrated them.
    At approximately 3:45pm on Monday 31 January 2011, a police force pursued a group of young men who were protesting against the closing of Sharek.
The police arrested three protestors.
Al Mezan identified their names as follows: ·         Basem Younis Salim, 25; ·         Ahmed Al Ajrami, 23; and ·         Nabil Abu Saif, 21.
  At approximately 5:30pm on the same day, the police released them, but only after they agreed to sign a declaration committing them not to ‘disrupt security and order’.
 The three are from Jabalia refugee camp in North Gaza district.
  According to information obtained by Al Mezan, a number of young men who work and/or volunteer at Sharek seeking to protest the continued closing Sharek held banners and chanted slogans in front of a ceremony organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sport, which was held on the occasion of the International Youth Day.
As Minister Basem Naim finished his speech, the protestors held up banners that read ‘On the Youths Day, Re-open Sharek Youth Forum’ (unofficial translation by Al Mezan).
  In a separate incident monitored by Al Mezan, at approximately 2pm on Monday 31 January 2011, the Gaza policemen and policewomen who were dressed in civilian clothes arrested six journalists in Gaza City.
Two of the six were intended to organize a peaceful sit-in at the ‘Unknown Soldier Square’ in Gaza City in solidarity with the Egyptian people.
  In their affidavits to Al Mezan, the journalists said that they were forced into civilian cars which carried them to the Al Jawazat police compound in Gaza City.
Police members abused and insulted some of the female journalists.
At approximately 6:30pm on the same day, the police released them after calling their families and forcing them to sign a declaration committing them not to participate in any activity without obtaining prior permission.
  The Gaza Government’s Ministry of Interior did not issue any statement on these two incidents.
Al Mezan's field worker tried to reach the Ministry of Interior spokesperson for comment; however, he was not available.
  Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns the restriction on the right to hold public meetings in Gaza.
It also condemns the assault and abuse of journalists and the detention of some of the Sharek activists for their protest and peaceful gathering.
  Al Mezan asserts that prohibiting holding public meetings and peaceful protests violates Article 26(5) of the Amended Palestinian Basic Law (of 2003), which upholds Palestinians’ rights to participate in political activities as individuals or groups, hold private meetings without police presence, and hold public meetings without breaking the law.
Article 2 of the Palestinian Public Meetings Law states that '[W]ithout prejudice to the provisions of this law, (Palestinian) citizens have the right to convene public meetings, seminars, and peaceful demonstrations and marches freely, and these rights are not subject to any restrictions’ (unofficial translation  by Al Mezan).
  Ends