On Monday, 21 October 2019, The Director General of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Mr. Issam Younis, attended the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) 40^th congress. The conference which is held in Taipei, Taiwan, between 21^st and 25^th October is bringing together participants from over a hundred member-organizations.

President of Taiwan, Ms. Tsai Ing-wen, delivered the opening statement before delegations attending the 40^th congress ‘our rights, our fight, our future’ to discuss challenges facing human rights around the world including in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). The congress is expected to adopt several resolutions and elect a new International Board. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Mrs. Fatou Bensouda, spoke at the congress about ICC’s preliminary examinations, including into the situation in Palestine, and stressed: “My Office remains firmly committed to the important mandate bestowed upon us by the Rome Statute.”

In a meeting with Mrs. Bensouda, Mr. Younis stressed the urgency of considering information at her disposal with regards to crime committed in the oPt and called for initiating investigation proceedings in accordance with the Rome Statute. He also met a number of the participating delegations and international experts in human rights.

Al Mezan is a member of FIDH which is an international federation of non-governmental human rights organizations bringing together 184 organizations from 112 countries Since 1922, FIDH has been defending all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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