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Al Mezan welcomes Secretary General’s report addressing attacks against Al Mezan and civil society critical of Israeli practices that violate international law

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1 October 2020

45th Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council

 

Item 5 - Interactive dialogue with the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights on the report of the Secretary-General on cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights

 

Joint Oral Statement

 

Delivered by: Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights

Speaker: Mrs. Nuriya Oswald, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights

 

NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) joining this statement:

 

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

Al Haq, Law in the Service of Man

 

Date: 1 October 2020

 

 

Thank you, Mr. Vice-President,

 

Al Mezan welcomes the Secretary General’s report, which addresses the attacks and repressive actions against Al Mezan and other human rights organizations and defenders who are critical of Israel’s practices and policies that violate international law.

 

The Israeli government and its affiliated groups consistently target Al Mezan with baseless allegations and attacks that amount to reprisals. We are targeted for our work—including at the UN—to combat the human rights violations and apparent international crimes that underpin the 53-year Israeli occupation of Palestine.

 

These attacks form part of the protracted smear and intimidation campaign aimed at undermining the work and credibility of Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organizations and defenders; deterring donors and defunding organizations, and at ultimately preventing critical human rights organizations from implementing their international law-based mandates.

 

Within the context of this campaign, Al Mezan’s staff have endured death threats and intimidation, hacked emails, movement restrictions and deportation, defamation and incitement, harassment on UN premises, and other acts of reprisal.

 

We call on the Council and its Member States to proactively counter attempts to shrink the space in which the rights and freedoms of the Palestinian people are pursued and to hold actors accountable for deliberate disinformation campaigns and other acts of reprisal.

 

Thank you.  

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