Al Mezan Concludes Training Course Entitled “The Role of Human Rights Activists in Detecting and Combating Torture”

On Sunday 12 February 2012, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights concluded a training course entitled “The Role of Human Rights Activists in Detecting and Combating Torture,” held at the Al Quds International Hotel in Gaza City.
 About 35 human rights activists participated in the course.
 The training was organized as part of a project aimed at combating torture in the occupied Palestinian territory implemented jointly by Al Mezan, Adalah, and Physicians for Human Rights - Israel, and supported by the European Commission.
  In his concluding remarks to the trainees, Al Mezan’s Director, Mr.
Issam Younis, thanked the trainees for their participation and expressed his hope that they would put the knowledge they had acquired into practice and contribute to the protection of victims of human rights violations.
 He also discussed the role of human rights organizations in Gaza in combating torture.
  The course aimed to enhance human rights activists’ skills and knowledge of the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and international resolutions related to combating torture, and the options for redress available to victims of torture under Palestinian, Israeli, and international law.
  The course also introduced participants to practices for effective writing of reports and monitoring and documentation of torture; methods for detecting the physical and psychological signs of torture; and ways to use these tools in the legal pursuit of perpetrators.
  End