Open Letter to UN Secretary General Re Slandering statements against Palestinian human rights NGOs Al-Haq and Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights

Antonio Guterres

CC.UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid

CC.Andrew Gilmour, Representative of the UN Secretary General on Reprisals

CC.Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders

July 4, 2017

RE: Israel-Palestine:Slandering statements against Palestinian human rights NGOs Al-Haq and Al-MezanCentre for Human Rights

Your Excellency,

We wish to request yourintervention in response to the public attacks[1]against Palestinian human rights NGOs formulated by the PermanentRepresentative of Israel to the UN, Ambassador Danny Danon, on the occasion ofa media stake-out in front of the Security Council on June 29, 2017.

In his speech, AmbassadorDanon said that “Al Mezan is anorganisation which cooperates with Hamas, an internationally recognised terrorgroup”, and linked “Al Haq (…), ledby Shawan Jabareen” to the so-called “PFLPterrorist organisation”. Ambassador Danon went on falsely characterisingboth human rights groups as “supportersof terrorism”, and “inciters ofviolence.”

The attack against legitimatehuman rights organisations and activists, who are working tirelessly to monitorand act against violations of human rights by all duty-bearers, comes as humanrights defenders advocating and working on Palestinian human rights from aroundthe world are facing intensifying threats and are increasingly targeted fortheir work.

Over the past years,Palestinian organisations Al-Haq andAl-Mezan Center for Human Rightshave had staff members receive death threats, and have also been the targets ofa wider campaign that attempts to discredit and destabilise the organisations.[2]These campaigns have included the hacking of emails, intimidating phone callsto staff, and efforts to alarm donors; all of which seek to distractorganisations from their primary human rights work. While the Office of theProsecutor of the International Criminal Court[3],the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the OPT[4],and other stakeholders have recognised these threats, acts of intimidation havepersisted.

We are shocked that the smearcampaigns target human rights defenders and organisations that areinternationally renowned for their promotion of human rights and internationallaw. We are equally shocked that such baseless attacks are made at a UNplatform, and directed at human rights defenders invited by the UN, based ontheir years-long consultative status with ECOSOC, to provide information andanalysis regarding the human rights situation in Palestine.

As the UN commemorates the50th anniversary of the occupation, we believe the UN system as a whole shouldbe particularly alerted by the statement of the Israeli Ambassador, especiallyas it comes in the context of Israel campaigning for being a member of theSecurity Council. These attacks aim to silence and undermine any resistance toIsrael’s unlawful policies, and fuel an atmosphere of hostility against humanrights defenders working on Palestine. More broadly, Israel also regularlyprohibits access to the OPT for missions by UN experts and investigativebodies, in violation of its duties under the UN Charter[5].Accordingly, such statements should not be viewed in isolation, but examinedwithin the broader context of impunity in Israel itself, as well as the failureof States to hold Israel accountable for its commission of internationallyrecognised crimes.

Citizens and organisationshave internationally and domestically recognised rights to engage inalternative means for accountability and advocate for justice for Palestinians.Our organisations underscore the universality of human rights, including theright to “participate in peacefulactivities against violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”, ashighlighted in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders[6].

Thereforewe call on you to:

- Protect all human rights defenders working onissues related to Palestine and ensure that they areable to carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance and fear ofreprisals;

- Publicly voice support for- and respond to the above-mentioned attack against - human rightsorganisations Al-Haq and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, human rightsdefender Mr. Shawan Jabareen, who is also Secretary General of FIDH, andto all human rights defenders in Palestine; and

- Address all instances ofreprisals by Israeli officials against human rights defenders working on issuesrelated to Palestine.

Inthe hope that you will take all these elements into account, we remain at yourdisposal for any further information.

Yourssincerely,

DimitrisChristopoulos Gerald Staberock

Presidentof FIDH SecretaryGeneral of OMCT

The Observatory for theProtection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 byFIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of thisprogram is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rightsdefenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the EuropeanUnion Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civilsociety.

[1] http://webtv.un.org/watch/danny-danon-israel-on-terrorism-and-other-matters-security-council-media-stakeout-29-june-2017/5487255078001

[2] Al Mezan Condemns Continued DeathThreats to Staff Members and Calls on the International Community to Intervene,Al Mezan, 11 August 2016, available athttp://www.mezan.org/en/post/21475/Al+Mezan+Condemns+Continued+Death+Threats+to+Staff+Members+and+Calls+on+the+International+Community+to+Intervene;Update: Attacks Against Al-Haq Continue, 4 June 2016, available athttp://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/topics/human-rights-defenders/1050-update-attacks-against-al-haq-continue

[3] Report on Preliminary Examination Activities 2016,Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court, para. 144, 14 November2016, available at https://www.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/otp/161114-otp-rep-PE_ENG.pdf

[4] Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in thePalestinian territories occupied since 196713 April 2017, available athttps://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/0/265EDDCECC8AA035852580E900664CB7

[5] UN-established bodies, includingthe 2012 UN Fact-finding Mission on Israeli settlements and the UN IndependentCommission on Inquiry on Gaza in 2014, have been similarly prevented fromentering the OPT by Israel. Mandate holders for the UN Special Rapporteur onthe OPT have not gained access to the OPT since 2008. The former SpecialRapporteur, Makarim Wibisono, resigned as a result. See Special Rapporteur on OccupiedPalestinian Territory resigns due to continued lack of access to OPT, UN Officeof the High Commission for Human Rights, 4 January 2016, available athttp://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16922

[6] Declaration on the Right andResponsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote andProtect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article12(1), available athttp://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Defenders/Declaration/declaration.pdf.