Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network – EMHRN – October 2008

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Gaza Court Upholds 4 Death Sentences: PCHR Calls upon Palestinian President to Act, and for Abolition of Death Penalty in Palestinian Law	Date: 29-10-2008
Author: Palestinian Center for Human Rights
On Wednesday, 29 October 2008, the Gaza Court of Cassation, headed by Judge ‘Abdul Ra’ouf al-Halabi, Head of the Higher Justice Council, issued its support for the death sentences by hanging issued by the Court of Appeal on 14 June 2005 against 4 Palestinians. Read more

IOF Prevent 100 International Academics and Human Rights Activists from Entering Gaza	Date: 29-10-2008
Author: Palestinian Center for Human Rights
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the decision taken by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to prevent some 100 international academics and human rights activists from entering Gaza via Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing to participate in an international conference organized by Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP) in cooperation with World Health Organization (WHO). Read more

	Date: 29-10-2008

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Call for providing protection to Nasser Amin, Director of the Arab Center for the Independence of judiciary and legal profession	Date: 29-10-2008
Author: CIHRS
On 25/10/2008 ,the center received a threat via E-mails by the group mentioned above which calls the director of the center for stop supporting the role of the International Criminal Court towards Darfur crisis Read more

Turkey: One dead and scores injured as police breakup demonstrations	Date: 29-10-2008
Author: Amnesty
The recent death of a protester in Turkey, and the allegations of excessive use of force by police and other ill-treatment of demonstrators must be investigated, Amnesty International said today as protests continue in the southern city of Adana and the eastern city of Doðubeyazýt. Read more

Journalist Naziha Rjiba facing trial and the weekly "Muwatinoun" seized	Date: 29-10-2008

Today, 23 October, the journalist and writer Om Zied (Naziha Rjiba), received a summons to appear before the Public Prosecutor on 27 October. This summons is tied to an article entitled "They attacked Kalima", published in the 22 October issue of the newspaper "Muwatinoun". Read more

UK: Terror Suspect Should Not Be Deported to Jordan	Date: 29-10-2008
Author: HRW
The British government should drop its efforts to deport a Jordanian terrorism suspect who risks torture and an unfair trial if returned to Jordan, Human Rights Watch said today. The Jordanian government’s promises of humane treatment and a fair trial on return cannot be trusted, Human Rights Watch said. Read more

Those, who are “Responsible” for wrong issues, should not Punish Children to clean themselves!	Date: 29-10-2008
Author: IHD
Human Rights Association (IHD) Headquarters and Branches have sent a letter to the Ministries of Justice and Interior Affairs, Human Rights Committee in the Turkish Grand National Assembly or TBMM and President. Read more

	Date: 29-10-2008

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Israeli civilian stabbed to death by a Palestinian in East Jerusalem	Date: 29-10-2008
Author: B'Tselem
B'Tselem severely condemns the Palestinian terror attack today in Gilo neighborhood in East Jerusalem, in which an elderly Israeli civilian was stabbed to death. Read more

	Date: 29-10-2008

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Al Mezan Center: Israel Responsible for Potential Environmental Disaster in North Gaza	Date: 29-10-2008
Author: Al Mezan
Heavy showers continue to fall on different areas of the Gaza Strip since the evening of Monday, 27 October 2008. Rainwater formed large pools in different areas across the Strip, especially al-Saftwi area, al-Alami area, the northern parts of Jabalia refugee camp, Jurat al-Aqad area, and other refugee camps. It flooded many houses, raising concerns that dozens of households would be forced to search for shelters. Read more

Schoolgirl Injured inside Classroom	Date: 29-10-2008
Author: Al Mezan
Amidst the tightened siege imposed by the IOF on the Gaza Strip, the IOF continues to open fire on areas adjacent to the eastern border. Today morning it targeted a school at Khiza'a town in the southeast of the Gaza Strip, injuring a girl inside her classroom. Read more

Egypt: Eritrean migrant killed at the Israeli border	Date: 22-10-2008
Author: FIDH
FIDH strongly condemns the killing of an Eritrean man by Egyptian border police on Tuesday October 14th, who openly fired at two migrants attempting to cross over to Israel, killing one and wounding the other. According to news agencies, this death brings the total of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers killed by Egyptian border police at the border with Israel this year alone, to the alarming number of 23. Read more

	Date: 22-10-2008

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	Date: 22-10-2008

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Appeal to be heard in the case of UK arms-related licenses agreements to Israel	Date: 22-10-2008
Author: Al Haq
On 19 November 2007, the UK High Court of Justice denied the claim of Saleh Hasan, filed by UK Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) in cooperation with Al-Haq, requesting the UK government to clarify its position on its arms-related licensing agreements with Israel. In particular the claim sought to require the UK government to reveal how it satisfies its own criteria that material sold under these agreements is not used in the commission of human rights abuses. Read more

	Date: 22-10-2008

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The Separation Wall, the October 2000 Killings and the Housing Crisis in the Mixed Cities Head Adalah's Third Annual Law Students’ Conference	Date: 22-10-2008
Author: Adalah
Sunday, 12 October 2008 marked the final day of Adalah’s third annual law students’ conference. Eighty (80) Arab law students from various universities and colleges in Israel and Al Quds University in Abu Dis participated in the very successful and meaningful conference, which took place at Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salaam, located close to Jerusalem. Read more

Spain: Give Migrant Children Legal Aid	Date: 22-10-2008
Author: Human Rights Watch
Spain’s accelerating effort to send back unaccompanied children who enter the country illegally might subject them to danger, ill-treatment and detention, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government needs to halt repatriations until it has a process to ensure their well-being, and, as an immediate step, give them the same right to an independent lawyer that adult migrants have under Spanish law. Read more

Al Mezan Center Calls for Ensuring Respect for the Work of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders	Date: 22-10-2008
Author: Al Mezan
On Thursday morning, 16 October 2008, a police force arrested a photojournalist and a sound technician of Ramatan News Agency and a human rights activist. Their arrest was arbitrary and unjustified. Three journalists have been arrested for one week now for reasons related only to their press career. Read more

EU: Stand Firm Against Diplomatic Assurances	Date: 22-10-2008
Author: Human Rights Watch
The European Union should resist British government efforts to gain acceptance for the use of diplomatic assurances against torture in national security deportations and extraditions, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Read more

PCHR Condemns Eruption of Violence at Gaza City’s al-Azhar University	Date: 22-10-2008
Author: Palestinian Center for Human Rights
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the eruption of violence at al-Azhar University in Gaza City at the end of last week. The violence involved students’ damaging parts of the university and destroying university property. Read more

	Date: 22-10-2008

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Bosnia and Herzegovina: Halt Effort to Deport Syrian at Risk of Torture	Date: 22-10-2008
Author: Amnesty
Amnesty International, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Human Rights Watch called upon authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina today not to deport Imad Al Husein (also known as Abu Hamza al-Suri, his nom de guerre) to Syria. Read more

Turkey: Conspiracy Trial Should Probe Military’s Role	Date: 22-10-2008
Author: Human Rights Watch
The prosecution of an alleged ultranationalist conspiracy aimed at the overthrow of Turkey’s democratic government should investigate whether current members of the military, intelligence services and state bureaucracy were involved, Human Rights Watch said today. The trial of 86 people accused of being members of the so-called Ergenekon gang, some of them senior retired military officers, begins on October 20, 2008. Read more

Libya Frees Political Prisoner	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: HRW
Libya freed Dr. Idris Boufayed from detention on October 8, almost 20 months after security agents arrested him for planning a peaceful demonstration, Human Rights Watch said today. Boufayed, who suffers from advanced lung cancer, was released from detention in a hospital and promised that he would be allowed to travel abroad for medical care. Read more

Amnesty International salutes Nobel Peace Laureate, 2008	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: Amnesty
Amnesty International today paid tribute to Martti Ahtisaari, the winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, recognized for his important work around the world in conflict resolution in places where grave human rights abuses were taking place. Read more

Turkey: Death following police detention	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: Amnesty
Amnesty International calls for a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the death of 29 year old Engin Ceber who died today after alleged torture by police, prison officers and gendarmerie. Read more

UK House of Lords to vote on 42-day detention	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: Amnesty
The House of Lords in the UK is expected to vote on Monday on proposals that would allow the period of pre-charge detention in terrorism cases to be extended. Read more

	Date: 15-10-2008

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Professor Marwan Dwairy, Chair of Adalah’s Board of Directors, Named Among Ten Top Researchers in the World who has Contributed to and Influenced Academic Research in the Field of Multicultural Psychology	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: Adalah
Academic research conducted by a team of researchers into individuals and academic institutes that carry out research in the subject of multicultural psychology has determined that Professor Marwan Dwairy, the Chair of Adalah’s Board of Directors, is one of the ten top researchers in the world to have contributed to and influenced this important field. (See Lau, M. Y., Cisco, H. C., & Delgado-Romero, E. A. (2008). Institutional and individual research productivity in five nominated multicultural psychology journals. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 36, 194-205). Read more

Adalah Demands that the Mayor of Ramle Yoel Lavi be Disqualified from Running for Re-election Next Month due to his Racist Statements against Arab Citizens	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: Adalah
On 12 October 2008, Adalah together with local NGOs sent a letter to the Attorney General (AG) and the Chairperson of the Elections Committee in Ramle demanding that Mr. Yoel Lavi, the mayor of the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Ramle for the last fifteen years, be disallowed from standing as a candidate for the elections, and that his political party list be disqualified. Read more

Al Mezan Condemns Denying Patient Access to Hospitals	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: Al Mezan
The IOF continues to tighten the siege on the Gaza Strip and deny patients access to hospitals, which impacts all humanitarian aspects. Today a pregnant woman with pregnancy toxemia was denied access to a hospital by the IOF. Read more

Al Mezan Condemns Banning PHR-Israel Delegation Visit to Gaza	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: Al Mezan
The IOF banned a delegation of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-Israel) from visiting the Gaza Strip today, Wednesday 8 October 2008. Read more

Egypt: ARTICLE 19 Welcomes Presidential Pardon of Ibrahim Eissa and Calls on Egyptian Government to End the Imprisonment of Journalists on Publication Crimes	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: Article 19
Ibrahim Eissa, editor in chief of opposition newspaper Al-Dustour, received a presidential pardon on the 6th of October, 2008 on charges of publishing “false information…likely to damage public interest and security.” Eissa was sentenced to two months in prison on September 28th 2008 after publishing articles in August 2007 which speculated on the health of President Hosni Mubarak. Read more

Three human rights organization expose violations against freedom of expression under alleged of protection of religion from defamation	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: CIHRS
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), in collaboration with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and the Article 19 Organization, participated in the 9th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), which took place from 8-26 September 2008 and offered oral interventions about the violations to the freedoms of expression, religion, and belief committed by governments in the name of resisting the "defamation of religions". Read more

Turkey expels refugees for second time	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: Amnesty
Turkish law enforcement officials have expelled the same group of Uzbekistani refugees into Iranian territory for the second time in one month. At least twenty-four Uzbekistani nationals are believed to have been rounded up by Turkish police in Van in eastern Turkey on Saturday and taken to an unknown location. Read more

	Date: 15-10-2008

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Declaration at the occasion of the anniversary of the World Day against the Death Penalty	Date: 15-10-2008
Author: ACHRS
Professors of law and jurists have rejected the use by the Arab regimes of the death penalty for the purpose of political liquidation and for getting rid of the opposition. They said that the Arab governments should heed the call by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 2007 to suspend the penalty because it is in contrast with the international conventions and the right to life. Read more

High Court orders JAG to reconsider punishment of battalion commander and soldier in Ni'lin incident	Date: 08-10-2008
Author: B'Tselem
On 28 Sept. '08, the Israeli High Court of Justice heard the petition filed by Ashraf Abu Rahma – who was by a soldier in Ni’lin while he was bound and blindfolded – and four human rights organizations (B'Tselem, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israels, and Yesh Din). Read more

	Date: 08-10-2008

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Trial of Amine Sidhoum in Algeria	Date: 08-10-2008
Author: CFDA
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Council of Europe Passes Resolution on Indicators for Media in a Democracy	Date: 08-10-2008
Author: Article 19
ARTICLE 19 welcomes Resolution 1636 adopted by the Parliament of the Council of Europe on 3 October 2008, on "Indicators for media in a democracy" and call on all member states to implement it as a matter of urgency. Read more

European Parliamentarians Call on Council of Europe to Redraft Substandard Convention on Access to Official Documents	Date: 08-10-2008
Author: Article 19
Strasbourg: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Friday adopted unanimously a resolution expressing concern that the world’s first treaty intended to guarantee public access to information had significant flaws. In a rare step, PACE called for the Convention on Access to Official Documents to be redrafted. Read more

New report on Human Rights-Based Approaches and EU Development Aid Policies	Date: 08-10-2008
Author: Amnesty
New report on Human Rights-Based Approaches and EU Development Aid Policies Read more

Jordan: Torture in Prisons Routine and Widespread	Date: 08-10-2008
Author: hrw
Jordan should end routine and widespread torture in its prisons, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Human Rights Watch called on the government to overhaul mechanisms for investigating, disciplining and prosecuting abusers, and in particular to transfer prosecutor’s investigations into prison abuse from police to civilian prosecutors. Read more

PCHR Calls for Disclosure of Circumstances of Palestinian Death in Custody in Jericho	Date: 08-10-2008
Author: PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) calls on the calls Attorney-General of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to disclose the circumstances of the death of Shadi Mohammed Mohammed Shaheen, from al-Bireh town on the West Bank, who died on 29 September, 2008, whilst in police custody in Jericho. PCHR also demands a full investigation into the death, with the results publicly published. Read more

Al-Haq open letter to the Royal Dutch Embassy, Israel, The Dutch Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority and Heineken Nederlands to praise the decision of Barkan Wineries to divest from illegal Israeli settlements in Barkan.	Date: 08-10-2008
Author: Al Haq
As a Palestinian human rights organisation committed to the promotion and protection of human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Al-Haq welcomes the decision by Barkan Wineries, an Israeli subsidiary of Tempo Beer Industry Ltd. Drinks, to remove its activities from the industrial zone of the illegal settlement of Barkan, in the northern West Bank, and transfer them into Israel. Read more

Three Killed and Ten Injured in Internal Clashes: Al Mezan Calls for Investigation into the Killings; Especially of Uninvolved People	Date: 08-10-2008
Author: Al Mezan
The southern Gaza Khan Younis City witnessed two separate incidents resulting in the killing of one person and injuring eight people. Another young man was killed in Rafah after being shot with two bullets. A father and his son were also shot in a clan feud in Rafah while another person was killed in a tunnel fire in Rafah. Read more

The Intifada Enters Year Nine: International Community Must Deal Seriously with Israeli War Crimes	Date: 01-10-2008
Author: Al Mezan
On Sunday, 28 September 2008, the second Intifada (uprising) enters its ninth year in the midst of the IOF’s gross violations of the rules of IHL and the international community’s failure to intervene. Read more