N e w s l e t t e - Euromedrights

Human Rights Network Decembre 2009 - January 2010 

N e w s l e t t e rEuro-Mediterranean 

In this issue 

Freedom of 

association 2 

Justice 4 

Gender 

mainstreaming 

5 

Migration 6 

Palestine, 

Israel and the 

Palestinians 7 

Solidarity 8 

Advocacy and 

dialogue 8 

Partnerships 9 

EMHRN Press 

releases 10 

EMHRN in the 

press 10 

Members 

publications 10 

Amnesty International 

report: 

Israel’s Gaza blockade 

continues to 

suffocate daily life 

Israel must end its 

suffocating blockade 

of the Gaza Strip, 

which leaves more 

than 1.4 million Palestinians 

cut off from 

the outside world 

and struggling with 

desperate poverty, 

Amnesty International 

said one year on from 

the end of Israel’s 

military offensive in 

Gaza 

Read here 

The EMHRN Paris is opened 

The network organised a reception in the 

Ligue des Droits de l’Homme premises on 

the 28th of January to officially announce 

the opening of the Paris office. The French 

Human Rights Ambassador François Zimeray 

(Picture below) attended the meeting 

as well as other French officials, members 

and friends of the network. 

Freedom of association report: 

Delegation in Brussels 

A delegation composed of Wadih Al Asmar, 

Vice President of the EMHRN, 

Moataz El Figery, Cairo Institute for 

human Rights (CIHRS) Executive Director, 

Nedal Darwish, member of 

the Freedom defense Committee in 

Syria (CDF), Khemaïs Chamari, Resource 

person for the EMHRN Working 

Group on FOA and Thibaut Guillet, EM- 

HRN freedom of Association Coordinator, 

went to Brussels to lobby about 2009 report 

on FOA. This report shows that since 

the publication of the EMHRN’s last report 

on freedom of association, in December 

2008, there has been very little, if any, 

improvement in the countries of the Euro- 

Mediterranean region. On the contrary, 

individuals’ ability to exercise their right to 

associate has continued to deteriorate in 

some respects. 

Read more page 2. 

Migration: Mission in Calais 

A fact finding mission to Calais took place 

from January 25-30 in order to follow up 

on the operation led by the French authorities 

to dismantle migrants and asylum 

seekers camps (Read more page 6). 

The delegation was constituted of six 

members: Anitta Kinseliehto, TAPRI 

(Finland), draftperson, Catarina Spissu, 

AMERA (Egypt), Nadia Khrouz, 

GADEM (Morocco), Joaquim Monteiro, 

Ligue luxembourgeoise des droits de 

l’Homme and Annapaola Specchio, 

Unione forense per la tutela dei diritti 

dell’uomo (Italy). Lilly Boillet (Terre 

d’Errance) guided the mission on the 

ground. Following the visit in Calais and 

surroundings, Anitta Kinseliehto went to 

Paris, for the purpose of meeting local actors, 

migrants, lawyers and authorities. 

On the first of February, she met Daniel 

Dubois, Borders Police Deputy Director 

and Jean De Croone, Immigration 

Deputy Director. 

Read more page 5 

Justice seminar in Rabat 

The EMHRN, the FIDH and the CIJ organised 

a seminar in Morocco on January 

22-23 entitled « Reform of the judicial in 

Morocco ». Some twenty lawyers and wellknown 

figures from the international and 

Arab human rights movements (Algeria, 

Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, United 

Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Denmark 

and Sweden) participated in this seminar 

at which some seventy legal representatives, 

lawyers, academics and Moroccan 

association members made individual contributions. 

The seminar was followed by a Working 

group meeting on January 24. The aim of 

the Working group meeting was to present 

the Work program for 2010-2011 to the 

members. 

Read more page 4

HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY 


FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION 


The objective of the FOA working group is to promote and protect human rights values and international 

standards related to freedom of association in the Euro-Med region. It seeks to develop sustained civil 

society monitoring and expertise on freedom of association conducive to change in legislation and to 

democratic reform. The FOA working group drafts annual reports on freedom of association in the EuroMed 

region based on a consensus of a broad group of civil society representatives reached through a participatory 

and consultative process. 

Third EMHRN Review of the state of Freedom 

of Association in the Euro-Med region 

2009 

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION 

IN THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN REGION 

MONITORING 

report 

In the countries of the eastern and southern Mediterranean, 

national legislations continue to restrict human 

rights activists’ ability to get involved with human 

rights and minority rights associations or groups 

suspected of having links to opposition movements. 

Activists are subject to stringent controls by the authorities, 

including by the judiciary. The situation is 

especially dire in Libya, where national legislation 

prohibits the formation of any group considered to be 

promoting ideas that undermine the Revolution. 

Repressive policies against activists sometimes take 

a violent form. In Tunisia, for example, harassment 

and physical assaults against human rights defenders 

intensified in the months preceding the presidential 

elections of October 2009. In Syria, the arrest on 

July 28, 2009 of Mohanad Al-Hassani, the president 

of the Syrian Organization for Human Rights (Sawasiah), 

who had monitored prison conditions in the 

country, was an additional reminder of the urgent 

need to implement the recommendations made by 

the EMHRN during the past three years. 

While the situation may be less extreme, restrictive 

laws and practices also are prevalent in other countries 

of the region. Recent declarations in Egypt and 

Algeria that national legislations governing associations 

would be amended, as well as accusations by 

key figures that human rights organizations were “a 

threat to national security”, were ominous signs that 

the extensive powers of the countries’ security apparatuses 

might be strengthened even further. Similarly, 

in Israel, the recent debate aiming at restricting the 

right of NGOs to receive foreign funds constituted a 

new source of concern, as it highlighted a determination 

to silence NGOs that denounce human rights violations. 

Meanwhile the amendments to the 2008 Jordanian 

Law on Societies require founding members 

to seek official authorization prior to incorporating an 

organization and impose restrictions on the activities 

organizations are allowed to engage in. In that, the 

amendments are indicative of the region’s enduring 

illiberal legislative approaches, which contravene international 

standards on freedom of association. 

The actual practice of the authorities also often violates 

international standards in relation to freedom 

of association, even where legislation is not as restrictive. 

Thus, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, 

political and security concerns resulting from 

the political division between the West Bank and the 

Gaza Strip drastically limit the right to form or join an 

association, despite the presence of a modern legal 

framework regulating the establishment and functioning 

of associations. 

The situation is much more favorable in Lebanon 

and, to a lesser extent, in Turkey, where (Kurdish) 

minority associations nonetheless face serious obstacles 

when it comes to freedom of association, and in 

Morocco, where a number of associations still continue 

to encounter obstacles in registering due to the 

administrative authorities’ failure to implement the 

law. In these three countries, it is important that the 

authorities institutionalize the positive measures they 

have taken. 

Within the countries of the European Union, the situation 

with respect to freedom of association continues 

to be generally positive due to the judicial monitoring 

of the European Court of Human Rights and 

the recommendations of the Council of Europe Expert 

Council on NGO Law. However, some campaigns to 

disrupt the actions of activists defending the rights 

of foreigners or minorities prove that there is still no 

room for complacency. 

The report also contains a thematic chapter on the 

problems faced by ethnic, cultural, linguistic and 

religious minority associations and a note on the 

increasingly important role played by “fake” NGOs 

(commonly called “government-organized NGOs” or 

“GONGOs”), both at the national and international 

level (for instance, at the UN). 

The third review is now available at: http:// 

en.euromedrights.org/index.php/news/emhrn_releases/emhrn_statements_2009/4075.html


situation in Tunisia. As a positive consequence of the 

A press conference aiming at presenting the Report meeting, the EMHRN delegation was informed that 


took place in Cairo last January 13; as was organised the Spanish embassy will be ready to meet with Tunisian 

another press conference in Brussels last January 28. 

activists. 

The launching was really successful considering the 

number of articles published in the press (See “EM- 

HRN in the press” page 10). The report was also presented 

to Members of the European Parliament, the 

Council and the European Commission. 

As decided by the working group last November, the 

report will also be presented in Geneva in March during 

the Human Rights Council’s ordinary session; 

whilst working group members committed themselves 

to presenting it to national civil society, national 

press and the EC Delegation in their respective 

countries. 

After the last WG meeting in Madrid, Wadih Al 

Asmar (political referent), Omar Mestiri (WG 

Member), Khémaïs Chammari (resource-person), 

and Thibaut Guillet (project coordinator) 

met with different Spanish representatives: Pau 

Solanilla, Secrétariat d’état to the European 

Union, Civil society Department Relation, Jordi 

Pedret, MP, Gema Martin Munoz, director of the 

Casa Arabe, Juan Duarte, director of the Human 

Rights Office in the MFA, Pedro Villena Perez, 

deputy director of Maghreb, Office of the Mediterranean, 

Maghreb and Middle East, and Carmen 

Fernadez Torres, deputy director of Middle 

East. They raised the Spanish representatives’ 

awareness about the FOA situation in the region and 

more precisely, about the recent deterioration of the 

Working Group on Freedom of Association: 

• Organisation Marocaine des Droits Humains, Amina 

Bouayach 

• Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Moataz El 

Fegiery 

• Intercenter, Diana Di Pietro 

• Association Marocaine des Droits Humains, Hassan 

Aharat 

• Collectif des familles des disparu(e)s, Nassera Dutour 

• Organisations Mondiale Contre la Torture, Delphine 

Reculeau 

• Rene Moawad Foundation, Mira Yaacoub 

All the videos from Members and 

Tv Reports about human Rights on 

the new EMHRN Media Center 

http://media.euromedrights.org/ 

Press Releases 

On December 30, a press release in support of Muharrem 

Erbey, General Vice Chairperson of the Human 

Rights Association (Insan Haklari Dernegi - 

IHD), and the Chairperson of its Diyarbakir Province 

Branch, who was arrested for belonging to an “illegal 

organization”, was drafted and distributed widely 

see: 

http://en.euromedrights.org/index.php/news/emhrn_releases/emhrn_statements_2009/4058.html 

Contact 

Coordinator: Thibaut Guillet 

Political Referent: Wadih Al Asmar 

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Two letters requesting some precisions about the 

refusal, in violation of the law, of the Pacha from 

Smara to deliver a receipt acknowledging the creation 

of an association (an AMDH section in Smara) 

has been sent to the Moroccan Minister of Interior. 

No reply has been received so far, and further action 

is being considered. 

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Human Rights Association, Isci Osman 

Ligue des droits de l´Homme, Jacques Montacie 

Sisterhood is Global Institute, Lubna Dawany 

Conseil National pour les Libertés en Tunisie, Omar 

Mestiri 

Ligue Tunisienne pour la Défense de Droits de 

l´Homme, Mustapha Tlili 

Danish Institute for Human Rights, Ashraf Mikhail 

Committee for the Defense of Freedoms and human 

rights in Syria, Fateh Allah Alnajar 

Khemaïs Chammari, Resource person

JUSTICE 



The EMHRN work in the field of justice includes activities related to the issue of the independence and 

impartiality of the judiciary. In the initial phase, workshops were organised in Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon 

and Tunisia in order to initiate an open and free debate on this issue. The worshops were followed 

by the publication of national reports on the independence and impartiality of the judiciary in these four 

countries, which includes detailed recommendations for judicial reform. In the current phase, the Working 

Group on Justice is implementing activities, including follow-up seminars, aimed at presenting and discussing 

the conclusions and recommendations of these four national reports and building up a civil society strategy 

towards the promotion of judicial reforms. In parallel, the Working Group follows a regional approach to 

develop exchanges and synergies between civil society actors on advocacy and reform initiatives across the 

region. 

Justice seminar in Rabat 

The EMHRN, the FIDH and the CIJ organised a seminar 

in Morocco on January 22-23 entitled « Reform 

of the judicial in Morocco ». 

The necessity of judicial reform in Morocco is largely 

agreed upon within Moroccan civil society. This necessity 

has been repeatedly reiterated at various royal 

events and again only recently at the August 20th 

2009 speech. The Ministry of Justice has even undertaken 

the organisation of extensive discussions and 

numerous hearings. 

More than ever before, the reform of the judicial, 

one of the key recommendations made by the Equity 

and Reconciliation Commission (Instance Equité 

et Réconciliation, IER), represents important stakes 

for the Kingdom of Morocco and the Moroccan people. 

Indeed, it is one of the focal points of the Morocco- 

EU Action Plan aimed at strengthening the European 

Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), as well as one of the 

conditions of Morocco’s “advanced status” which was 

granted by the EU in October 2008. 

The objective of the seminar was to discuss the principal 

issues related to the reform of the Moroccan judicial 

system – and their scope – in order to identify 

measures and reforms which are indispensable and 

establish priorities. 

Regardless of whether these issues were related to 

the Magistrates Council – whose composition and vice 

presidency (held by the Minister of Justice) received 

particular attention in heated debates – strengthening 

guarantees for judicial independence, the reform 

of the normative framework, military tribunals, the 

raising of moral standards in the judiciary or whether 

they were related to the recurring issues of constitutional 

reform and the reform of the Office of Public 

Prosecutions, the seminar was marked by frank 

and open discussions. No topics were taboo, and the 

positive debates were firm yet always respectful. The 

Members of the justice Working Group 

• Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Karim Chazli 

• Organisation marocaine des droits de l’Homme, Awatif 

Laghrassi 

• Intercenter, Nicola Colacino 

• Federacion de Asociaciones, Emilio Gines 

• OMCT, Orlane Varesano 

• Danish Institute for Human Rights, Mette Appel Pallesen 

• Institute for Human Rights of the Beirut Bar Association, 

Walid Nakib 

• CLDH/ Solida, Bérangère Pineau 

• Sisterhood is Global Institute, Jordan, Asma Khader 

debates covered structural, technical and political issues, 

for example, the current empowerment of the 

Office of Public Prosecutions and police forces to the 

detriment of investigating judges and the council for 

the defence; the importance of transparency throughout 

the entire reform process (namely regarding the 

appointment and promotion of judges); the legal 

and material context of questioning and detention 

premises; and of course the burning issue of the use 

of physical mistreatment. Sentences against “medias” 

that have evoked cases of alleged corruption were 

also raised, as was the unavoidable issue of corruption 

itself which is eating away at the judiciary body. 

After a session devoted to “Strengthening Judicial 

Independence” (presided by Mrs Amina Bouayach, 

President of the Moroccan Organisation for Human 

Rights, OMDH), the session on “Judicial Power and the 

Protection of Human Rights” (presided by Mr Driss El 

Yazami, Secretary General of the FIDH, and member 

of the former IER) highlighted both the important 

progress which has been made (commitments to 

pacts, treaties and international human rights legal 

mechanisms - presented by international expert and 

judge Mrs Essaadia Elmir), as well as the extent of 

the obstacles confronting the reform. These obstacles 

pertain to the difficulty and “sensitivity” of carrying 

out an effective and global reform of the judicial 

system through concrete measures (and not just the 

usual speeches of convenience) that will guarantee 

the protection of human rights and ensure accountability. 

This concerns the independence of judges, institutional 

guarantees, the right to a fair trial in its 

totality (i.e. from arrest to the end of sentence), as 

well as the respect of human rights and the physical 

integrity of alleged suspects and/or sentenced 

persons, equality before the Law, the daily struggle 

against all forms of discrimination (notably at the regional 

level and towards women) and structural reforms. 

However such measures must be accompanied 

by an overall change in mentality. Such change will 

require great efforts in terms of adult education for 

all actors in the judicial field because they will need to 

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Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, Zaha Al 

Majali 

Bar Human Rights Committee, Kirsty Brimelow 

Amnesty International, Merwat Rishmawi 

Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies, Radwan 

Ziadeh 

Comité pour le Respect des Libertés et des Droits de 

l’Homme en Tunisie, Houcine Bardi 

Ligue Tunisienne pour la défense des droits de 

l’Homme, Mokhtar Trifi 

Collectif des familles des disparu(e)s, Amine Sidhom


absorb and integrate the precepts of a human rights 

culture founded upon the universal principles of dignity, 

Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Denmark and Sweden) 


equality and 

equity. 

Lastly, the question of aid to facilitate access to justice 

and the use of the Darija and Amazigh languages 

were both brought up by participants. 

Further to these discussions, the General Rapporteur, 

Mr Mohamed Laamarti, Moroccan academic 

and member of the EMHRN Justice Working Group, 

presented – in spite of the restrictive timeframe – a 

substantial “list of recommendations” at the end of 

the seminar which the organisers will submit after attentive 

review in a memorandum addressed to the 

Moroccan government. 

Some twenty lawyers and well-known figures from 

the international and Arab human rights movements 

(Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, United 

Magali Thill (political referent) participated in the 

Second Ministerial Conference on Strengthening the 

Role of Women in the Society on November 11-12, 

2009, in Marrakech, as part of the Euro Med NGOs 

Platform delegation. She accompanied Abdelmaksoud 

Rachidi and Sophie Dimitoulias. She distributed 

the Shadow Report on the implementation 

of the Istanbul Plan of Action and recommendations 

of the Conference “Gender equality in the Euro Med 

region: From plan of action to action” to the governmental 

delegations participating in the ministerial 

conference. 

The ministerial conference commended on the EM- 

HRN’s efforts in monitoring the implementation of the 

IPA and in delivering recommendations to the Euro 

Med governments. Marit Flø Jørgensen (EMHRN program 

director) drafted a position paper on the Marrakech 

conclusions (available HERE) that will soon be 

distributed to related parties. 

participated in this seminar at which some seventy 

legal representatives, lawyers, academics and Moroccan 

association members made individual contributions. 

The seminar was followed by a Working group meeting 

on January 24. The aim of the Working group meeting 

was to present the Work program for 2010-2011 to 

the members. 

• The Lebanese report is in the process of being 

finalised by the experts. It will be presented after 

the next executive Committee Meeting in Beirut. 

CONTACT 

Political Referent: Michel Tubiana 

Coordinator: Nancy Demicheli 

Gender Mainstreaming 

In November 2006, Istanbul, representatives of the then 35 members of the EU and its Mediterranean 

Partners met in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on 

Strengthening the Role of Women in Society and agreed to a common regional platform, the commonly 

referred to Istanbul Plan of Action (Click HERE to know more), to promote gender equality 

and women’s rights in the Euro-Med region. This 5 Year Plan, from 2006-2010, would include 

a yearly “reporting mechanism” and would be reviewed at a Ministerial Meeting in 2009. Limited 

number of public, government bodies and civil society organizations is aware of this Plan. Accordingly 

only a limited number is involved and would benefit from the opportunities it offers. The 

overall objective of the EMHRN project on Gender Mainstreaming is to raise awareness through 

activities addressing the Istanbul Conclusions ensuring that concrete involvement of NGOs and 

Civil Society is pursued. 

Gender Working Group 

• ACSUR – Las Segovias, Nerea Craviotto 

• Ligue des droits de l´Homme, Nicole Savy 

• Association Tunisienne de Femmes Democrates, Khadija 

Cherif 

• Association Democratique des Femmes du Maroc, Alaoui 

Oumnia 

• Kvinna Till Kvinna, Saba Nowzari 

• Tampere Peace Research Institute, Tuomo Melasuo 

• Solida /CLDH, Wissam Khoury 

• Committee for the defense of freedoms and human rights 

in Syria, Mona Fadel 

• Association marocaine des droits humains, Attika Ettaif 

Contact 

Political referent: Magali Thill 

Director: Lina Alqurah 

Commemorating CEDAW 30th Anniversary 

The EMHRN published a press release commemorating 

the CEDAW 30th Anniversary on December 18, 

2009. The EMHRN also supported the publication of 

the LDH magazine on CEDAW by translating it in English 

(Read Here) and Arabic 

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Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in 

Israel, Sawsan Zaher 

Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies, Christina 

Kaili 

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Amal Abdul 

Hadi 

Damascus Center for Theoretical and Civil Rights Studies, 

Roua Essa 

Human rights centre at the university of Essex, Fernne 

Brennan 

Collectif 95 – Maghreb Egalité, Alya Cherif Chammari 

AEDH, Kristiina Kouros

HUMAN RIGHTS AND SECURITY OF HUMAN BEINGS 


MIGRATION AND REFUGEES 


The basic aim of the project is to set up a civil society ‘infrastructure’ of knowledge and partnership 

with regard to working on the rights of migrants and asylum seekers. As part of the project 

the EMHRN is organising regular working group meetings, preparing advocacy initiatives and reports. 

A final team of independent researchers 

has been chosen for the writing 

of the Maghreb study. Chadi Sidhom 

(EMHRN project coordinator) is in contact 

with the lead researcher and the 

other members of the team in order to 

share information and prepare field visits. 

The first field visit to Morocco took 

place end of January, then Tunisia in 

early February, and Algeria by mid February, 

possibly around the same dates 

of visit to Libya. 

The next Working group meeting will 

take place in Istanbul, possibly in 

April. 

The EMHRN drafted a letter to the Lebanese 

Prime Minister asking for clarifications 

about the legal ground of arbitrary 

arrest and detention of migrants 

and asylum seekers. The letter focused 

on the case of Hawa Nassar, a Sudanese 

national and her baby who have 

spent over 12 months in detention despite 

receiving emergency resettlement 

by UNHCR to Sweden. The letter was 

co-signed by the EMHRN, FIDH and 

OMCT, see 

http://euromed-migrasyl.blogspot. 

com/2009/12/lebanon-emhrnfidhomctcase-of-hawa.html 

Contact 

Project Coordinator: Chadi Sidhom 

Political Referent: Marie Laventriadou 

Migration and Refugees Working Group 

Partners to the project 

ACSUR,Alessia Angelini 

LDH, Catherine Teule 

EEDDA, Marie Lavrentiadou 

CIR, Christopher Hein 

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Palestinian Human Rights Organisation, Rola Badran 

AMERA, Barbarra Harrell-Bond 

KISA, Doros Polykarpou 

CLDH / SOLIDA, Marie Daunay 

Association Marocaine des droits Humains, Hamid Bouhamidou 

Danish Institute for Human Rights, Muayyad Mehyar 

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Mission in Calais 

For years now, the Calais region (Northern France) has been the 

place where migrants and asylum seekers regroup. These persons 

are primarily from Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Sudan and Palestine. 

As a rule, asylum seekers do not want their requests to 

be examined in France or Italy: their desire is to reach the United 

Kingdom. In the absence of suitable solutions at the European 

level, French authorities have not yet succeeded in finding 

a sustainable solution that also protects the rights of these persons. 

The situation in Calais illustrates in a nutshell the consequences 

of incoherent European migration and asylum policies. 

On 22 September 2009, French authorities organised a largescale 

police operation aimed at dismantling the migrant and 

refugee encampments. According to officials, the goal of the 

mission was to fight trafficking networks. Numerous persons 

were arrested and three Afghans were deported during an aircraft 

charter operation organised with the United Kingdom. 

The EMHRN sent a mission to the Calais region in order to: 

• Evaluate the current situation of migrants and asylum seekers 

in the Calais region; 

• Evaluate whether the police operation helped achieve the 

objectives announced by the French government, such as eradicating 

trafficking networks; 

• Evaluate to what extent these police operations (and 

namely the ensuing arrests and deportations) respected the migrants’ 

and asylum seekers’ rights. 

Many similar operations have been observed in other Euro-Mediterranean 

countries (Ceuta & Melilla – December 2005, Patras 

– 2009, etc). These missions often have the same operating 

methods: destruction of encampments, arresting of migrants, 

dispersal of migrants and asylum seekers, and deportation if 

need be. The EMHRN report will be drafted as a “comparative” 

document, the goal being to examine and assess the September 

events as part of a whole, rather than as an isolated event. 

The final version of the report in expected end of March 2010. 

Committee for the defense of freedoms and human rights 

in Syria, Alla Eddin Byassi 


l’Homme en Tunisie, Mouheiddine Cherbib 

Libyan League for Human Rights, Sliman Bouchuiguir 

Assoc. Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates, Hafidha 

Chekir 

Freedom and Rights Association, Mine Yucel 

TAPRI, Annitta Kynsilehto 

Assoc. Democratique des Femmes du Maroc, Maria Ezzouini 

Iraqi Human Rights Society, Ali Diwan


Palestine/Israel and the palestinians 


T 

he aim of the Working Group on Palestine/Israel and Palestinians is to promote and protect human 

rights. The Working Group is strongly devoted to the human rights situation in Israel and 

the Occupied Palestinian Territories and has reported on the human rights situation since 2003. The 

group furthermore is very focused on and active in advocating the respect for human rights as well 

as the rights for Palestinian refugees in hosting countries, which is done through advocacy tours, 

reports and open letters to relevant decision makers including the EU and EU Member States. 

Follow up on the Goldstone report 

On December 10-11 2009, Miri Weingarten, Maysa 

Zorob, Amnesty International - EU office, and 

the project coordinator met with officials of the EU 

Member States’ Permanent Representations in Brussels 

(Ireland, Malta, Spain and United Kingdom), of 

the Council of the EU (the Head of the Mediterranean 

Task Force), as well as the Socialist and the Green 

Party in the European Parliament to discuss the follow-up 

done by the EU on the UN Fact Finding Mission 

led by Justice Goldstone and to address the structural 

problems in Israel’s investigations. All our interlocutors 

were really interested and deeply concerned by 

the lack of progress one year after operation Cast 

Lead. The different diplomats informed the delegation 

about the lack of discussion on this issue in Brussels 

and the intention of leaving this discussion in 

Geneva (HRC) and New York (UN General Assembly 

and Security Council). 

Another advocacy mission of the PIP Working group 

was organised from February 1-5 in Brussels and Paris. 

it focused on the necessity for the EU to monitor 

and report on the investigations conducted by Israel, 

Hamas and the PA. An event was organised in the 

European Parliament on February 3, in coordination 

with the European Parliament Middle East Working 

Group, who held an extraordinary session on that occasion. 

On December 15, the EMHRN lead a meeting with 

International NGOs doing advocacy at EU level (AI, 

FIDH, HRW, Open Society) to discuss possible joint 

advocacy around the Goldstone report in relation 

to the deadlines set up by the UN General Assembly 

(February 5, 2010) and the UN Human Rights 

Council (March, 2010). Miri Weingarten and Maysa 

Zorob took part in this meeting. A coordination meeting 

among Israeli organisations took place the same 

week. Following the Brussels’ meeting an advocacy 

background paper was drafted (coordinated by EM- 

HRN) to support civil society organisations’ advocacy 

activities towards EU institutions and within Member 

States around Gaza accountability and the Goldstone 

report. 

PIP Working Group 

• Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Louis 

Frankenthaler 

• B’Tselem, Maayan Geva 

• Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Hamdi Shaqqura 

• Federación de Asociaciones, David Bondia 

• Kreisky Foundation for Human Rights, Stefan Lütgenau 

• Al-Haq, Maysa Zorob 

• Adalah, Rina Rosenberg 

• Association Tunisienne de Femmes Democrates 

Training 

On November 16-17, a workshop for Israeli and Palestinian 

HR organisations on EU advocacy was coorganised 

by Aprodev, Christian Aid and the EM- 

HRN in Talitha Kumi (West Bank, zone C). The first 

day opened with the analysis of what has happened 

in the EU’s relations with Israel and the Palestinians 

since November 2008 (date of a previous training organised 

by Christian Aid) and how NGOs have been 

working on the upgrading process in Europe. The 

workshop then focused on the legal challenges for 

the EU in engaging with Israel and the Palestinians, 

providing participants with the practical example of 

the negotiation of the EUROPOL-Israel cooperation 

agreement. During the second day the participants 

explored and brainstormed on the legal challenges 

posed by the siege of Gaza to the International Community 

and on the advocacy conducted on the question 

of discrimination of the Palestinian Arab minority 

inside Israel and Israel’s settlement policy. 

Coordinator: Nathalie Stanus 

Political Referent: Maysa Zorob 

Orah Maggen left PCATI. She 

will be replaced in the PIP Working group by Louis 

Frankenthaler, PCATI Development International 

Outreach Director. The EMHRN thanks Orah for her 

active role in the PIP Working group for many years. 

The next Working group meeting will take place on 

May 6-10. 

The EMHRN Report ‘Active but Acquiescent’ has been 

“re-launched” in December 2009 in the context of the 

first commemoration of the Israeli military operation 

on the Gaza Strip. The report was sent to journalists 

beginning of December to underline the fact that, 

one year after operation Cast Lead, the report and 

its recommendations are still useful and actual, as 

EU policy of acquiescing Israel’s violations of human 

rights is still being continued. The report was also 

at the center of the press conference organised on 

December 15. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 


l’Homme en Tunisie, Tarek Ben Hiba 

Greek Committee for International Democratic Solidarity, 

Eugenia Papamakariou 

ACSUR, Carlos Sanchis 

PHRO, Ghassan Abdallah 

Al-Mezan, Mahmoud Abu Rahma 

HRA, Muhammad Zeidan 

Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims, Soes Nissen

Solidarity 



Algeria 

A field visit to Algeria was carried out in December 

16-22 2009 by the Mathieu Routier (Solidarity coordinator) 

and Nancy Demicheli (Justice coordinator) 

with the intent to assess the possibility to organise 

a serial of meeting for local stakeholders in Algeria 

in 2010. 

Staff 

Caroline Rey started on January 5 as the new 

Justice intern for a 6-month period (until June 30, 

ENP 

The deadline for written input to 

the ENP consultation in view of 

the 2010 EU progress reports on 

the implementation of ENP Action 

Plans (Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, 

Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine) 

has been set to December 1st 

by the Commission. The project 

coordinators and the EMHRN National 

members were informed and 

asked for specific input. The Brussels 

office collected and forwarded 

the input to the Commission. The 

EP sub-committee on HR is planning 

to have a point on the ENP on 

April 29, 2010. The countries of focus 

still need to be decided upon. 

Algeria 

The next EU-Algeria Association 

Council will normally take place in 

June or July 2010, but no precise 

dated are available so far. 

ADVOCACY and DIALOGUE 

Morocco 

Following the training session on 

human rights advocacy in EU-Morocco 

relations that was held in 

Rabat on October 15, a follow-up 

committee on EU-Morocco relations 

was set up with representatives 

of the four Moroccan EMHRN 

members and the EMHRN. The 

committee has been working on 

a recommendations document regarding 

a future EU-Morocco Action 

Plan in the framework of an 

“advanced Status” for Morocco in 

its relations with the EU. The EM- 

HRN coordinators were invited to 

contribute with written input to 

these recommendations. The document 

and its executive summary 

have been finalised and are currently 

being translated into Arabic 

and English. 

The follow-up committee of four 

EMHRN members were on delegation 

in Brussels from November 

29 to December 2nd in order to 

present this document and recommendations 

- a week before the 

EU-Morocco Association Council 

was to take place - during meetings 

Tunisia 

The EMHRN and the FIDH sent a series of trial Observation 

missions to Tunisia to observe ongoing 

trials on independent journalists. M Matteoli (a 

fomer President of the Haut de Seine Bar association) 

attended the trial vs. Taoufik Ben Brik (http:// 

en.euromedrights.org/index.php/news/member_releases/3987.html) 

on November 19, and Mrs Goldman, 

attended the appeal on January 23. In addition, 

M Pradel attended the first audience of Zouhair 

Makhlouf’s trial (http://en.euromedrights.org/index. 

php/news/emhrn_releases/emhrn_statements_ 

2009/3992.html) on November 24 and will attend the 

appeal expected February the third. In both cases, 

serious violations were raised by both lawyers. Three 

press releases followed, see: http://fr.euromedrights. 

org/index.php/news/emhrn_releases/index.1.html 

and a press conference was organised in Paris on December 

where four Four lawyers, M. Matteoli, M. 

Pradel, M. William Bourdon and Houcine Bardi 

(CRLDHT) presented main outcomes of the observation 

missions to Tunisia. 

The EMHRN and FIDH have sent a letter to the EC 

delegation In Tunis to provide them with the observation 

reports. 

Two press releases were published condemning the 

smear campaign led by the Tunisian newspaper Koll 

El Nass including serious threats against Kamel Jendoubi, 

Sihem Ben Sedrine, Khemais Chammari and 

other human rights defenders. The press releases 

gathered signatures from ten Human rights associations, 

see the press release issued on December 18: 

http://en.euromedrights.org/index.php/news/emhrn_releases/emhrn_statements_2009/4040.html 

and the press release issued on December 14: http:// 

en.euromedrights.org/index.php/news/emhrn_releases/emhrn_statements_2009/4017.html 

Syria 

A press release on the disappearance of Nizar Ristnawi 

was published on December 22nd. Mr. Nizar Ristnawi, 

founder of the Arab Organisation for Human Rights 

in Syria and member of the Committee for the Defence 

of Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in 

Syria, should have been released eight months ago, 

in April 2009. However, until today his whereabouts 

remain unknown. see: http://en.euromedrights. 

org/index.php/news/emhrn_releases/emhrn_statements_2009/4044.html 

2010). 

Chrysoula Galanaki will be the new assistant 

in EMHRF office in Copenhagen, for the next six 

months. 

with representatives of the various 

EU institutions, EP political groups, 

EU commission, several Member 

States Permanent Representations 

to the EU, the Belgian foreign affairs 

Ministry, NGOs.The Association 

Council should have approved 

the outline of the next EU-Morocco 

ENP Action plan, which should include 

more operational objectives 

regarding human rights than the 

previous action plan. 

The first EU-Morocco Summit in 

the framework of the advanced 

status is scheduled to take place 

in March 2010 in Granada, Spain. 

Syria 

The signature of the EU-Syria Association 

Agreement was postponed 

to 2010. While the EU was 

willing to sign, the Syrian party 

decided to postpone its signature. 

The 27 member states signed unilaterally 

the agreement on October 

26. Marc Schade Poulsen spoke at 

a hearing in the EP subcommittee 

on human rights on January 14, in


the context of the EU-Syria Association 

Agreement to present the 

EU and the renewal of the current 


Human rights situation in Syria 

and opportunities with the eventual 

signature of the association 

agreement. 

Tunisia 

The third EU-Tunisia Human rights 

subcommittee that was due to take 

place on December 3 in Tunis was 

cancelled as well as all EU-Tunisia 

meetings in 2009 by the Tunisian 

government, probably due to the 

current discussions in the Council 

about issuing a declaration on 

Human rights in this country. All 

meetings between the EU and Tunisia 

have been postponed under 

the Spanish presidency (January- 

June 2010) with a possible Association 

Council in March. 

On December 2-4, the Brussels office 

arranged advocacy meetings 

between Khémaïs Chammari 

and many EU representatives, the 

Commission, EU council, MEPs and 

EP political groups as well as Belgian 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 

NGOs and the FIDH Brussels, to 

urge them to take concrete actions 

to respond to the alarming 

degradation of human rights’ situation 

in Tunisia. Particularly positive 

was the meeting with the European 

Commission’s “task force” 

(made up by Manfredo Fanti, 

chief of unity, Bernard Brunet, 

deputy chief of unity, Joao De 

Santana, Maurizio Caldarone, 

head of Desk Tunisia and Monica 

Liberati, geographic coordinator) 

that showed great interest 

in Khemais’ suggestions. At this 

meeting the EMHRN informed the 

functionaries about EMHRN’s Focal 

Group on Tunisia and related activities. 

Khemais also participated 

to a press conference with 3 MEPs 

on the case of Taoufik Ben Brik. 

Lebanon 

EU-Lebanon meetings should be 

postponed to 2010 due to the 

election and the political situation 

in Lebanon. The next subcommittees 

on human rights might take 

place in February, and the Association 

Council is scheduled for February 

23. 

Jordan 

The first EU-Jordan ad hoc working 

group on upgrading EU-Jordan relations 

took place on November 16. 

It discussed the request of Jordan 

to upgrade its relations with the 

EU-Jordan ENP Action Plan that is 

coming to an end in July 2010. At 

the moment no specific consultation 

is planned with civil society 

in view of the drafting of the new 

document, and the EMHRN will 

push for it with EU officials. 

An EU-Jordan Human Rights subcommittee 

is scheduled for January 

27 in Amman, followed by a 

JLS subcommittee on February 23. 

EU-Jordan discussions on migrations 

should be taking place on 

February 23-24, also in Amman. 

Egypt 

The next EU-Egypt Association 

Council would normally take place 

in April 2010, but no exact dates 

have been set. 

European Parliament 

The Tunisians froze their relations 

at the end of last year with the EU 

due to possible EU statement on 

Human rights (this statement was 

finally not adopted by the EU). 

There has been no formal follow 

up by the Tunisian officials of their 

request of an “advanced status” 

with the EU (no paper presented 

by them), and the discussions 

have been postponed for the time 

being. The Commission is also reflecting 

in view of the EU-Tunisia 

ENP Action Plan that is coming to 

an end in July 2010. 

Contact: Sandrine Grenier 

Political Referent on ENP: Moataz 

El fegiery 

partnerships 

EMHR Foundation 

The Foundation participated in the 

meeting of the International Human 

Rights Funders Group (IHR- 

FG) in San Francisco on January 

25-26, 2010. It was an important 

occasion for the Foundation to engage 

in discussion and collaboration 

with leading human rights 

grantmakers, practitioners, policy 

makers, and scholars on timely 

human rights issues. 

The Foundation will also participate 

in the next coordination meeting 

of the Human Rights Defenders 

organizations working under 

the EIDHR on February 4-5 2010 

in Brussels along with the other 

10 beneficiaries. The main aim of 

this meeting will be to exchange 

information on actions in support 

of human rights defenders and to 

meet with representatives of the 

Council, EP and other services at 

the European Commission. 

The dates of the next Board meeting 

have been postponed to March 

6-7, 2010. The meeting will mainly 

aim at discussing the Board’s vision 

of the Foundation in the future. 

On this occasion, meetings 

will be organized with the EP, the 

EC and other international NGOs 

involved in HRD issues in Syria. 

The next regular meeting of the 

Board will be held on April 17-18, 

2010. The next deadline for standard 

proposals to be submitted to 

the attention of the Board is 26 

February 2010. 

The annual activity and financial 

report for the year 2009 should 

be published by the end of May 

2009. 

Chafia Alliche, part–time student 

assistant, left the Secretariat in 

order to resume her studies. 

The Secretariat welcomed a new 

intern, Ms. Chrysoula Galanaki, on 

January 18, 2010 for the duration 

of 6 months. 

Contact: 

Anne Sophie Schaeffer 

EuroMed NGO Platform 

The General Assembly of the EuroMed 

NGO Platform took place 

on December 19-20 2009 and was 

preceded by a seminar on freedom 

of conscience on December 18-19. 

Michel Tubiana was re-elected secretary 

general and Kamel Jendoubi 

his stand-in. President to the Platform 

is still Abdelmaksoud Rachdi, 

Vice President, Gerarda Ventura; 

Treasurer George Abi Saleh. See 

http://en.euromedrights.org/index. 

php/news/member_releases/4061. 

html . The next Civil Sociaty forum 

will take place 14/16 May, 2010, in 

Alicante



30th anniversary of CEDAW: human rights activist who has been 

EMHRN 

End discrimination against prevented from returning to Laayoun 

by the Moroccan government 

women by lifting all reservations 

to CEDAW 

and has been detained illegally in 

Press Releases 

30th anniversary of CEDAW: End Spain. 

discrimination against women by 

lifting all reservations to CEDAW 

and signing the Optional protocol... 

EMHRN Recommendations 

in view of the EU/PA Human 

rights Subcommittee Meeting 

on 26 February 2010 

The Euro-Mediterranean Human 

Rights Network (EMHRN) is concerned 

with the human rights situation 

in the Occupied Palestinian 

Territory (OPT) and urges the EU to 

raise the below mentioned human 

rights concerns with the Palestinian 

Authority (PA) during the EU-PA 

Human Rights subcommittee meeting 

due to take place on 26 February 

2010. 

Kurdish refugees in Corsica: 

asylum or charter flights 

On Friday, January 22nd, a ship 

dropped off 140 people on the 

south coast of Corsica. These people 

were exhausted and starved. 

They are women and children desperately 

trying to escape from what 

the Universal Declaration of Human 

Rights calls “terror and misery”. 

Freedom of Association under 

Threat 

The EMHRN third report on Freedom 

of Association presents an overview 

of the situation of human rights 

NGOs in countries north and south 

of the Mediterranean in 2009. 

Free Muharrem Erbey! 

Copenhagen/Paris – 31 December 

2009: On 24 December 2009, Muharrem 

Erbey, General Vice Chairperson 

of the Human Rights Association 

(İnsan Haklari Derneği 

– İHD) and ... 

Syria: Where is Nizar Ristnawi 

Paris-Geneva, December 22, 2009. 

The Observatory for the Protection 

of Human Rights Defenders, the 

Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights 

Network (EMHRN) and the Euro- 

Mediterranean Federation against 

Enforced Disappearances (FEMED) 

express their deepest concern 

about the disappearance of Mr. Nizar 

Ristnawi... 

Tunisia: New smear campaign 

inciting to hatred and violence 

against human rights defenders 

December 18, 2009. Eleven Human 

rights organisations express 

today their utmost concerns about 

the threats stemming from a smear 

campaign led by a Tunisian weekly 

newspaper against several human 

rights defenders who have been denouncing 

violations of fundamental 

freedoms in Tunisia... 

No peace without respect for 

international law, No respect 

for international law without 

EU pressure 

One year after the Israeli offensive 

on the Gaza Strip, The EU continues 

in practice to strengthen its 

economic, technical and trade relations 

with Israel in several sectors, 

despite the continued blockade of 

the Gaza Strip and the lack of accountability, 

and despite the June 

2009 decision to put the upgrading 

of its relations with Israel on hold. 

EU’s “business as usual” approach 

amounts to disregarding Israeli 

policies in the OPT, signaling EU acquiescence 

of or non-objection to 

Israel’s conduct... 

Slandering Media Campaign 

against Tunisian Human Rights 

Defenders and Journalists 

The weekly newspaper KOLL EN- 

NASS, published in Arabic in Tunis, 

has three times lashed out at Tunisian 

human rights defenders and 

journalists. Kamel JENDOUBI, Sihem 

BENSEDRINE and Slim BAGGA 

have been accused of being Israeli 

agents allegedly pursued by some 

‘Palestinian factions’.... 

Morocco: Aminatou Haidar 

must be allowed to go home 

The Euro-Mediterranean Human 

Rights Network (EMHRN) expresses 

deep concern with regard to the 

situation of Ms. Aminatou Haidar, a 

EMHRN recommendations to 

the Spanish Presidency of the 

EU 

Despite police intimidation, the 

EMHRN-Solidarity Group meeting 

took place in Tunis 

Upon the initiative of the Euro-Mediterranean 

Human Rights Network 

(EMHRN), a delegation of European 

civil society representatives travelled 

to Tunisia from 13 to 15 November 

to meet with members of 

independent Tunisian Human rights 

organisations. 

Read all the press releases 

at http:// 

en.euromedrights.org/index.php/news/emhrn_releases/index.1.html 

EMHRN 

IN THE PRESS 

Selection of articles online 

About the migrants in Corsica 

• France 3: http://medit 

e r ra n e e . f ra n c e 3 . f r / i n f o / 

p r o v e n c e - a l p e s / M a r - 

seille:-demande-d-asile-des- 

r%C3%A9fugi%C3%A9s-- 

60512797.html 

• Le monde: http://www. 

l e m o n d e . f r / s o c i e t e / a r t i - 

cle/2010/01/23/124-clandestins-decouverts-en-corse-transferes-vers-des-centresde-retention_1295585_3224. 

html 

• h t t p : / / w w w . l a l s a c e . 

f r / f r / r e g i o n / a l s a c e / a r - 

t i c l e / 2 6 1 2 5 8 5 , 1 2 0 2 / 

Tr a n s f e r e m e n t - d e s - 1 2 4 - 

migrants-levee-de-bouclierdes-associations.html 

• Le point: http://www.lepoint. 

fr/actualites-societe/2010-01- 

23/corse-les-clandestins-debonifacio-ont-ete-transferessur-le-continent/920/0/416528 

• http://www.lepoint.fr/actualites-societe/2010-01-23/ 

corse-les-clandestins-de-bonifacio-ont-ete-transferes-surle-continent/920/0/416528 

About the tunisian journalist 

10


fahem-boukadous: 

=836&nea=79&lang=fra&lst= 

• h t t p : / / a z l s . b l o g s p o t . 0&arch=0 


com/2010/01/le-journalistetunisien-fahem-boukadous. 

Filiz Kalaycı , Muharrem Erbey 

html 

• 

About the FOA report: 

In Arabic 

• http://www.almaghribia.ma/ 

Paper/Article.aspidr=65&idrs 

=65&id=101316 

• http://all4syria.info/content/ 

view/19975/137/ 

• http://www.almasry-alyoum. 

com/article2.aspxArticleID=2 

40240&IssueID=1650 

• http://www.elyoum7.com/ 

News.aspNewsID=177325& 

• http://www.ikhwanonline. 

com/Article.aspArtID=59090 

&SecID=230 

• http://www.zapress.com/index.phppage=article&ida=2 

548 

In English 

• h t t p : / / t h e d a i l y n e w s - 

e g y p t . c o m / a r t i c l e . 

aspxArticleID=27082 

En francais 

• h t t p : / / w w w. a l g e r i a . c o m / 

f o r u m s / a l g e r i a - e n - a l g - 

rie/26671-libert-s-politiqueet-dassociation-l-alg-riepoint-e-du-doigt.html 

• Libanews: http://www. 

l i b n a n e w s . c o m / i n d e x . 

phpoption=com_content&vi 

ew=article&id=855:le-liban-- 

un-oasis-au-milieu-du-desert- 

&catid=49:lib-societe 

• http://mplbelgique.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/le-liban-un-oasis-au-milieu-dudesert/ 

• agence MAP - http://www. 

map.ma/fr/sections/politique/ 

le_maroc_distingue 

• TSA - http://www.tsa-algerie. 

com/politique/libertes-politique-et-d-association-l-algerie_9030.html 

Migration 

• La libre Belgique: http://www. 

lalibre.be/actu/international/ 

article/552478/refugies-sansrefuge.html 

Mission in Calais 

• Le Monde: http://www. 

l e m o n d e . f r / s o c i e t e / a r t i - 

cle/2010/01/12/lily-boilletvigie-des-jungles-du-nord_ 

1290638_3224.html 

Gender 

• http://www.eu-logos.org/eulogos_nea-say.phpidr=2&idnl 

h t t p : / / w w w . b i a n e t . 

o r g / e n g l i s h / h u m a n - 

rights/119277-internationalappeal-for-release-of-humanrights-defenders 

About Tunisia 

• Reuters 

• http://www.nawaat.org/portail/2009/12/01/tunisie-lesdroits-de-la-defense-de-zouhair-makhlouf-bafoues/ 

• http://www.afrik.com/article18097.html 

• http://www.lesoir.be/actualite/monde/2009-11-17/tunisaccuse-leterme-de-neocolonialisme-primaire-738548.shtml 

MEMBERS 

PUBLICATIONS 

Adalah’s Newsletter Volume 68 

January 2010 

Adalah’s Newsletter is a monthly 

publication issued in Arabic, Hebrew 

and English. It highlights 

Adalah’s main activities, provides 

analysis of human rights issues, 

and links to new reports. . 

ACHRS Newsletter no.15 

January 2010... 

World Report: Abusers Target Human 

Rights Messengers 

Rights-Respecting Governments 

Should Speak Up to Protect Defenders 

... 

Israel’s Gaza blockade continues 

to suffocate daily life 

Israel must end its suffocating 

blockade of the Gaza Strip, which 

leaves more than 1.4 million Palestinians 

cut off from the outside 

world and struggling with desperate 

poverty, Amnesty International 

said one year on from the 

end of Israel’s military offensive in 

Gaza.... 

PCHR Release New Report: 23 

Days of War, 928 Days of Closure 

Life One Year after Israel’s Latest 

Offensive on the Gaza Strip, 

27 December 2008 – 18 January 

2009... 

FIDH 

Operation Cast Lead, One Year 

After: Accountability, a Key Challenge 

for Peace 

“This report, says Souhayr Belhas- 

sen, FIDH President, is an attempt 

to create a comprehensive reference 

of FIDH’s own and multi-lateral 

actions in demanding and 

challenging accountability for the 

violations of international human 

rights and humanitarian law which 

occur in Israel and the Occupied 

Palestinian Territory. ... 

BTselem 

The establishment and expansion 

plans of the Ma’ale Adummim settlement 

Ma’ale Adummim is the largest 

Israeli settlement in its jurisdictional 

area (some 4,800 hectares) 

and the third largest in population 

size, after the ultra-Orthodox settlements 

of Beitar Illit and Modi’in 

Illit.... 

2009 a Bad Year for Migrants 

Deaths, Labor Exploitation, Violence, 

and Poor Treatment in Detention. 

Many governments’ policies 

toward migrants worldwide 

expose them to human rights 

abuses including labor exploitation, 

inadequate access to health 

care, and prolonged detention in 

poor, overcrowded conditions. ... 

Libya: In Repressive Atmosphere, 

Pockets of Improvement 

Abolish Laws Criminalizing Speech 

and Association, Free Those Unjustly 

Detained, Provide Justice to 

Prison Massacre Victims... 

Lives and Livelihoods at Stake: 

Palestinians Again Confronted by 

Violence and Repression During 

the Annual Olive Harvest 

Al-Haq is pleased to present its 

report on the 2009 Olive Harvest: 

‘Lives and Livelihoods at Stake: 

Palestinians Again Confronted by 

Violence and Repression During 

the Annual Olive Harvest. 

CIHRS 

Bastion of Impunity, Mirage of Reform 

- CIHRS 2009 Report on Human 

Rights in the Arab Region 

Today the Cairo Institute for Human 

Rights Studies released its 

second annual report on the state 

of human rights in the Arab world 

for the year 2009. The report, entitled 

Bastion of Impunity, Mirage of 

Reform, concludes that the human 

rights situation in the Arab region 

has deteriorated throughout the 

region over the last year... 

Read more at http:// 

en.euromedrights.org/ 

index.php/publications/ 

member_publications/ 

index.1.html 

11

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