A Statement by: The Committee for Protecting the Victimized Institution – in Gaza

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Wednesday August 06, 2008 05:28 by Fathi Tobail - The Committee for Protecting the Victimized Institution – in Gaza ftobail at hotmail dot com gaza, palestine +972599465244

In view of the historical juncture where as our Palestinian people are facing a vicious campaign by the Israeli occupation army who continue to tighten the siege of the Gaza Strip and dismembering the West Bank, as well as the continuous deterioration of living, health and social conditions of our people, and witnessing state instability of security in the bombing of public places and lately the horrendous crime took place on the Gaza Seaside.

At the time of condemnation of this crime in particular and all the crimes in general by every body including civil institutions who demanded bringing the culprits to justice, the security forces on 25/07/2008, launched a wide and a stern campaign and not following the legal procedures against the citizens and civil institution in Gaza. According to the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has documented 122 assaults committed against institutions, party headquarters and offices.

in view of that of the critical situation the Committee for Defending the Victimized Institution in Gaza was established to protect the rights of civil society institutions whose objective to consistently provide exclusive services to our steadfast and struggling people devoid of any factional platform and abided by the laws and regulations that governs the work of the institutions.

We express our condemnation and denouncement the acts of assaults, robbing and unlawful detentions campaign perpetrated against civil society institutions and such actions are encroachment of First Article of the charitable societies and civil societies Law No. 1 for the year 2000 that stipulates: “the Palestinians have the right to practice freely social, cultural, proficiency and scientific activities including the right of establishing and administering civil societies compliant with to this law.”

We demand the following;
1-Ending up the illegal take over of the institutions and removal of the armed persons from the premises and enable the staff to practice their work freely and according to the law, as well as refraining from driving the civil society institutions into the Inferno of the political struggle.
2-To hand over all confiscated documents, equipments and appliances to the institutions’ officials in a documented statement.
3-To end the illegal arbitrary detention campaign and to release all those unlawfully detained.

We call upon our people and the entire civil societies to express their solidarity to uncover and prevent the recurrence of such attacks that strike against the interests and steadfastness of our people who is suffers the repression of the occupation.

Long Live The Unity Of Our Heroic People
Glory And Eternity To Our Righteous Martyrs
Speedy Recovery To Our Wounded
Freedom To Our Political Prisoners

The Committee for Protecting the Victimized Institution
Gaza: 05/08/08