Situation in the OPT/Detention of Leaders – Letter from Palestine

GENERAL ASSEMBLY SECURITY COUNCIL

Forty-fifth session Forty-fifth year

Agenda items 23, 35 and 75

QUESTION OF PALESTINE

THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO

  INVESTIGATE ISRAELI PRACTICES

  AFFECTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF

  THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND OTHER

  ARABS OF THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Letter dated 14 November 1990 from the Charg£ d'affaires a.i. of

the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations

addressed to the Secretary-General

I am instructed by the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which has the powers and responsibilities of the Provisional Government of Palestine, to bring the following to your immediate attention:

Yesterday, 13 November 1990, the following prominent Palestinian community leaders were sentenced by the Israeli Military authorities for 6 months to 1 year of administrative detention:  Mr. Radwan Abu Ayash, Head of the Arab Journalist Association was sentenced to 6 months;

Mr. Ziad Abu Ziad, Chief Editor of El Jisser Weekly Newspaper also sentenced to 6 months; and thirdly, Dr. Ahmad Yaziji, member of the board of the Gaza Physicians Association, was sentenced to 1 year.

Palestine would like to assert the fact that administrative detention is imprisonment without charge or trial and constitutes a serious infringement of the individual's rights to protection and due process.

Both Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights state that no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention.  On the right to due process, Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "Every one is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him".

Yet, Israel, the occupying Power, continues its flagrant violations of international law, and is increasingly detaining Palestinians with the intention of keeping them in prison.  The number of Palestinians detained has reached approximately 12,000 during the three years of the intifadah.

Clearly, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, the West Bank and Gaza is deteriorating and requires immediate action from the world community to halt Israel, the occupying Power, from continuing its illegal actions.

I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of this letter circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 23, 35 and 75, and of the Security Council.

                              (Signed)  Dr. Nasser AL-KIDWA

                              Alternate Permanent Observer

                              of Palestine to the United Nations

                                    Charge d'affaires a.i.

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