Human Rights Council Concludes Fourteenth Regular Session — HRC press release (Excerpts)

Human Rights Council Concludes Fourteenth Regular Session

Decides to Dispatch Mission to Investigate Israeli Attack on Humanitarian Flotilla

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In a resolution adopted subsequent to the urgent debate on “Grave Attacks by Israeli Forces against the Humanitarian Boat Convoy”, the Council condemned in the strongest terms the outrageous attack by the Israeli forces against the humanitarian flotilla of ships which resulted in the killing and injuring of many innocent civilians from different countries and called upon the Occupying Power Israel to immediately lift the siege on occupied Gaza and other occupied territories. It also decided to dispatch an independent international fact finding mission to investigate violations of international law resulting from the Israeli attacks on the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian assistance.

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It also held an interactive dialogue on a joint study on Global Practices of Secret Detention in the Context of Counter-Terrorism prepared by the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on arbitrary detention and the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances. Another interactive debate was held on the annual report of Richard Falk, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied since 1967, in which the Council heard a presentation by Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on her progress report on the follow-up to the report of the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict. An interactive debate was also held with the Chair of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent.

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Human Rights Situations that Require the Council’s Attention

On the “Grave Attacks by Israeli Forces against the Humanitarian Boat Convoy”, the Council condemns in the strongest terms the outrageous attack by the Israeli forces against the humanitarian flotilla of ships which resulted in the killing and injuring of many innocent civilians from different countries; demands the Occupying Power Israel to immediately release all detained men and material and facilitate their safe return to their homelands; calls upon the Occupying Power Israel to immediately lift the siege on occupied Gaza and other occupied territories; calls upon the Occupying Power Israel to ensure the unimpeded provision of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment to the occupied Gaza strip; and decides to dispatch an independent international fact finding mission to investigate violations of international law resulting from the Israeli attacks on the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian assistance.