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Representatives of political
parties, civil unions, Legislative Council members and some government
institutions, experts and specialists, ratified a declaration of
principles and standards on the protection of the right to assembly and
organization of political parties, NGOs and unions in Palestine during
the national conference recently held by AMAN Coalition in both Ramallah
and Gaza.
More than 90 representatives and
institutions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip signed to remain committed
to the principles of the Declaration as well as forming the Palestinian
coalition to protect the right to assembly and the possibility of its
involvement in the regional coalition in the future. This coalition
includes Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt and Palestine and aims at
exchanging experiences and supporting and protecting this right in the
Arab region.
What is the right to
assembly
The declaration clarified that the
right to assembly is the right to engage in any gathering or party or
union or civil formations whether existing or new, such as political
parties, workers’ unions and professional associations and organizations
and civil institutions or any other forms of assembly such as leagues,
unions and clubs.
The right to assembly is
guaranteed by law and the constitution
This declaration considers the right
to assembly of individuals and the Palestinian citizens to form
political parties, unions and organizations and all sorts of gatherings
as a legal and constitutional right protected by law and the national
conventions, especially the Declaration of Independence and the
Palestinian Basic Law, as it is consistent with the international and
Arab standards for human rights. This comes despite the fact that the
protection of the right to assembly and organization in Palestine is
facing obstacles, difficulties and many challenges and it needs further
reform and development in the domestic, executive and administrative
legislatives.
The Declaration also provides that
the respect of the other rights and freedoms of citizens, including the
provision of freedom of opinion and expression in all ways and means are
constitutionally guaranteed; avoiding to jeopardize those rights to any
violation or danger; protection of the public and private property;
commitment to the rule of law; the independence of the judiciary and
fight against all forms of corruption; strengthening of the efforts
towards the national unity and rejecting any calls for holding grudges
or any slogans that would stir up discord; ensuring the freedom of
holding meetings, without prior approval of security, etc..
Public authorities
required to develop the protection of the right to assembly
The Declaration called for
legislative and executive authorities to develop legislations and
executive regulations to enhance the protection of this right and
exercise it freely, as the duty lies on the shoulders of the official
authorities to remove all forms of obstacles and impediments that would
restrict the exercising of this right.
Regarding the most important
principles to be adopted in different sectors, the declaration has
focused on each sector separately. as per the right to form political
parties, the Declaration called for the principle of voluntary adherence
to the basis of freedom of choice, without discrimination, and also the
need for a legal basis for its establishment, and the existence of an
independent body concerned with their affairs.
As for the NGOs and charitable
societies, the declaration, which was based on the Civil Coalition's
Code of Conduct, stated the right for any person to establish civil
institutions, charities and the affiliation to it, and to receive
unconditional government support. It also banned censorship on the
operation of the institution or association, while the supervision and
follow-up should only aim to ensure its compliance with the rules of
public action and in accordance with the law. These associations have
the right to become affiliated to any Arab, regional or international
organization or consortium.
With regard to the establishment of workers unions and joining them, the
Declaration affirmed the right of all groups and segments of male and
female workers to the formation of unions’ organizations, without
discrimination. In turn, union organizations should formulate their
constitutions, bylaws, regulations and organizational structures,
without any interference, and shall be deposited in the relevant
department at the Ministry of Labor
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