Law for Palestine took part in the sessions of the “Seventh European Conference in Support of Palestinian detainees” which was held in Malmö, Sweden, on Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19, 2022, by the “European Alliance in Defense of Palestinian Detainees.”

The conference, which was attended by more than 120 European, Arab, and Palestinian personalities, dealt with internationalising the issue of Palestinian detainees and exploring its legal and international dimensions, according to its organisers.

Hiba Birat, the organization’s Executive Director, delivered a speech titled “The issue of Palestinian prisoners before the International Criminal Court: opportunities and obstacles.” She reviewed the most important determinants that govern the file of Palestinian detainees before the court, including the court’s substantive jurisdiction, temporal and geographic determinants, as well as the determinants of personal jurisdiction, in addition to the most important procedures and criteria for admissibility before it, its relationship and impact on the file of Palestinian detainees.

Birat discussed the applicability of Prisoners of War status to Palestinian detainees and the implications for their ability to have their case heard in court. She also pointed out alternative international legal and judicial venues which detainees can address for accountability and justice.

The integration of Law for Palestine on the conference’s agenda comes as part of a larger group of international legal and humanitarian organizations and representatives of Palestinian institutions concerned with detainees’ issues, as well as official and parliamentary bodies from Europe, the United States, and Palestine. The Palestinian Ambassador to Sweden, Rola Muhaisen, was in attendance, as was Rashida Tlaib, a member of the US Congress, who delivered a recorded speech.