A seminar organized by the Independent Commission for Human Rights discussed a draft law decision on the national preventive mechanism to prevent torture.
The most prominent speakers were: The General Commissioner, Mr. Issam Younis, the commission’s complaints and investigations coordinator, lawyer Bakr al-Turkmani.
The participants recommended that there should be a protection law for whistle-blowers for torture violations, in addition to repealing Article 17 of the law to punish whistle-blowers if it proves that they provide incorrect information, which is inconsistent with the Optional Protocol against Torture.
Also, the participants emphasized the need to publish the report to enhance transparency and accountability.
Moreover, they stressed that the role of the mechanism should not be confined to the preventive aspect, and demanded that it must be extend to include everything related to torture.
This draft was based on the accession of the State of Palestine to the Optional Protocol to the Convention “Against Torture and other cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment ” after President Abbas signed it on December 28, 2017,
which requires the commitment of the State of Palestine to establish the national preventive mechanism to prevent torture.
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