We
have been participating with the UN Commission's sessions since 10 years
now motivated by the issue of the Arab and Lebanese detainees in the
Israeli prisons. In each session, the commission have issued calls for
Israel to release the Lebanese detainees and allow human right
organizations visits.
Nevertheless,
our participation took a great importance this year, for the following
two reasons:
1-It
took place after the exchange operation between Hezbullah and Israel in
Jan 29,
2-There
was a semi consensus within the commission to reject the Lebanese draft
last years:
- Session 56: 51 approval, 1
abstention, and 1 opposition
- Session 57: 33 approval, 19
abstention , and 1 opposition
- Session 58: 34 approval, 17
abstention , and 2 oppositions
- Session 59: 32 approval, 20
abstention, and 1opposistion
But
the impression prevailed this year was that there are no more Lebanese
detainees left in Israel
after the exchange operation. And thus efforts were made by Israel and the
United States along with some foreign countries, in a attempt to obstruct
the Lebanese resolutions on the situation of the Lebanese detainees in the
Israeli prisons, which was presented in the sixiteith session of the
Commission on human rights.
As
a defiance, we arranged a meeting with Mr. Jan Obeid, Lebanese minister of
foreign affairs, in March 18, 2004, in which we assured our complete
coordination with the Lebanese diplomatic delegation in Geneva,
presenting the draft resolution.
Our
next step was preparing a documentary folder in both Arabic and English
Languages, which included:
1-
A memorandum about Samir Al Kantar, the disappearances and the martyrs' corpses.
2-
A memorandum about Samir's detention conditions.
3-
A memorandum about the situation of Palestinian detainees.
4-
Testimony of Anwar Yasseen, the released detainee.
5-
Testimony of Bassam Al Kantar,Samir's brother.
6-
A list of the detainees of Al-Julan.
7-Sending
out a global appeal, calling for the freedom of Samir Al-Kantar and the
Our
first meeting in Geneva was with the Lebanese ambassador, Jobran Soufan,
who spoke of the obstacles they have faced and their insistence to present
and support the Lebanese draft resolution up to be approved. We also met
with many diplomatic corps and human organizations such as Mr. Faraj
Fneish, the Arab Region coordinator of the high Commission
on human rights, and Mr.Ahmad Al Sweisi, the director of the
International organization 'Nord Sud'.
From
another side, the Lebanese diplomatic delegation arranged a meeting with
the council of Arab Ambassadors on March 29, in which we informed them
about the aims of our delegation in the session and we assured on the
importance of the Arab support for this issue in order to face the Israeli
obstinacy towards Samir Al- Kantar's case. However, the ambassadors have
asserted that the Lebanese resolution is an Arabian one and thus is highly
supported by the Arabs group. Mounting efforts to raise the
issue of the Arabs and Palestinians in the Israeli detention camps
was also a demand.
On
the margin, we held a press conference in the united nations place, where
we presented a document about Samir Al kantar, the disappearances and the martyrs' corpses, in addition to the
situation of Palestinian, Jordanian and Syrian detainees. Through this
conference, we called out for an international commission that
investigates in field the health conditions of those detainees.
In
front of the participants, Anwar Yasseen presented a brief testimony of
the torture he was subjected to and his suffering all through the 17 years
he spent in the Israeli detention camps; many participants considered
Anwar’s testimony as one of the most important presentations in the sixtieth
session.
In
the place of the high Commission on human rights, the Lebanese delegation
assembled with the special committee concerned with the Israeli violations
in the Arabian occupied lands. This committee listened to a detailed
description of the torture that the Lebanese detainees suffered in Khiam
Detention Camp, and all Israeli prisons, in addition to other violations
that were practiced by Israel on the Lebanese lands such as the kidnapping
and mining operations. Also a document about the situation of Samir Al
Kantar and the Arab detainees was enclosed.
Lina
Tabbal, lawyer of Marwan Al Barghouti, shared in this meeting presenting
the case of Al Barghouti and other Palestinian detainees.
In
its turn, the committee informed us that one delegation will visit Lebanon
by the end of May 2004, in coordination with the Lebanese ministry of
foreign affairs. Consequently, we shall prepare a widened meeting during
this visit in which the visiting committee shall listen to testimonies
from the families of the detainees, disappearances, the victims of mines
as well as the ex-detainees.
In
March 30, 2004, we visited the main office of the International committee
of Red Cross in Geneva where we met the president of the Near East
Operations Room, Mrs.Suzan Swann, who received the complete file of Samir
Al Kantar, the disappearances and the Arab detainees in Israel. In this
course, We asked to devote a special concern for this issue especially
after depriving the detainees from the gains that have been achieved by
the struggling movement after the breaking out of the Palestinian
revolution. In her turn, Mrs.Swann promised that the International
Committee of Red Cross will follow up this issue.
On
the other hand, many solidarity activities were organized in Geneva and
Zurich in which Arab and Swiss activists participated.
The
role of the Lebanese Diplomatic Delegation:
Our
attitude in the sixtieth session has supported the Lebanese attitude,
which considered that the issue of detainees hasn't been solved yet.
Nevertheless, Mr. Jobran Soufan, the Lebanese ambassador, played an
important role in explaining the Lebanese viewpoint and setting up the
issue as an item within this session.
In
his speech, within the ninth
item ''the situation of the human rights of the Lebanese detainees in
Israel'', Mr. Soufan asked for the freedom of Samir Al-Kantar, the
uncovering of the disappearances destiny and the delivery of the martyrs' corpses;
this speech was effective in a way that it angered the Israeli ambassador
who replied that Samir Al Kantar is a criminal not a detainee, he then
denied the existence of disappearances and detainees in Israel. Here, the
Lebanese Ambassador answered by saying that Samir Al-Kantar is a struggler
in all meanings.
Yet,
the memorandum we prepared, which included a list of the names of
detainees in Israeli prisons
was approved as an official document. This embarrassed the Israeli
attitude because the list asserted that Israel is still holding detainees
and this brought up as
Israeli objection.
What
are the outcomes?
The
Lebanese draft resolution called Israel to release the detainees, uncover
the disappearances’ destiny, deliver the martyrs' corpses and the
mines maps, and to allow human organizations to hold investigation
missions.
The
President of the Commission on Human Rights announced that the voting for
the resolution has been suspended up till next year in order to leave the
board opened for the German mediation action. However, no matter what the
results will be, Lebanon has succeeded in achieving many things:
1-Presenting
Samir Al Kantar's issue in the United Nations as a Lebanese fighter that
2-Approving
that the exchange operation didn't solve this issue yet.
3-Presenting
the issue of the martyrs' corpses and disappearances for the international
4-Presenting
the suffering of the released detainees as victims of torture through
5-Presenting
the issue of the Palestinian and Arab detainees in the Israeli prisons.
We
can say that the issue of Samir Al Kantar was the main concern of Lebanon
during the session, and what has been achieved shall develop the
international solidarity campaign with the disappearances and Samir
Al-Kantar, and also urges the formation of an international commission to
investigate and uncover the disappearances' destiny, and consolidates the
22nd of April, the day of Samir Al-Kantar and the Arab Detainees, a
solidarity day among the Arabian and Palestinian prisoners and victims of
torture all over the world..
6/4/2004
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