March 5, 2009

Maxime Verhagen
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Bezuidenhoutseweg 67
The Hague
Netherlands

Dear Minister Verhagen,

I am writing to request your assistance with the case of Mr. Shawan Jabarin, director of the Ramallah-based human rights organization Al Haq, whom the Stichting Geuzenverzet has invited to visit the Netherlands this month to receive De Geuzen Penning.

As you are no doubt aware, the Stichting Geuzenverzet is giving the 2009 award to both Al Haq and the Jerusalem-based organization B’Tselem to honor their courageous and persistent monitoring of human rights abuses by the Israeli government and Palestinian authorities in Gaza and the West Bank.  Unfortunately, Mr. Shawan may not be able to attend the ceremony on March 13 in Vlaardingen because the Israeli military has imposed a travel ban on him for the past three years.

As a former recipient of the prize, Human Rights Watch is well aware of the award’s significance and the prestige it holds in the Netherlands.  We kindly ask you therefore to undertake all efforts on Mr. Jabarin’s behalf to urge Israel to lift the travel ban so that he may receive the prize and continue his valuable contributions to the defense of human rights.

Human Rights Watch has worked closely with Mr. Jabarin for many years.  He and his colleagues at Al Haq are valuable partners in our efforts to document human rights violations in the region.  In addition to reports on Israeli violations, Al Haq documents human rights abuses by the Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza, including violations by Hamas.

Between 1999 and 2006, Mr. Jabarin traveled abroad on eight occasions. During those years, Israeli authorities raised no concerns that might justify the imposition of a travel ban. However, since March 2006, Israeli authorities have refused to allow him to travel outside the West Bank.

The only thing that changed after March 2006 was Mr. Jabarin’s appointment as general director of Al Haq. Human Rights Watch addressed a letter to Prime Minister Olmert in March 2007 and to Defense Minister Ehud Barak in May 2008 protesting the restriction on Mr. Jabarin’s freedom of movement. Regrettably, what appears to be an arbitrary policy directed at Mr. Jabarin because of his role as a human rights defender remains in place.

The human rights activity of Mr. Jabarin, being honored by the Stichting Geuzenverzet, is precisely the work recognized as legitimate, important and valuable in the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which the EU and its member states have undertaken to support. Any effort on your behalf to help Mr. Jabarin receive the award in the Netherlands would be in the spirit of supporting the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders.

On March 5, the Israeli High Court of Justice will hear a petition brought by Mr.  Jabarin, seeking to overturn the travel ban—the fourth petition he has brought against the travel ban.  Hopefully a judgment will be rendered in time for him to attend the award ceremony next week.  In the meantime, we ask you to intervene with your counterparts in Tel Aviv, so that they may understand the significance of the Geuzen Medal, and the counter-productive decision to block a human rights defender from conducting his work.  We hope the travel ban will be lifted so that he can receive the prize in the Netherlands, and thereafter travel without restriction.

Thank you in advance,

Carroll Bogert
Associate Director
Human Rights Watch