Shawqi Khatib: “This is a first step towards the internationalization of the case, and it is no coincidence that it will begin in South Africa”
From 19-25 April 2008, the Chairman of the High Follow-up Committee for the Arab Citizens of Israel, five members of Adalah’s Board of Directors and staff, and eight representatives of the Committee of the Victims’ Families of October 2000 will travel to South Africa for an advocacy visit to seek international support for the group’s demand for truth, justice and accountability for the October 2000 families. This visit marks the beginning of a series of international advocacy initiatives to implement the decision made by the High Follow-up Committee, the Committee of the Victims’ Families, and Adalah following and in response to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz’s decision to close the October 2000 killings cases.
AG Mazuz announced in January 2008 that none of the police officers or commanders involved in the fatal shootings of 13 Palestinian citizens of Israel in October 2000 and the injury of hundreds of others will face criminal indictment. His decision, stressing the lack of sufficient evidence to file indictments, stands in stark contrast to the conclusions of the Official Commission of Inquiry into the October 2000 events (the “Or Commission”) issued in September 2003. The Or Commission clearly concluded that the use of snipers and live ammunition by the police and security forces was illegal and that the demonstrators posed no immediate and real threat to their lives.
The delegation to South Africa will meet with South African officials, prominent lawyers, academics, and victims’ activist groups as well as members of and experts on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which was established in 1995 and heard evidence from victims and perpetrators of apartheid. The delegates hope to learn from the experiences of the families of victims of apartheid in South Africa and to use these to identify new avenues of international advocacy to achieve full accountability and an end to the culture of impunity. The visit is being organized and hosted in partnership by South African organizations, the Foundation for Human Rights and the Legal Resources Centre - and Adalah.
Shortly before the visit, Mr. Shawqi Khatib stated that, “This is a first step towards the internationalization of this case, which for the first time is taking place within the framework of a collective, representative political decision made by the Arab public. It is no coincidence that it will begin in South Africa, which swept away the racist Apartheid regime, along with all its symbolism.”
According to Mr. Hassan Asleh, the spokesperson for the Committee of the October 2000 Victims’ Families, “We are determined to prosecute the criminals through all legitimate means until they are given their due punishment, and to achieve justice and accountability. We will do everything in our power to make this visit a gateway, to let the world hear the voices of the victims of October 2000 and the voice of the oppressed among the Palestinian people, who suffer from injustice and discrimination at the hands of the State of Israel.”
The delegation is comprised of:
Mr. Shawqi Khatib, Chairman of the High Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel
From the Committee of the Victims’ Families (October 2000): Mr. Hassan Asleh, spokesperson; Mrs. Jamileh Asleh; Mr. Tarab Yazbak; Ms. Jamila Akawi; Mr. Abd el-Moniem Abu Salah; Mr. Ebrahim Jabarin; Mr. Fuad Ghanayim; and Mr. Abbas Zaidan
From Adalah: Mr. Marwan Dwairy, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Mr. Mahmoud Yazbak, Board of Directors; Attorney Hassan Jabareen, General Director; Ms. Fathiyya Hussein, Administrative Director; and Attorney Orna Kohn