Ref: 5/2013

On Monday, 4 February 2013, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) made a written submission, in the form of an Individual Complaint, to Ms. Magdalena Sepulveda Carmona, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, which draws attention to the case of Ramadan Daoud Hussein Abdel Bari (51) from Gaza city, Gaza Strip (Palestine).

Ramadan Abdel Bari, who lives in Gaza together with his wife, their 8 children, and his sick mother, opened a clothing factory in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in 1985. His business was forced to shut down in 2005 as a result of the Israeli-imposed movement restrictions inside the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Second Intifada in 2000. After that Ramadan was unable to find or generate new employment, as the Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip has caused the near total collapse of Gaza’s economy, leaving many unemployed and impoverished without a chance of finding a job and generating an income for themselves and their families.

The ruining of Ramadan’s business and the subsequent impossibility to find new employment causes him and his family to live in poverty.

The ongoing Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip constitutes a form of collective punishment of the civilian population living under occupation, in contravention of Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. As the Occupying Power, Israel has the legal duty to respect the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), including Article 6, which recognizes the right to work as a fundamental right, and Article 11, which stipulates the right to adequate standard of living, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions.

PCHR will be submitting either Memorandums or Individual Complaints on a regular basis to UN Working Groups and Special Rapporteurs, to draw attention to human rights issues facing the Palestinian people.

Supplementary document: Legal briefing note

| More...