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DWRC Condemns Use of Force to Disperse a Workers Sit-in in Khan Younis (Gaza Strip) September 5, 2005

After hundreds of unemployed workers' children were expulsed from public schools because their parents abstained from paying school fees in accordance with Palestinian Basic Law and a presidential decree, the Independent Labor Committees Union (workers' committees federation) organized yesterday 4/9/2005 a sit-in in the Khan Younis governorate, Gaza Strip, to request that unemployed workers be exempted from paying school fees for their children, and to protest unfair distribution of job opportunities created through the Palestinian Authority's unemployment program. During the sit-in, members of the "public order and rapid intervention" Palestinian police force and members of the National Security force destroyed the workers' protest tent and used excessive force to disperse the demonstrators: they opened heavy fire and started beating the workers, causing 14 injuries. Three of the injured workers had to be treated in Naser hospital in Khan Younis:

1. Fouad Mohammed Al-Diri, 40 years old, for heavy beating

2. Hasan Al-Darbashi, 38 years old, for heavy beating

3. Hamed Eid Farawna, 50 years old, for injuries and beating on the head

The Democracy and Workers' Rights Center in Palestine confirms that workers have the right to demonstrate and protest to defend their socio-economic rights, which was the reason for their sit-in. We also condemn the use of force by Palestinian police and security services against un-armed civilians.

We urge the Palestinian Authority to respond positively to the workers just demands. We also reaffirm that:

1. The decision of the Ministry of Education to levy school fees contravenes article 24, paragraph 1, of the Basic Law. By expulsing hundreds of workers' children from public schools at the beginning of the new school year 2005/2006 because their parents had not paid these fees, the Ministry violated the law. DWRC reiterates its demand to the Ministry of Education to implement the Basic Law, and to abide by the presidential decree issued on 15/8/2002 by late President Yaser Arafat, as well as the directives of President Mahmoud Abbas, who decided to exempt unemployed workers from paying school fees for their children in response to the letter submitted to him by DWRC and the Independent Labor Committees Union

2. DWRC demands a fair distribution of the job opportunities created by the Palestinian National Authority through its unemployment program. The implementation of this program must follow clear criteria for workers' selection based on justice, transparency, and not on a partisan and sectarian basis.

3. DWRC confirms that Palestinian security forces must not be used to repress by force workers' protest movements and demonstrations because such conduct seriously violates basic human rights, leads to an increase of internal strife and does not facilitate dialogue

4. DWRC calls upon President Mahmoud Abbas and the Council of Ministers to intervene rapidly in order to guarantee that the Ministry of Education abides by the decision to exempt unemployed workers' children from school fees. We also urge the President not to allow the security forces to arbitrarily intervene, and to stop them from using excessive force in dealing with events and incidents.

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