The Palestinian Center for Prisoners Advocacy stated that the recognition of the State of Palestine by major European countries requires a Palestinian legal response at the highest levels to protect Palestinian prisoners from systematic violations and crimes they are subjected to in the absence of an international justice system.
The center added that this recognition enables Palestine as a state to expand and activate international efforts, especially in the legal sphere, to recognize the right of Palestinian prisoners to freedom, as they are fighters for it, and against an occupying state that has no legal or moral legitimacy to continue detaining over eleven thousand prisoners, including the sick, the elderly, and children under the legal age.
The center explained that this recognition qualifies the State of Palestine to pursue those responsible for the crimes of killing and liquidating prisoners, as well as those involved in depriving them of medical treatment, including Israeli judges who have, for many years, been an important link in the conspiracy against prisoners, along with Israeli security forces who fabricated charges and false accusations, leading to harsh sentences, including life sentences, without considering the special cases of women, children, the sick, and other prisoners.
The center emphasized the need to strengthen the legal protection of prisoners, as recognizing Palestine as a state party to the Geneva Conventions opens the door to classifying Palestinian prisoners as prisoners of war, granting them special protection under international humanitarian law and the possibility of resorting to the International Criminal Court to prosecute violations against prisoners, such as torture or administrative detention, as war crimes. The recognition also strengthens Palestine’s legitimacy in filing official complaints before international bodies like the Human Rights Council and the International Court of Justice, giving a stronger legal dimension to prisoner issues and allowing the State of Palestine to demand the implementation of UN resolutions related to prisoners’ rights, based on its status as a recognized state.
The center considered that this recognition provides a strong boost to human rights organizations defending prisoners, granting them new legal tools to document violations and demand accountability, which has been delayed for years and decades, and is now overdue.
