The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the case of Mr. Abdel Aziz Dweik, Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), as outlined in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/181/11(a)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 180th session (May 2007),

Noting that Mr. Dweik has remained in detention since his arrest during the night of 5 to 6 August 2006 by the Israeli Defence Forces, which came in the context of the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier, that he is accused of being a member of a terrorist organization and assuming a leadership role in it; but that no trial is taking place as hearings are constantly postponed,

Noting further that Mr. Dweik is said to be held in deplorable conditions and denied access to the medical care he needs,

1. Deplores the failure of the Israeli parliamentary authorities to respond to the IPU's repeated requests for information on Mr. Dweik's situation and its lack of cooperation; can only interpret this as disregard for the serious human rights concerns the IPU has consistently expressed in this matter;

2. Notes that there is nothing which would enable it to change its position that Mr. Dweik's arrest and current detention are quite unrelated to any criminal activity on his part - unless being elected in a free and fair election is considered a crime - and that his arrest and continuing detention are consequently arbitrary and violate his fundamental right to freedom;

3. Reaffirms, moreover, that Mr. Dweik's arrest and continuing detention not only prejudice the right of the Palestinian citizens who elected him to be represented by the person of their choice, but also constitute an affront to the Palestinian Legislative Council itself, whose authority the Speaker symbolizes;

4. Urges therefore the Israeli authorities to release Mr. Dweik forthwith, or to bring founded and recognizable charges of criminal activity against him and try him in open court fully respecting international fair trial standards;

5. Remains deeply concerned - in the absence of any official information on this point - at Mr. Dweik's conditions of detention and the lack of appropriate medical care; and urges the Israeli authorities to respect the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and to afford Mr. Dweik without further delay the medical care he needs; 

6. Reiterates its wish for the Committee to be permittedto pay Mr. Dweik a private visit;

7. Requests the Secretary General to convey the IPU's concerns in this case to the competent Israeli authorities;

8. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held on the occasion of the 118th Assembly of the IPU (Cape Town, April 2008).

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