International Conference for the Release of Palestinian Prisoners
12 September 2026 – Geneva
Under the slogan:
I. The International Conference on the Rights of Palestinian Prisoners under International Law
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This conference comes against the backdrop of ongoing violations against Palestinian prisoners, including administrative detention, torture, medical neglect, and the detention of children and women, in flagrant breach of international humanitarian law and human rights law. The conference seeks to move the prisoners’ cause from the realm of moral solidarity toward an effective international legal and institutional track.
I. Palestinian Prisoners: A Test of International Justice
No justice without the prisoners’ freedom - toward legal accountability and an end to impunity
1. Venue, Date, and Format
Venue: International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG), International Geneva
Date: A preliminary rights-focused media campaign runs from 7 to 10 September, followed by the main conference events on 12 September, from 11:00 to 18:00.
Format: In person with live streaming | Simultaneous interpretation (Arabic – English – French) | Audiovisual and written documentation
2. Conference Objectives
i. General Objective:
Internationalising the cause of Palestinian prisoners as a matter of human rights and international ethics and working to mobilize international accountability mechanisms.
ii. Specific Objectives:
● Highlighting grave violations against prisoners according to international legal frameworks.
● Providing international institutions with documented actionable legal files.
● Building a long-term international human-rights coalition in support of the prisoners’ cause.
● Pushing for concrete action within the United Nations and European parliaments.
● Strengthening the role of diaspora communities in the West in organised legal and media advocacy.
iii. Target Audiences
● United Nations bodies and their special mechanisms.
● International and regional human rights organisations.
● European parliamentarians and policymakers.
● Diplomats and representatives of permanent missions to the United Nations.
● Academics and researchers in international law.
● International and European media.
● Representatives of Palestinian and Arab diaspora communities in Europe.
3. Session Programme
i. Opening Session (30 minutes)
● Address by the organising body.
● Address by a prominent international human-rights figure.
● A recorded message of solidarity from a released prisoner or a prisoner’s family member.
ii. Session One: The International Legal Framework for the Prisoners’ Cause (40 minutes)
● Palestinian prisoners in light of the four Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.
● Administrative detention: assessing its legality under international humanitarian law.
● State responsibility and the duty of care to prevent violations of detainees’ rights.
iii. Session Two: Systematic Violations of Palestinians prisoners within Detention Facilities (40 minutes)
● Torture and ill-treatment: evidence and field documentation.
● Medical neglect and deaths in custody: documented cases and their legal implications.
● Detention of children and women: gaps in protection and international monitoring mechanisms.
iv. Session Three: International Accountability Mechanisms and the Role of Civil Society (60 minutes)
This extended session brings together the institutional and field dimensions of addressing the Palestinians cause, divided into two complementary tracks:
Track One — International Accountability Mechanisms:
● The Human Rights Council and Special Procedures: referral and follow-up mechanisms.
● The International Criminal Court: its jurisdiction and the potential for its application to the prisoners’ cause.
● Universal jurisdiction in Europe: successful precedents and future prospects.
Track Two — The Role of Diaspora Communities and Civil Society:
● Models of successful advocacy campaigns: lessons learned and best practices.
● Effective coordination with European parliaments and the media.
● Building an impactful and sustainable human-rights discourse: tools and methodology.
v. Closing Session (45 minutes)
● Presentation of the conference’s final recommendations.
● UN figures: current or former Special Rapporteurs, Human Rights Council experts, and UN officials working on detention and torture files.
● International law experts: professors of international humanitarian law, lawyers specialising in war crimes, and transitional justice experts.
● International human rights organisations: representatives of independent organisations and human rights researchers.
● Live testimonies: released prisoners, prisoners’ families, and doctors and lawyers who have followed documented detention cases.
● Parliamentarians and diplomats: European MPs known for their support of human rights, and former diplomats.
5. Expected Outcomes
● An official closing statement distributed to international institutions and European parliaments.
● Evidence-based legal recommendations addressed to United Nations mechanisms.
● A comprehensive documented file to be used in subsequent international campaigns.
● An international support network for the prisoners’ cause, formed by conference participants.
Freedom and dignity for the Palestinian prisoner… an inalienable right