UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, holds a second series of public hearings in Geneva.

These hearings are focused ‘on the shrinking space for civil society in the Occupied Palestinian Territory including East Jerusalem and in Israel.

The Commission will hear from human rights defenders and activists who have been subjected to or witnessed attacks, restrictions, and harassment by authorities.

These hearings will form part of the Commission’s ongoing investigative work, including for upcoming reports.

The Commission held the first series of public hearings in November 2022.

The Commission comes under the Human Rights Council and is mandated to report to the HRC on an annual basis.

In May 2021, the Human Rights Council decided to “urgently establish an ongoing, independent, international commission of inquiry to investigate, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and abuses of international human rights law leading up and since April 2021”

Aljazeera.