Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is an independent Palestinian human rights organization headquartered in Gaza City. Established in April 1995 by Palestinian lawyers and human rights activists, the centre focuses on monitoring, documenting, and reporting alleged human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the broader Israeli-Palestinian context. Its work addresses conduct attributed to Israeli military and security forces, as well as abuses and restrictions imposed by Palestinian authorities and armed groups. PCHR combines field investigation, legal analysis, public reporting, advocacy, and engagement with domestic and international accountability mechanisms. Its reports commonly examine civilian harm, military operations, restrictions on movement, settlement activity, detention, torture, freedom of expression, political rights, gender and group rights, and the administration of justice. The organization has also pursued or supported legal complaints and has argued that failures to investigate alleged violations can justify the use of alternative judicial remedies, including universal-jurisdiction proceedings abroad. The centre presents its mission through three principal commitments: protecting human rights and advancing the rule of law according to international standards; helping develop democratic institutions and an active civil society within Palestinian society; and supporting the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and independence under international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. Its stated political philosophy is critical of the Oslo framework, which it views as having left unresolved core issues including statehood, Jerusalem, refugees, and settlements. PCHR has also addressed human rights concerns within Palestinian-governed areas. Examples include opposition to capital punishment in the Palestinian territories, criticism of restrictions imposed by Hamas on students seeking to study abroad, and reporting on violence and political repression. Its external advocacy has included criticism of Israeli settlement-related activity, restrictions on access to holy sites, military conduct, and alleged impunity for abuses. The organization receives support from a mixture of governmental, nongovernmental, charitable, religious, and international sources. Publicly identified supporters and partners have included the Sweden chapter of the International Commission of Jurists, the Ford Foundation, NOVIB, the Open Society Fund, Christian Aid, DanChurchAid, Grassroots International, the European Commission, Irish Aid, Kvinna till Kvinna, Al Quds Association Malaga, the Royal Danish Representative Office, and the Norwegian Representative Office. It has also received support from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for work relating to a Women and Group Rights Unit. PCHR maintains consultative or affiliated relationships with Arab, European, and United Nations organizations. It received the 1996 French Republic Award on Human Rights jointly with the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and won the Bruno Kreisky Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Area of Human Rights in 2002. Raji Sourani, a prominent Palestinian lawyer and human rights advocate, has served as the centre's director. The organization remains an active, politically consequential source of documentation and legal advocacy concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, although its assessments are contested by parties that dispute its legal or political conclusions.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights was established in Gaza City in April 1995 by Raji Sourani and a group of Palestinian lawyers and human rights activists. Its creation followed a period in which documenting violations, civilian harm, detention, restrictions on movement, and the conduct of military and security forces had become central concerns for Palestinian civil society. PCHR was organized as an independent human rights body rather than as a commercial enterprise or governmental institution. From its inception, the centre defined its mandate broadly. It sought to monitor and document the conduct of Israeli military forces in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, while also addressing abuses committed by Palestinian authorities and armed actors. Its work has included field investigations, witness interviews, legal analysis, thematic reports, public statements, and submissions directed at domestic and international institutions. A recurring feature of its advocacy has been the demand that alleged violations be investigated effectively and that those responsible face appropriate accountability. PCHR's principles combine universal human rights standards with Palestinian political and national claims. It promotes the rule of law, democratic institutions, and an active civil society, and supports Palestinian self-determination and independence under international law and United Nations resolutions. At the same time, its stated philosophy rejects the Oslo Accords as inadequate because, in its assessment, they failed to resolve central issues involving Palestinian statehood, Jerusalem, refugees, and Israeli settlements. The organization therefore presents human rights protection as inseparable from questions of occupation, political rights, and international accountability. During the Second Intifada and subsequent periods of conflict, PCHR expanded its documentation of alleged violations and emphasized what it described as patterns of impunity. In a 2003 report concerning the death of American peace activist Rachel Corrie, the centre cited eyewitness accounts and stated that it had submitted more than 1,200 complaints to Israeli authorities since the beginning of the uprising without seeing prosecutions or disciplinary action in the cases it referenced. PCHR argued that failures to provide effective investigations could lead victims to seek remedies through foreign courts and universal-jurisdiction mechanisms. The centre has also criticized restrictions imposed within Palestinian-controlled areas. In 2011, it objected to a Hamas decision preventing seven students from leaving Gaza to participate in a year-long scholarship program in the United States. It has repeatedly called for the abolition of capital punishment in the Palestinian territories and has issued reports on internal violence, political repression, and the treatment of civilians. Its public statements have additionally addressed Israeli settlement activity, access to religious sites, military operations, and the use of force against Palestinians. PCHR developed relationships with Arab, European, and United Nations organizations through consultative and affiliative arrangements. Its recognition includes the 1996 French Republic Award on Human Rights, received jointly with the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, and the Bruno Kreisky Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Area of Human Rights in 2002. Its funding model has relied on a diverse group of governmental, nongovernmental, charitable, religious, and international donors. The organization has identified support from European governments and representatives, international foundations, development and humanitarian organizations, and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Raji Sourani has remained the centre's director and is its most publicly associated figure. His reported inability to obtain permission to leave Gaza for a human rights conference in 2008 became an example of the mobility constraints facing Palestinian activists and civil society leaders. PCHR continues to produce research and advocacy concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In August 2025, it issued a report characterizing Israel's conduct in Gaza as genocide, reflecting the organization's continuing use of international legal terminology in its analysis of the conflict. As with many organizations operating in a highly polarized conflict environment, PCHR's findings and legal conclusions are politically contested, but the centre remains a significant Palestinian source of field documentation and human rights advocacy.

• 2025

  Issues genocide report concerning Gaza

  [1]Palestinian Centre for Human Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  PCHR released a report in August 2025 concluding that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

• 2011

  Criticizes student travel restrictions

  [1]Palestinian Centre for Human Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  PCHR criticized Hamas for stopping seven students from traveling to the United States for a scholarship program.

• 2008

  Director reportedly denied exit permit

  [1]Palestinian Centre for Human Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  Director Raji Sourani was reportedly prevented from leaving Gaza to attend a human rights conference.

• 2003

  Publishes Rachel Corrie accountability report

  [1]Palestinian Centre for Human Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  PCHR published a report concerning Rachel Corrie's death, eyewitness testimony, and alleged failures to prosecute or discipline those responsible for violations.

• 2002

  Receives Bruno Kreisky human rights award

  [1]Palestinian Centre for Human Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  The centre was recognized for outstanding achievements in the field of human rights.

• 1996

  Receives French Republic Award on Human Rights

  [1]Palestinian Centre for Human Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  PCHR jointly received the award with the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel.

• 1995

  Centre founded in Gaza

  [1]Palestinian Centre for Human Rightsen.wikipedia.org

  Raji Sourani and Palestinian lawyers and activists established PCHR in April 1995 as an independent human rights organization.

Independent Palestinian human rights organization combining field documentation, legal analysis, public advocacy, and accountability work, with a particular focus on violations connected to the Israeli occupation and abuses within Palestinian-governed areas.

• Research and monitoring · 1995

  Human rights monitoring and documentation

  PCHR conducts field-based monitoring and documents alleged violations affecting Palestinians and other civilians. Its work covers military operations, killings and injuries, detention, movement restrictions, settlement activity, political repression, and other conduct assessed against international human rights and humanitarian law.

• Legal research and publications · 1995

  Legal and thematic reports

  The centre publishes incident reports, thematic studies, and legal analyses intended to preserve evidence, explain alleged violations, and support advocacy before Palestinian, Israeli, and international institutions. Its publications frequently address accountability, civilian protection, occupation, and the application of international law.

• Legal advocacy · 1995

  Accountability and legal advocacy

  PCHR submits complaints, communicates with authorities, and advocates for investigations and prosecutions in cases involving alleged violations. It has also promoted the possible use of foreign judicial remedies and universal jurisdiction when domestic investigations are considered inadequate.

• Rights advocacy

  Women and Group Rights Unit

  PCHR has developed work concerning women and group rights, supported in part through assistance from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The unit's role is associated with research and advocacy concerning groups whose rights may be affected by conflict, governance, or discriminatory practices.

• 2025

  Characterizes conduct in Gaza as genocideStrategy

  Background

  PCHR analyzed Israel's conduct during the Gaza war through the framework of international criminal and humanitarian law.

  Action taken

  In August 2025, the centre released a report concluding that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

  Aftermath

  The report represented a forceful escalation in the legal characterization used in PCHR's public advocacy concerning the Gaza conflict.

  Source

• 2011

  Opposes Hamas restriction on student travelOther

  Background

  Seven high-school students were reportedly prevented from leaving Gaza to attend a year-long scholarship program in the United States.

  Action taken

  PCHR publicly criticized the restriction as inconsistent with the students' educational opportunity and freedom of movement.

  Aftermath

  The episode illustrated PCHR's willingness to criticize Palestinian authorities as well as Israeli authorities when it considered rights to be infringed.

  Source

• 2003

  Advocates alternative accountability mechanisms for alleged war crimesStrategy

  Background

  PCHR argued that repeated failures to investigate complaints concerning alleged violations could leave victims without effective domestic remedies.

  Action taken

  The centre stated that victims could pursue judicial remedies abroad, including proceedings based on universal jurisdiction, where domestic authorities failed to conduct full and fair investigations.

  Aftermath

  The position reinforced PCHR's emphasis on international accountability and legal avenues beyond the authorities directly connected to the alleged conduct.

  Source

1. 1Palestinian Centre for Human Rightsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Palestinian Centre for Human Rights official websitepchrgaza.org