Al-Marsad | Arab Human Rights Centre in Golan Heights

(Al-Marsad is Arabic for The Observer)

Al-Marsad is an independent, not-for-profit, international legal human rights organisation headquartered in Majdal Shams, in the Occupied Syrian Golan.

The Israeli military and subsequent civilian rule have committed many human rights abuses and violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law in the Golan. These violations, while taking new forms, persist.

The lack of international intervention and absence of recognised civil society forums help to hide the harsh realities of the Golan occupation. These gaps also create a culture of impunity and free space for abuse and misadministration in most arenas of social life (including education, health, economic policy, and regional and municipal planning). For this reason, Al-Marsad has published detailed legal studies on behalf of affected individuals in the Occupied Syrian Golan, concerning: forced evictions and internal displacement, the illegality of family separation, parallel reports to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), including advocacy before the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights concerning human rights abuses, economic occupation, the Israeli exploitation of Golan water, and Israeli violations of international law more generally. Please refer to our recent Publications for more information.