Are you planning to hold a protest? It doesn’t matter what the platform is, or what or who you are protesting. Freedom of expression is your basic right and the DocoRights project is here to serve you.
DocoRights is a project designed to assist and support activists by promoting freedom of expression and the right to protest. The project is a collaboration between The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, The Human Rights Defenders Fund, The Forum for Coexistence in the Negev, Tmura- the Israeli Anti-Discrimination Legal Center and Shatil. The project offers a variety of tools, among them photography workshops, smartphone apps with useful information, training sessions for activists, renting out of video cameras for documenting protests, and more.
Mini Pamphlet on Rights for Demonstrators
A mini pamphlet on rights in Arabic, Hebrew, Amharic and English, which includes basic information on what is allowed and prohibited at protests; demonstrators’ rights in cases of violence, damage, detention and arrest. The pamphlet is distributed at protests, and is also available as a smartphone app, so it is always accessible to activists in the field. A quick five-minute read provides you with useful information and details on who to contact in case you need assistance in real time.
You can download, print and read the Pamphlet here.
To download the app click here or search for “Mini-Pamphlet for Demonstrators.”
To receive hard copies of the pamphlet for groups, please contact project coordinator Shirli Nadav: docorights@Acri.org.il
Workshops
Photography Workshop for Documenting Demonstrations and Protest Events The workshop includes three meetings and independent practice in the field. The participants learn the dos and don’ts of documenting events in general and demonstrations specifically, as well as video editing, how to use cameras, video cameras, extreme cameras and smartphone cameras. The workshop also includes a legal component on relevant topics, such as: the rights of protesters before and during a demonstration; police obligations before and during a demonstration; crowd dispersal; detention and arrest of protesters; the use of force by police and by protesters; the importance of accurate and effective photography during a demonstration; when it is permitted to film a police officer and how to film so the footage can serve as evidence in court. The workshops are provided across the country by Keren Manor and Oren Ziv, professional photographers and editors from Activestills, a collective of documentary photographers who operate out of a strong conviction that photography is a vehicle for social and political change, and who specialize in documenting demonstrations and protest events. The workshops are run in coordination with Shatil.
Open Workshops on Rights During Demonstrations and Arrest
Periodic workshops operated in coordination with lawyers and social activists who are experts on freedom of expression and protest. Participants in the workshop will learn about the legality of protests, permits, crowd dispersal, police authorities, the rights of demonstrators during detention and arrest, the conditions for establishing a protest tent, filing a complaint with the Police Internal Investigation Department and collecting evidence when filing a damages claim.
Workshops, designed for social activists and the public at large, are free of charge. For more information, contact ACRI project coordinator Shirli Nadav: docorights@Acri.org.il.
Documenting demonstrations and protest events
It is important to document what goes on at demonstrations and record any infringement of rights such as police brutality, arrests and attempts to obstruct freedom of expression and protest. Documentation can be effective in many situations, among them, to serve as evidence in legal proceedings; when filing complaints with the Police Internal Investigation Department; filing damages claims and of course to generate policy shifts. We encourage you to rent video cameras, extreme cameras and other photo equipment from us to document demonstrations and protest events. We will provide you with assistance on how to operate the cameras and assist in using the materials as evidence. You can also request the project’s field coordinator be present at the demonstration with a camera to help document it. We hope to eventually create a database of photographers who are available to document protest events.
To order photo equipment and get support, please fill out this form and email: docorights@acri.org.il.
Hotline for difficulties with protest permits and assistance during a protest
Protest organizers can turn to the project’s field coordinator for more information about their rights and to find solutions in situations in which rights have been violated, as well as accompaniment in requesting a permit for a protest, help overcoming obstacles posed by the authorities in authorizing the protest and consultation in cases of police brutality during the protest. In the event of illegal terms for issuing a protest permit or during the protest itself, the field coordinator is available immediately and can accompany and assist demonstrators in real time. Contact Shirli Nadav: 052 8606023
Fieldwork and collecting information
Part of the project includes collecting information from activists and the public about the infringement of rights during demonstrations and about illegal terms set by the Israel Police and other bodies – like Magen David Adom or Firefighters. The field coordinator is present at protests that have a high potential for infringements of freedom of expression and protest, and in the event of arrest, collects video footage and testimonies about the arrestees and communicates with their lawyers.
