Ref.,: 62/2003

The Director of PCHR Raji
Sourani has been elected as a Commissioner of the International Commission of
Jurists (ICJ) during the elections recently held in
Geneva.  In its last meeting, the ICJ
Executive Committee nominated Sourani for the position of Commissioner.  With his appointment, Sourani becomes the
second Arab to hold the position of an ICJ Commissioner after the
Jordanian Asma Khader. 

On 9 May 2003, Sourani
received a letter from Dr. Louise Doswald-Beck, the Secretary-General of the
ICJ, in which she congratulated him on being elected as a Commissioner.  Sourani expressed his pleasure at being
elected, highly appreciating the efforts and work of the ICJ
and expressing his willingness to actively participate in the ICJ’s
activities. 

New Commissioners are
co-opted to the Commission on the recommendation of the ICJ Executive Committee
and subsequently elected by the Commissioners. 
Commissioners are elected for a renewable five year period.  The Commissioners are all jurists known for
their experience, knowledge and fundamental commitment to human rights and
potential Commissioners must not hold a government post or have other
potentially conflicting allegiances which may threaten their independence or
impartiality.

The Commissioners are responsible for the governance of the
organization, both defining policy and assisting in program
implementation.  All Commissioners, as
activists in the human rights field, promote, support and provide invaluable
insight and advice to the ICJ.  The
Commissioners’ work includes participating in ICJ fact-finding missions and
trial observations, representing the ICJ in international forums and actively
supporting the ICJ National Section in their country, either as a member or
patron.  The Commissioners also enhance
the activities of the organization from their positions as practicing lawyers,
judges, special rapporteurs to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
and academics. 

The ICJ, which is one of
the oldest human rights organizations, was founded in Berlin in 1952.  For over five decades, the ICJ has played a
seminal role in establishing international human rights standards and working
for their implementation. 

The ICJ is a
non-governmental organization based in Geneva. 
Its network consists of autonomous national sections and affiliated
legal organizations in 62 countries throughout the world.  The ICJ is dedicated to the primacy,
coherence and implementation of international law and principles that advance
human rights.  It provides legal
expertise to ensure that developments in international law adhere to human
rights principles and that international standards are implemented at the
national level.  The ICJ has Special
Consultative Status at the ECOSOC, UNESCO and the European Council. 

The ICJ has been involved
in the Palestinian cause for more than 20 years.  It was the first international organization
to address the issue of Israeli settlements, classifying it as a war
crime.  It was also the first
international organization to emphasize the de jure application of the Fourth
Geneva Convention to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, calling upon Israel
to implement the Convention.  PCHR and
al-Haq, Ramallah are affiliates of the ICJ.