PRESS RELEASE

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat Appoints a New Attorney General

Ref.,: 65/99

Date: 20 June, 1999

 The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) expresses its satisfaction with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s decision yesterday to appoint Mr. Zuheir Sourani as the Attorney General for the Palestinian Authority. This position had been vacant since the May 1998 resignation of Mr. Fayez Abu Rahmeh. Sourani was a High Court of Justice judge, head of the Palestinian Criminal Court, and head of the Elections Appeals Court.

The President’s decision to appoint a new Attorney General came eight days after the decision to appoint Mr. Radwan Al-Agha as the new Chief Justice. The position of the Chief Justice had been vacant following the February 1998 dismissal of Mr. Qusai Abadleh. The vacancies in these two vital positions were widely criticized by human rights organizations. These organizations expressed their concern that these vacancies contributed to undermining the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.

PCHR hopes that the appointment of the new Attorney General will contribute to the promotion of the rule of law and the protection of human rights. PCHR receives with optimism the new Attorney General’s statements to local newspapers in which he commits himself to re-organizing and re-arranging the office of the Attorney General and the overall system of prosecution. The next period will be vital in assessing whether the new Attorney General will exercise the full range of his responsibilities in accordance with the law and especially in his relation with law enforcement bodies.

PCHR believes that filling the positions of the Chief Justice and the Attorney General helps promote justice and the rule of law in Palestine.