Ref: 17/2006
Date: 10 May 2006
Raji Sourani Elected to the Executive Committee of the International Commission of Jurists
Raji Sourani, the Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, was elected to the executive committee of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in Geneva. The selection comes three years after Sourani was elected as an ICJ Commissioner. The Honorable John Dowd, Chairman of the ICJ Executive Committee, sent a letter to Mr. Sourani informing him of the results of the elections, which were held in Geneva last week.
The ICJ, based in Switzerland, is one of the most notable legal institutions in the world, with branches in over sixty countries. It works to support and monitor the rule of law and legal protection of human rights throughout the world. PCHR is an ICJ member.
Sourani’s selection came during an ICJ election round last week. In the same round, Justice Arthur Chaskalson, former Chief Justice of South Africa, was re-elected ICJ President for a further two-year term. In addition, two new Vice-Presidents were elected: Professor Leila Zerrougui (Algeria), who most recently served as chairperson of the UN Working Group on arbitrary detention, and Professor Jochen Frowein, Director of the Heidelberg-based Max Planck Institute for Cooperative Public Law and International Law, and the former Vice-President of the European Commission of Human Rights.
The nine-member executive committee was elected. Three existing ICJ Commissioners were elected to the executive committee and six other ICJ Commissioners were re-elected. The three new members are Raji Sourani (Palestine), Professor Vojin Dimitrijevic (Serbia & Montenegro), and Justice Unity Dow (Botswana).
It is hoped that Sourani’s election to the ICJ governing body will increase the ICJ’s work and push for more activities to ensure the respect of human rights and international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Commenting on his selection, Sourani said, “Having a Palestinian member in the Executive Committee of the ICJ is very important, especially at this time. Even though we will work towards implementing international law and respect of human rights all over the world, I will work hard to increase ICJ support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and for pursuing an end to the crimes perpetrated by Israeli Occupation Forces against Palestinian civilians.”
PCHR congratulates Sourani on his election and the Centre looks forward to a more effective role by the ICJ and other international organizations in ensuring respect for International Law, including International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law in the OPT.