Ref: 75/2011
From
5-7 November, 2011, the third session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine will
convene in Cape Town, South Africa. The session will address the question: “Are
Israeli practices against the Palestinian people in breach of the prohibition
on Apartheid under international law?”
Mr.
Raji Sourani, lawyer and Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
will address the Tribunal in his capacity as an expert witness. He will focus
on the right to self-determination, and the perpetration of the crime against
humanity of persecution. The right to self-determination is an erga omnes right under international
law, and has been internationally recognised as a right of the Palestinian
people. However, this right is currently being denied consequent to Israel’s
ongoing belligerent occupation of Palestinian territory, and the illegal
policies and practices of the occupation. PCHR believe that there is sufficient
evidence to indicate that certain of Israel’s policies amount to the crime
against humanity of persecution, one of the most serious crimes of concern to
the international community. Of particular concern is the closure of the Gaza
Strip, the denial of access to justice, and persecutory policies carried out
against the Palestinian population in occupied East Jerusalem.
The Russell Tribunal on Palestine is an international
people’s tribunal created in response to the international community’s inaction
with respect to Israel’s recognised violations of international law. This
session’s jury is comprised of Stéphane Hessel, Gisèle Halimi, Ronnie Kasrils, Mairead
Maguire, Michael Mansfield, Antonio Martin Pallin, Cynthia McKinney, Aminata
Traoré, Yasmin Sooka and Alice Walker.
The first Russell Tribunal was constituted, upon an
initiative of the British philosopher Bertrand Russell and the French
philosopher and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre, in November 1966 as a response to
the crimes committed in the Vietnam War. The tribunal committee consisted of 25
notable personalities, many of which were Nobel laureates and recipients of
awards in the humanitarian and social fields.
Previous sessions
of the Tribunal focused on the role of the European Union and corporations with
respect to ongoing violations of international law in Israel and Palestine.
