The ICJ welcomes that some progress has been made during the August 1997 session of the UN Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court.
Today, the ICJ condemned the shooting of demonstrators with lethal firearms, which caused the death of at least 14 Palestinians and injured 200 others.
Even when demonstrators throw stones at the security forces, the practice in countries shows that it is neither necessary nor permissible to use lethal weapons against them.
All violence used in self-defence must be necessary and proportionate to the violence used or the threat of violence. Stone-throwing rioters can be quelled by the use of water-hoses and other non-lethal measures, and the security forces can be protected with helmets and shields, The bloody events in Gaza are the consequence of a serious violation by the Palestinian Police of international and local standards.
The ICJ welcomes the establishment of a judicial Committee of Inquiry to investigate the details of the tragic incident in Gaza on 18 November 1994. Furthermore, the ICJ calls upon the Palestinian Authority to refrain from the use of lethal and indiscriminate force against civilians and to bring the actions of their agents into conformity with accepted international standards.
The ICJ said today that the on-going Israeli raids on the South of Lebanon contravene the principles of international law.
The ICJ intervened at the 49th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights stressing the need for a Special Rapporteur to investigate the human rights situation in the Occupied Territories.
The ICJ has responded sharply to the comments made by the British Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd on the recent ICJ report on Hong Kong.
Nepal: Protesters Demand Integrity, Rights, Rule of Law
India: Joint statement urging Indian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender and student activist Umar Khalid
HRC60: Statement by the International Commission of Jurists in the Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence
HRC60: International Commission of Jurists in the General Debate under Item 2