Legal encounter on human rights for judges, prosecutors

Birzeit University’s Institute of Law and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung jointly held a legal encounter to discuss the responsibilities of judges and prosecutors in the administration of justice and examine their performance in guarding human rights. The encounter, held on November 18, 2019, featured Mohammed Alkhader, a researcher in constitutional law at the Institute of Law, and Ammar Jamous, a legal researcher at the Independent Commission of Human Rights (ICHR).

Alkhader focused on three issues related to human rights, namely the key features of mandatory human rights in the Palestinian judicial system, the extent to which human rights are enshrined in the law in Palestine, and the obligations of judges and prosecutors in respecting human rights. He pointed out that judges and prosecutors have a supervisory role over the implementation of human rights in their profession. According to Alkhader, their judgements should be objective and transparent, and they should be able to uphold the rule of law, including human rights standards.

Jamous asserted that the function of the judicial system and public prosecution is not only limited to conflict resolution, but also serves to prevent public and security-sector workers from becoming complicit in human rights abuse. He stated that the domestic courts’ internalization of international agreements is central to the effective implementation of human rights law.