Swiss FM: IHFFC elects 15 members

The Swiss Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that the 15 members of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) were elected at a diplomatic meeting in the Swiss Capital Bern.The new Commission includes Prof. Ghalib Djilali from Algeria and Dr. Mohamed M. Al Kamali from the United Arab Emirates. The other members are Amb. Susana M. Ruiz Cerruti from Argentina, Prof. Eric David from Belgium, Prof. Thilo Marauhn Germany and Prof. Stelios Perrakis from Greece.The commission includes also Prof. Flavia Lattanzi from Italy, Prof. Shuichi Furuya from Japan, Dr. Justinas Zilinskas Lithuania and Dr. Elzbieta Mikos-Skuza from Poland. Capt. Valery S. Knyazev from the Russian Federation, Prof. Miodrag Starcevic Serbia, Dr. Gisela Perren-Klingler from Switzerland, Prof. Charles Garraway from the United Kingdom and Col. Hugo C. Corujo Sanseviero from Uruguay.The IHFFC is a permanent body available to act at the request of a State party involved in a conflict to investigate facts that may constitute war crimes or other violations of international humanitarian law.The newly composed Commission will take office in March 2012. Each member serves in his or her personal capacity and on the basis of the principle of impartiality. In its capacity as Depositary State of the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, Switzerland invited the 72 States that have recognised the competence of the Commission to a diplomatic meeting in Bern last Friday.The 62 member States present at the meeting elected the fifteen members of the Commission for a term of office of five years.The IHFFC is a permanent institution at the disposal of the international community established pursuant to article 90 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 to ensure the implementation and respect for international humanitarian law. The experts who compose the Commission stand ready if a State involved in an armed conflict requests the services of the Commission to investigate facts that may constitute war crimes or other violations of international humanitarian law.The Commission is also empowered to offer its good offices to restore respect for the law. In addition, it is involved in advocacy and dissemination of international humanitarian law.The secretariat of the Commission is provided by the Directorate of International Law of the Swiss foreign ministry.