During the past year, the ICJ has proceeded to tackle vigorously several of the manifold challenges currently confronting the international human rights movement. To name just a few: the threat to the primacy of fundamental rights posed by counter-terrorism measures, the failure of many States to honour their human rights obligations they have undertaken; the struggle to preserve a rule of law upheld by an independent and impartial judiciary; and the tendencies towards the overall weakening of universal and regional systems of human rights protection. This Yearbook is intended to serve as a conduit for dissemination of information, analysis and guidance to jurists, governments, NGOs and the wider human rights community as they in their own right to strive to meet these challenges. The International Commission of Jurists was founded in 1952 to promote understanding and observance of the rule of law throughout the world. The ICJ is dedicated to the legal promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all parts of the world.In 1978, the ICJ created the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) with the task to inform lawyers of the plight of their colleagues in other countries who are persecuted for their professional work and to mobilise lawyers organisations to take action in support of them.
The ICJ Yearbook 2004 contains reports of fact-finding missions and country monitoring (e.g Swaziland, Nepal, Tunisia, Criminal Justice Reform in India and trial observations in Turkey and Malaysia) it also includes several articles on human rights and judicial independence as well as a number of judicial documents.