Raymond Suttner is a prominent South African academic, legal scholar, and former anti-apartheid activist. Born into a Jewish family in Johannesburg, he was a high-ranking member of the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). For his resistance against the apartheid regime, he spent 11 years in prison, making him a political figure of significant moral authority in South Africa’s transition to democracy.
Suttner has achieved distinction in the fields of law and history, currently serving as an Emeritus Professor at UNISA. He is renowned for his in-depth research into the South African Freedom Charter, ANC history, and gender politics. His book, Inside Apartheid’s Prison, provides a detailed account of the price he paid for justice. In academia, he is regarded as an authoritative mentor for understanding the logic of the liberation movement and the spirit of the South African constitution.
Suttner is a resolute supporter of Palestinian rights, publicly framing the Palestinian struggle as a global continuation of the South African anti-apartheid movement. He has frequently written that the universal values of Judaism are incompatible with occupation and criticizes the Israeli government for using “antisemitism” as a diplomatic shield. He actively participates in international solidarity campaigns, demanding full recognition of Palestinian national sovereignty. In his article, “Lawless states and the ‘failure’ of international law – Israel’s war on the Palestinian people,” he wrote: “It is especially scandalous and embarrassing for the Israeli state to face such a charge insofar as it claims to be the state of the Jewish people and the Genocide Convention was in large measure prompted by the Holocaust against the Jews.”