Meeting of States Parties
Thirty-second meeting
New York, 6 September 2012
Item 5 of the provisional agenda
Election, in accordance with articles 28– 34 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of nine members of the Human Rights Committee to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2012
Election of nine members of the Human Rights Committee, to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2012 *
Note by the Secretary-General
1.In conformity with articles 30, paragraph 4, and 32 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the thirty-second meeting of States parties to the Covenant will be convened by the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters on Thursday, 6 September 2012, for the purpose of electing nine members of the Human Rights Committee from a list of persons nominated by States parties (annex I) to replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December 2012 (annex II). The names of the other nine members who will continue to serve on the Committee until 31 December 2014 appear in annex III.
2.In accordance with article 30 of the Covenant, the Secretary-General, in a note verbale dated 25 March 2012, invited the States parties to submit, in conformity with article 29 of the Covenant, their nominations for the election of nine members of the Committee within three months, i.e. by 25 June 2012.
3.Annex IV contains the curricula vitae of the persons whose nominations had been received by the secretariat by the end of the day, 26 June 2012. Nominations received after this date will be issued in addenda to the present document.
Annex I
List of candidates nominated by States parties
LazhariBouzidAlgeria
Ahmed Amin FathallaEgypt
NdiaméGayeSenegal
RichardLukundaDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Kheshoe ParsadMatadeenMauritius
Nigel RodleyUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
FabiánSalvioliArgentina
Marat SarsembayevKazakhstan
Anja Seibert- FohrGermany
YuvalShanyIsrael
Konstantine VardzelashviliGeorgia
Annex II
List of the nine members whose terms expire on 31 December 2012
Mr. Lazhari BouzidAlgeria
Mr. Ahmed Amin FathallaEgypt
Mr. Rajsoomer LallahMauritius
Mr. Michael O’FlahertyIreland
Mr. Rafael RivasPosadaColombia
Sir Nigel RodleyUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Mr. Fabián SalvioliArgentina
Mr. Marat SarsembayevKazakhstan
Mr. Krister ThelinSweden
Annex III
List of the nine members who will continue to serve on the Committee until 31 December 2014
Ms. ChristineChanetFrance
Mr. CornelisFlintermanNetherlands
Mr. YujiIwasawaJapan
Mr. Walter KalinSwitzerland
Ms. Zonke Zanele MajodinaSouth Africa
Ms. Iulia AntoanellaMotocRomania
Mr. Gerald L.NeumanUnited States of America
Ms. MargoWatervalSuriname
Annex IV
Curricula vitae of candidates
Lazhari Bouzid (Algeria)
Date and place of birth: 1 January 1953, Algeria
Working languages: Arabic, English, French
Current position/function
Senator, Professor of Law and Lawyer before the Supreme Court and State’s Council
Main professional activities
October 2011 – Elected as a Rapporteur of the Human Rights Committee
January 2010 to present – Member of the Culture Commission, Council of the Nation
September 2008 – Elected as a member of the Human Rights Committee in New York by the States parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights for a term of 4 years (the term will end on 31 December 2012)
June 2007 to present – Member of the Foreign Affairs Commission, Council of the Nation
April 2007 – Nominated for a third term as Senator – the term will end in January 2013
October 2006 to present – President of the Algerian-British Parliamentary Friendship Group
December 2005 – President of the National Liberation Front party’s (FLN) Commission in charge of revising the constitution and the laws on elections and political parties
2004–2007 – Member of the Defense Commission, Council of the Nation
February 2004 – Nomination for a second term as Senator
2003–2004 – Member of the Commission in charge of drafting the Presidential programme for the 2004 electoral campaign
2001–2004 – Chairman of the Economic and Financial Affairs Commission, Council of the Nation
2000–2001 – Member of the National Education and Higher Education Commission, Council of the Nation
1998–2000 – Member of the Legal and Administrative Affairs and Human Rights Commission, Council of the Nation
December 1997 – Nominated by the President of the Republic as Senator
1997 – Professor of law at the Faculty of Law, University of Constantine, Algeria
1996 – Member of the National Commission in charge of drafting the November 28, 1996 Constitution
1992 – Associate professor at the Institute of Law, University of Constantine, Algeria
1989 to present – Lawyer before the Supreme Court and the State’s Council
1980 – Lecturer at the Institute of Law, University of Constantine, Algeria
Educational background
1976 – Bachelor of Law, University of Constantine, Algeria
1978 – Diploma in public international law, University of London
1979 – LL.M in public international law, University of London
1990 – PhD in international law, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Member of the delegation which accompanied the President of the Republic on his first visit to the United States of America (July 2001)
President of the parliamentary group which visited the European Parliament on the invitation of the latter on the eve of the vote of the European Parliament on the association agreement between the European Community and Algeria, September 2003
Member of different parliamentary groups which visited Morocco, Angola, Switzerland, the United States, Austria and the United Kingdom
Participation in a seminar organized by Wilton Park in March 2005 at the invitation of the Government of the United Kingdom
Participation in a seminar organized by Chatham House concerning the state of relations between the United Kingdom and Algeria, February 7, 2008
President of the parliamentary group which visited the United Kingdom in February 2008
Participation in a seminar organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Humanitarian Law, Cairo, May 2010
List of most recent publications in the field
The Algerian Constitutional Experiment and Human Rights, African Journal of International and Comparative Law, London, 1990
Sovereignty in the Era of Globalization, African Journal of International and Comparative Law, London, 1991
Human rights and the Constitutional Revision of 1996, Journal of Administration, Algiers, 1997
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights after Forty years of Existence”, presentation given at the invitation of the Algerian Observatory of Human Rights, Algiers, December 1998
“Article 4 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”, a presentation given at the invitation of the Mediator of the Republic, University of Oran, 1999
“The Mechanisms of the Protection of Human Rights in International Human Rights Conventions”, a presentation given at the invitation of the Algerian Observatory of Human Rights, Algiers, December 2000
“Constitutional Development in Algeria”, a presentation given at Wilton Park, United Kingdom, March 2005
Parliament and Human Rights, Parliamentary Thought Review, Algiers, 2005
Remarks on Article 120 of the Algerian Constitution, Parliamentary Thought Review, Algiers, 2005
Parliamentary Permanent Commissions, Parliamentary Thought Review, Algiers, 2006
“Parliament and the Fight against Corruption”, a presentation given at the University of Guelma, Algeria, 2006
“Policies of Stability in Algeria”, a presentation given at Chatham House, London, February 7, 2008
“Remarks on the Concept of Civil Society”, a presentation given on the invitation of the Ministry of Relations with Parliament, Algiers, 2008
“International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights”, a presentation given at the International Seminar on Emir Abdelkader and Human Rights organized by the Council of the Nation, Algiers, May 2008
“Human Rights and Climate Change”, a presentation given at the National Seminar on Climate Change organized by the Council of the Nation, May 2009
“Universal Periodic Report: The case of Algeria”, a presentation given at the invitation of the Algerian Consultative Commission on Human Rights, January 2012
“Access to Justice in Algerian Law and International Conventions”, a presentation given at the University of Biskra, January 2012
“The Notion of Economic Constitution, the case of Algeria”, a presentation given at the University of Ouergla, Algeria, February 2012
Ahmed Amin Fathalla (Egypt)
Date and place of birth: 25 November 1952, Cairo, Egypt
Working languages: French, English, Arabic
Current position/function
He is currently the First Undersecretary of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is also covering multilateral issues including all United Nations and Human Rights matters in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee
Main professional activities
On home postings he worked in the legal department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until he became Deputy Assistant Minister for Legal Affairs. He also assumed different positions including the position of Assistant Minister for Multilateral Affairs, Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs, and Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs.
One of his main tasks in the legal department was to contribute and coordinate the preparation of Egypt’s reports to all United Nations and human rights bodies, as well as lectures and presentations on United Nations matters. He served in the Permanent Missions of Egypt in New York (Sixth Committee) and Geneva (Human Rights). He was a member of the Egyptian team for the Taba Arbitration. He represented Egypt in many United Nations legal forums and assumed the post of either chairman or vice-chairman of a number of committees or working groups of these United Nations bodies.
Issues: ECOSOC, Charter Committee, non-use of force, rights of the child, migrant workers, corruption, disarmament, etc.; chaired a number of Egyptian National Committees (ICC, law of the sea, etc.).
He was a member of the Legislative Committee of the Egyptian Council for Motherhood and Childhood. He worked as the legal adviser for the Basel Convention (drafted the basic legal documents and provided legal assistance to the parties).
He served as Ambassador of Egypt to Morocco, Turkey, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
He was governor of Egypt to the Common Fund for Commodities and representative of Egypt to the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
In addition to his current position, he assumes the chairmanship of the committee in charge of the admission of new diplomats, and the committee in charge of amending the Egyptian Diplomatic Service Law, as well as the function of vice president of the Egyptian Diplomatic Institute Council.
Educational background
Attended “Jésuites” school (French Language School) in Cairo (1958–1970)
BA in Law, Cairo University, 1974
Diploma in International Relations, Institut International d’Administration Publique and Paris, 1987
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
When he was serving at the legal department he was responsible for the preparation of the two reports submitted by Egypt in 1984 and 2001 in accordance with article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
He was responsible for the promotion of the obligations of the Covenant in different national authorities responsible for the implementation of the Covenant (Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, etc.).
He was also responsible for the promotion of the rights and obligations stipulated in the Covenant through lectures and presentations delivered at several national institutions like the Egyptian Diplomatic Institute.
List of most recent publications in the field
He made a number of presentations which were published on different websites of international institutions which include, inter alia, a presentation made in The Hague Forum for Judicial Expertise on 3 October 2007 entitled “The development and extension of international law: a need for a balanced approach”. It was published in the form of a legal article on the website of The Hague Forum.
Ndiamé Gaye (Senegal)
Date and place of birth: 6 October 1969, Touba, Senegal
Working languages: French
Current position/function
Member of the judiciary, Director of Human Rights of the Ministry of Justice
Main professional activities
Director of Rights, responsible for the implementation of Government policy on the promotion and protection of human rights. Coordinator of the National Advisory Council on Human Rights, responsible for the preparation of initial and periodic reports for submission to treaty bodies. Head of the Human Rights Desk and, as such, responsible for receiving and acting upon allegations of human rights violations and for ensuring the monitoring and fulfilment of international human rights obligations and the harmonization of domestic law with those obligations. Coordinator of the working group responsible for securing the adoption and execution of a national plan of action for implementing the recommendations made in the course of the universal periodic review.
Educational background
Law degree from Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (Maîtrise in Private Law).
Diploma in the role and responsibilities of judges from the National School of Administration and the Judiciary. Specialized studies in human rights, the rights of refugees and international humanitarian law.
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Several years’ experience as a member of the judiciary in the fields of constitutional, criminal and civil law (as an investigating judge, an assistant judge attached to the Constitutional Council, an administrative assistant at the Court of Cassation, an advisory judge in the criminal division of the Court of Appeal of Dakar and a family court judge in the Departmental Court of Dakar).
Former Secretary of the Senegalese Human Rights Committee (the country’s national human rights institution). For a number of years, served as the Human Rights Director responsible for dealing with complaints and allegations of human rights violations, particularly those concerning civil and political rights.
List of most recent publications in the field
Droit sénégalais et mendicité des enfants (training manual)
“APE et pauvreté, l’approche droits humains” (article in Le Soleil)
Contentieux douanier répressif et droits de la défense (thesis)
Lukunda Vakala-Mfumu (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Date and place of birth: Kinshasa, 12 April 1970
Current position/function
Since 2006: Member of the teaching faculty (Chef de travaux) at the Law School of the University of Kinshasa, appointed by Ministerial Order No. 022/MINESU/cab.min/ fl/rs/2006 of 1 March 2006 of the Ministry of Higher and University Education
Main professional activities
Participation in the twenty-ninth ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Tripoli, Libya, 23 April–7 May 2001.
Participation in the thirtieth ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Banjul, Gambia, 13–27 October 2001. Head of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the meetings.
Expert and member of the Government delegation to the inter-Congolese political negotiations (National Dialogue), Sun City, South Africa, 24 February–20 April 2002.
Assistant to the Counsels of the Democratic Republic of the Congo before the International Court of Justice, The Hague, Netherlands, 25 May–20 June 2002, 16–22 May 2003 and 4–8 July 2005.
Participation in the thirty-second ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Banjul, Gambia, 17–23 October 2002.
Alternate representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the fifty-ninth session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland, 17 March–25 April 2003.
Participation in the United States international visitor programme, 14 June–5 July 2003.
Work in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, 29 June–5 July 2005, preparing for hearings in The Hague.
Participation as a delegate of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the third session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland, 8–17 December 2008.
Participation as a delegate of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Workshop for West and Central African National Human Rights Institutions held in Lomé, Togo, 19–21 January 2009.
Participation in the tenth regular session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland, 2–27 March 2009.
Participation in the regional workshop held in Dakar, Senegal, on the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council, 20–21 May 2009.
Participation in the twelfth regular session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland, 14 September–2 October 2009.
Participation as a delegate of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the sixth session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Geneva, Switzerland, 30 November–11 December 2009. Presentation of the national report on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Participation in the thirteenth regular session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland, 1–26 March 2010. Adoption of the outcome of the universal periodic review on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Participation in the Transregional Francophone Seminar of Rabat, Morocco, on the evaluation of the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council, 22–23 May 2010.
Participation in the workshop on economic, social and cultural rights in Johannesburg, South Africa, 30 August–2 September 2010, organized by the International Commission of Jurists and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa.
Participation in the fifteenth regular session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland, 13 September–1 October 2010.
Participation in the forty-eighth ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Banjul, Gambia, 10–24 November 2010. Head of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the meetings. Presentation of the eighth, ninth and tenth periodic reports of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the implementation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Participation in the tenth session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, Geneva, Switzerland, 24 January–4 February 2011.
Participation in the sixteenth regular session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland, 28 February–25 March 2011.
Participation in the forty-ninth ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Banjul, Gambia, 28 April–12 May 2011. Head of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the meetings.
Participation in the subregional workshop on enhancing the status and capacities of national human rights institutions in Central Africa, organized by the United Nations Subregional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 27–29 June 2011.
Participation in the eighteenth regular session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland, 12–30 September 2011.
Participation in the West and Central Africa Consultation on the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and the draft model law on access to information in Africa organized by the Human Rights Centre of Pretoria University and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, in Dakar, Senegal, 10–12 October 2011.
Participation in the regional workshop held in Kigali, Rwanda, on the implementation of the recommendations made during the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council, organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 7–8 November 2011.
Participation in the fifty-ninth session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Geneva, Switzerland, 16 January–3 February 2012. Member of the delegation presenting the initial report of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict on 18 January 2012.
Participation in the regional workshop in Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 24–26 January 2012, on building the capacity of national human rights institutions, organized by the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa.
Participation in the nineteenth regular session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland, 27 February–23 March 2012.
September–October 1996: internship in the legal affairs, claims and insurance unit of the administration department of Compagnie Sucrière, Kwilu-Ngongo, Bas-Congo.
1999–2000: staff member of the Ministry of Human Rights.
September 2000–April 2001: Head of research and mission for the Deputy Minister of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
April 2001–September 2002: Adviser to the Minister of Human Rights.
October–December 2002: Interim Chef de Cabinet of the Minister of Human Rights.
End December 2002–June 2003: Deputy Chef de Cabinet of the Minister of Human Rights.
September–December 2003: Assistant to the Chef de Cabinet of the Vice-President of the Republic responsible for reconstruction and development.
January–May 2004: Legal Adviser and Expert for the Secretary-General of the Government.
May 2004–March 2005: Chef de Cabinet (Coordinator) for the Secretary-General of the Government.
June 2007–April 2008: Assistant to the Director of the Unit responsible for the implementation of the National Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Programme.
September–October 2008: Adviser to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.
October 2008–February 2010: Adviser to the Ministry of Human Rights.
Since 2010:
Adviser on human rights to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.
Executive Secretary of the National Commission for the Preparation and Follow-Up of the Universal Periodic Review for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Permanent Secretary of the Human Rights Liaison Body in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Member of the General Secretariat and Rapporteur for the not-for-profit association Mémoire et Dignité du Congo, registered under No. 501/CAB/MIN/J &DH/2010.
Educational background
1.Primary school
1976–1982: Boboto school (formerly Albert I) in Kinshasa/Gombe. Certificate of completion of primary education: 79.2 per cent
2.Secondary school
1982–1988: Boboto school (Latin-Philosophy option). State diploma: 76 per cent (Laureate of the City of Kinshasa for literary studies 1987–1988)
3.University
1988–1996: University of Kinshasa (Law Faculty): Diplôme de Licence en Droit : 70 per cent
4. Post-university studies:
2005–2007: University of Kinshasa (Law Faculty): courses leading to Diplôme d’études spécialiséesin public law
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
1998–February 2006: Assistant to the Law Faculty of Kinshasa University (Registration No. UNIKIN: 14.170; Registration No. ESURS: 7/900.048Z)
List of most recent publications in the field
1.Les Nations Unies et le désarmement, academic paper (Kinshasa, University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN) Law Faculty, 1992–1993), 51 pages.
2.La notion d’ordre public international, thesis (Kinshasa, UNIKIN Law Faculty, Department of Public International Law and International Relations, 1995–1996), 92 pages.
3.La Conférence internationale sur la paix, la démocratie et le développement dans la région des Grands Lacs : Coquille vide ou nécessité impérieuse pour le redécollage du Congo-Démocratique. Quelques considérations sur le processus (Kinshasa, Cedi, 2004), 151 pages.
4.“Voies de sortie à l’inertie de la Communauté internationale face aux atteintes au droit à la vie”, article published in Annales de la Faculte de Droit, vol. XI–XXVII (Kinshasa, UNIKIN Law Faculty, 2003–2004), pp. 299–322.
5.“De l’Organisation de l’Unité Africaine à l’Union Africaine : réalités de développement et résolution des conflits”, collective article published in Cahiers Africains des Droits de l’Homme et de la Démocratie, Year 8, No. 20, vol. I (Kinshasa, UNIKIN Law Faculty, 2003–2004), pp. 88–95.
6.“La Conférence internationale sur les grands lacs : condition sine qua non pour une paix durable en République Démocratique du Congo ! par quels préalables ?”, article published in Cahiers Africains des Droits de l’Homme et de la Démocratie, Year 8, No. 20, vol. I (Kinshasa, UNIKIN Law Faculty, 2003–2004), pp. 113–128.
Papers presented at seminars
5 November 1999: “Le système africain de protection des droits de l’homme”, human rights training seminar organized by the Centre of Interdisciplinary Research for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Central Africa (CRIDHAC) for civics teachers, UNIKIN Law Faculty, Kinshasa.
5 April 2000: “La place du droit à la vie dans les droits de l’homme”, Loango Cultural Centre (B.P. 219 Kinshasa XI, Kinshasa/Lemba).
18 November 2000: “L’universalité du droit de punir, cas du mandat d’arrêt contre Monsieur Yerodia”, Loango Cultural Centre.
7 December 2000: “La Commission africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples et la Charte africaine : mécanismes de saisine par les ONG et les particuliers”, event organized by the International Human Rights Law Group in Kinshasa.
26 February 2003: “Etat des lieux sur la création d’un tribunal ad hoc pour la République Démocratique du Congo : négociations Gouvernement – Conseil de Sécurité”, seminar organized in Kinshasa on the subject “What justice for the Democratic Republic of the Congo?” by the International Federation for Human Rights.
25 April 2003: “Les conflits et guerres en République Démocratique du Congo : conséquences sur le bien-être des populations ; pistes de solutions”, seminar organized in Kinshasa by the National Emergency and Humanitarian Action Programme of the Ministry of Public Health.
9 May 2003: “De l’Organisation de l’Unité Africaine à l’Union Africaine : Réalités de développement et résolution des conflits”, 18th Seminar organized by the Catholic Faculties of Kinshasa (Economics and Development Faculty), 7–10 May 2003, on the subject of armed conflict resolution and development in Africa. Sponsored by the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
21 October 2008: “Les instruments juridiques des droits de l’homme”, refresher course for criminal investigation officers of the national police, organized by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights with support from UNDP.
27 May 2009: “Les normes constitutionnelles de protection des droits de l’homme : la Constitution du 18 février 2006”, human rights training seminar organized for human rights NGOs by OHCHR with support from the Carter Center and the Canadian Embassy.
12 August 2009: “Le Ministère des Droits Humains, attributions et activités” and “Le Ministère des Droits Humains et les conditions carcérales en République Démocratique du Congo”, seminar on international humanitarian law organized at the Cercle français de Kinshasa by the International Committee of the Red Cross to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.
19 August 2009: “Le Plan National de Promotion et de Protection des Droits de l’Homme : mise en œuvre, contraintes et perspectives”, National Conference on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo held in Kinshasa, 18–21 August 2009, by the Ministry of Human Rights.
16 April 2010: “Instruments et mécanismes internationaux de protection des droits de l’homme : du mécanisme de l’Examen Périodique Universel”, workshop on human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo held in Kinshasa, 13–17 April 2010, by the World Council of Churches, the organization Pain du monde and the Lutheran World Foundation.
11 August 2010: “Elaboration et présentation du rapport de l’Examen Périodique Universel (EPU) de la République Démocratique du Congo”, capacity-building seminar for members of the interministerial committee for drafting initial and periodic reports on human rights, held in Kinshasa, 10–12 August 2010, by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights with support from the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office.
22 August 2010: “L’implication des Entités commerciales dans les violations des droits humains et Accès à la justice en République Démocratique du Congo”, workshop organized in Lubumbashi on 22 August 2010 by the International Commission of Jurists with civil society support (Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and Association Africaine de défense des Droits de l’Homme (ASADHO)).
19 November 2010: “Critères de catégorisation des recommandations des droits de l’homme adressées à la République Démocratique du Congo”, seminar on the prioritization of the recommendations made by the United Nations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on human rights and the timetable for their implementation, organized by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights in Kinshasa, 19–20 November 2010, with support from the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office.
23 December 2010: “Des recommandations du Comité des Droits de l’Enfant adressées à la République Démocratique du Congo”, information meeting held in Lubumbashi with provincial division heads by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
27 April 2011: “La protection de l’enfant dans les instruments juridiques internationaux et nationaux des droits de l’homme ; Les mécanismes internationaux de protection des droits de l’enfant : mécanismes conventionnels et extra-conventionnels”, seminar on techniques for collecting data on children’s rights held in Kinshasa, 27–29 April 2011, for members of the Interministerial Human Rights Committee by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights with UNICEF support.
31 May 2011: Joint speaker (with Professor Kenge Ngomba) at a press conference on the implementation of the recommendations on children’s rights, held in Kinshasa by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights with UNICEF support.
16 June 2011: “Examen Périodique Universel (EPU) : l’expérience de la République Démocratique du Congo”, seminar for human rights NGOs held in Kinshasa, 15–16 June 2011, by the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office.
Seminar participation
5–6 October 1998: Forum on the war of aggression in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the demands of international law, organized by the Department of Public International Law and International Relations of the UNIKIN Law Faculty, Kinshasa.
18 November–10 December 1998: training seminar on human rights and international humanitarian law, held at UNIKIN and organized by UNIKIN and OHCHR to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. General rapporteur for the seminar.
9 August 1999: seminar to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
10 March 2000: seminar on the right to peace and a culture of peace, held at the UNIKIN Law Faculty with support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
6 February 2001: seminar on prison administration, organized by the Ministry of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). General rapporteur for the seminar.
24–30 June 2001: National Conference on Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights under the auspices of the President of the Republic.
8–9 October 2001: seminar-workshop on the reform of the military justice system and human rights safeguards, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights.
20–22 December 2001: seminar on the national security imperative and the guarantee of human rights, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights.
2–4 July 2002: Seminar on the public order imperative and the guarantee of human rights. Seminar for criminal investigation officers and legal officials of the police and the army, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights.
12–13 August 2002: seminar on the application of humanitarian law in places of detention, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights and ICRC on the fifty-third anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. General rapporteur for the seminar.
24–26 August 2002: seminar on collaboration mechanisms for judges, journalists, human rights defenders and agents of the security services, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights.
26 August–6 September 2002: conference on peace in Ituri, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights and the General Commissariat responsible for monitoring the peace process in the Great Lakes region. Deputy general rapporteur for the seminar.
18–21 September 2002: training seminar on techniques for drafting initial and periodic reports, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights with support from the European Union. General rapporteur for the seminar.
17–21 February 2003: seminar on defence and territorial integrity in the light of human rights requirements and international humanitarian law, arranged for officers of the Congolese Armed Forces by the Ministry of Human Rights.
22–25 April 2003: seminar on human rights, ethnicity and ethics for journalists, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights with support from the European Union. General rapporteur for the seminar.
8–30 April 2003: training seminar on human rights concepts and principles for administrators and staff of the Ministry of Human Rights, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights with support from UNDP. General rapporteur for the seminar.
26 June 2006: seminar at UNIKIN on the fate of the political institutions of the transition process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after 30 June 2006, organized by the Centre for Research on Globalization and Regional Integration in Africa (CEMIRA). Deputy general rapporteur for the seminar.
18–21 August 2009: National Conference on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, organized by the Ministry of Human Rights with support from the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office, the European Union and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA). Deputy general rapporteur for the seminar.
19–20 November 2010: seminar on the prioritization of the recommendations made by the United Nations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on human rights and the timetable for their implementation, organized by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights in Kinshasa, with the support from the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office. General rapporteur for the seminar.
29–30 November 2010: workshop on the establishment of specialized chambers within Congolese courts and transitional non-judiciary mechanisms in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, organized in Kinshasa by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, with support from the Netherlands Embassy. General rapporteur for the workshop.
4–5 May 2011: seminar on monitoring the judicial system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, held in Kinshasa with support from UNDP and Sweden. Delivered opening and closing statements on behalf of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights.
10–12 October 2001: introductory course on drafting legislation, organized by the Ministry of Justice with the European Union and RCN Justice et Démocratie.
29–30 October 2001: tripartite meetings organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on the implementation of the resolutions of the eighty-ninth session of the International Labour Conference (Geneva, 5–21 June).
11–13 December 2001: workshop of the National Technical Commission for Employment on the emergency programme to generate jobs and income in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security with the International Labour Organization.
2–7 December 2002: diplomatic conference and international forum on foreign policy, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
20–21 September 2004: seminar on appraisal management, organized by the university teaching service of the Permanent Studies Commission of the Ministry of Higher and University Education.
26 February 2009: preparatory workshop for the universal periodic review, organized by the Maison des Droits de l’Homme, with technical support from the Law and Democracy Office.
23 June 2011: seminar on ICRC and its mandate, as well as on international humanitarian law and its implementation in domestic law, organized by ICRC in Kinshasa for ministerial advisers.
Kheshoe Parsad Matadeen (Mauritius)
Date and place of birth: 26 March 1952
Current position/function
Senior Puisne Judge, Supreme Court of Mauritius
Main professional activities
My pre-judicial career was spent at the Attorney-General’s Office where I advised the various Ministries, Government Departments and the Police Force on major legal issues and appeared for the Director of Public Prosecutions in major criminal cases and for the Government in major civil cases. My duties also comprised a heavy component of legislative drafting.
I was elevated to the rank of Queen’s Counsel in 1991.
After holding the posts of Parliamentary Counsel and Solicitor-General successively I was made a Judge of the Supreme Court in 1994 and was appointed Senior Puisne Judge (the equivalent of Deputy Chief Justice) in 2007.
I have also been a Judge of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of the Seychelles from 1999 to 2003 and am since 2005 a Judge of the Appellate Division of the Court of Justice of the COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) which sits in Lusaka, Zambia.
Educational background
LLB (Hons) (London) (1977)
Barrister-at-Law of the Middle Temple (1978)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
I have actively participated in a number of seminars, workshops and conferences, both at national and international level, on issues dealing with Human Rights.
As Solicitor-General I was responsible for the preparation of the several national periodic reports required to be submitted under various U.N. Conventions.
I prepared and presented the second periodic report for Mauritius to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva in July 1989.
I have also been a regular intervener at the annual SADC Chief Justices Forum where a number of issues involving Human Rights in Africa are normally discussed.
Since 1998, I have been a regular participant at the Annual Workshop organized by Trinity College, Dublin for the African Chief Justices and Senior Judiciary. The various topics discussed every year have invariably included Human Rights.
I have over the years been a member or chairman of several statutory bodies.
I was awarded the Commonwealth Foundation fellowship in 1989 and the report I submitted was circulated at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting of that year.
I have a keen interest in legal education. I have been for a number of years a part-time lecturer in law at the University of Mauritius and was also for a brief period the Head of the Law School.
I have also lectured at the Council of Legal Education of which I have been successively a member and from 1996 to 2008 the Chairman.
I have been a member of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association for more than three decades and I still take an active part in most of the Commonwealth Law Conferences.
Professor Sir Nigel Rodley (United Kingdom)
Date and place of birth: 1 December 1941
Working languages: English, French, Spanish and some German
Current position/function
2001 – present: Member (UN) Human Rights Committee
2011 – present: Human Rights Committee Special Rapporteur on New Communications and Provisional Measures
1994 – present: Professor of Law (Reader 1990–94) University of Essex, Colchester, UK (subjects taught: International Law; International Human Rights; Jurisprudence)
Director, University of Essex LL.M. in International Human Rights Law. Chair, University of Essex Human Rights Centre (2003–present)
Commissioner, International Commission of Jurists (since 2003)
Member, Council of Justice (British branch of the International Commission of Jurists since 2001)
Member, Editorial Committee, British Year Book of International Law (since 2001)
Member, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Expert Panel on Torture (from 1998 to current)
Trustee, Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture (since 2004)
Chair, Board of Trustees, International Centre for Prison Studies (since 2011)
Rapporteur, First and Second Annual Meetings of UN Commission on Human Rights Special Procedures (1994, 1995); Chairperson, Sixth Meeting (1999)
Main professional activities
2003–2004; 2009–2010: Human Rights Committee Vice-Chairperson
2007–2008 Human Rights Committee: Special Rapporteur on follow-up to Concluding Observations
1993–2001: UN Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture
Dean of the University of Essex School of Law (1992–1995)
1973–1990: Legal Adviser, (Founding) Head of Legal and Intergovernmental Organisations Office, International Secretariat of Amnesty International (AI) (Main responsibilities: representing AI at meetings and conferences of major United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies concerned with drafting new international legal standards, establishing machinery to monitor their implementation and promoting and protecting human rights; providing information and advising on international and comparative law aspects of human rights information and publications; participating in research and negotiation missions to specific countries)
1973–1990: Part-time Lecturer in International Law, London School of Economics and Political Science
1983: Academic Visitor, London School of Economics and Political Science (wrote ‘The Treatment of Prisoners under International Law’, first edition)
1970–72: Research Fellow, Centre for International Studies, New York University (Research and writing in international law and political science)
1969–72: Visiting Lecturer of Political Science, Graduate Faculty, New School for Social Research, New York (Subjects taught: International Law; UN Secretariat; Law and Practice of the United Nations)
1968–69: Associate Economic Affairs Officer, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, New York (Drafting discussion documents and servicing international meetings on legal and organisational aspects of international economic cooperation)
1965–68: Assistant Professor of Law, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Subjects taught: International Law; International Economic Transactions; Contracts; Legal Research, Writing and Bibliography)
Educational background
LLB, University of Leeds (UK); LLM, Columbia and New York Universities (USA)
PhD, University of Essex (UK)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
2008 Elected Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians
2005 Joint recipient of the American Society of International Law’s Goler T Butcher Medal for distinguished service to human rights
2000 Honorary Doctor of Laws, Dalhousie University, Canada
List of most recent publications in the field
The Treatment of Prisoners under International Law, 1987, 1999, 2009
International Law in Western Hemisphere, 1974
Enhancing Global Human Rights, 1979
To Loose the Bands of Wickedness – International Intervention in Defence of Human Rights, 1992
International Response to Traumatic Stress, 1996
Conference on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Acute Crisis, 1998
Toward a More Effective Integrated System of Human Rights Protection by the United Nations, 1993 (for Vienna World Conference on Human Rights)
Annual Reports of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture, 1994–2002
Various official reports on visits to individual countries in role of UN Special Rapporteur
Henry-Dunant Institute (Geneva) Seminar for Francophone Heads of Prison Administration, Bujumbura (1990)
University of Lund (Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights, 1991, 1992 and 2000)
African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, Banjul (1991)
United Nations Human Rights Training Course for Law Enforcement Officials, Malta (1991)
University of Essex Training Programme for Senior Administration of Justice Officials from Small Commonwealth Countries (1991)
United Nations Human Rights Training Course for Law Enforcement Officials, Albania (1992)
University of Essex Human Rights Training Sessions for the British Bar, London (1993)
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Training Programmes for African Officials responsible for Reporting under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Harare (1993)
University of Essex Human Rights Centre Training Programmes for East European Lawyers (1999)
Lord Chancellor’s Department Judicial Studies Board, Human Rights Act Training Seminar (2000)
Philippines National Human Rights Commission (2001)
Amnesty International, International Secretariat and British Section (various)
“Immunities of Officials Associated with Permanent United Nations Establishments”, 1972
“Monitoring Human Rights by the UN System and the Role of Non-Governmental Organisations”, 1979
“On the Necessity of United States Ratification of the International Human Rights Conventions”, 1981
“Direct Intervention at the UN: NGO Participation in the Commission on Human Rights and its Sub-Commission”, 1982
The Development of United Nations Activities in the Field of Human Rights and the Role of Non Governmental Organisations’, 1983
“Torture, Extra-Legal Execution and ‘Disappearance’ as Crimes under International Law”, 1985
“UN Action Procedures against ‘Disappearances’, Summary or Arbitrary Executions and Torture”, 1986
“Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention: The Case Law of the World Court”, 1989
“The International Legal Consequences of Torture, Extra-Legal Execution and ‘Disappearance’”, 1989
“The Role of Non-Governmental Organisations in the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights”, 1991
“United Nations Non-Treaty Mechanisms for Protecting Human Rights”, l992
“Conceptual Problems Concerning Minorities – International Legal Developments”, 1995
“Rights and Responses to Terrorism in Northern Ireland”, 1995
“International Human Rights Law and Machinery for Monitoring its Implementation in Situations of Acute Crisis”, 1998
“Impunity and Human Rights”, 1998
“United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures of the Commission on Human Rights: Complementarity or Competition?”, 2003
“The Prohibition of Torture: Absolute Means Absolute”, 2006
“Beyond Kosovo, Humanitarian Intervention on the Fault Lines of International Law”, 2007
“On the Responsibility of Special Rapporteurs”, 2011
“United Nations Human Rights Council, Its Special Procedures and Their Relationship with the Treaty Bodies”, 2011
Fabian Salvioli (Argentina)
Date and place of birth: 5 April 1963, Argentina
Current position/function
Member of the Human Rights Committee, United Nations (2009–2012); Vice President (2011–2012)
Full Professor, Public International Law, Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences, La Plata National University (Argentina, since 2000)
Director of the Human Rights Institute, Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences, La Plata National University (Argentina, since 1999)
Director and Professor of the Master Degree in Human Rights, Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences, La Plata National University (Argentina, since 2004)
Member of the General Assembly of the International Institute of Human Rights, Strasbourg, France
External Consultant for the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, (San José, Costa Rica) since 1994; worked on various projects for the education, justice administration, security and gender programmes; Guest professor on the Annual Interdisciplinary Course and the Course on Human Rights Qualifications for Civilian Employees of Latin American Chancelleries
Main professional activities
Postgraduate Professor (National University of Buenos Aires – UBA; Argentinian Notarial University; Salta National University – UNSA; Argentinian Social Museum University; Córdoba National University; San Martin National University)
Director of the Human Rights Section at Argentinian International Law Association (AADI); – (Institution with Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations) (2003–2005)
Coordinator of the Argentinean Human Rights Interuniversitary Network (2001–2004)
Professor of Inter-American System of Human Rights (in Spanish) and Inter-American System Seminar (in French) at the Annual Course held by the International Institute of Human Rights, Strasbourg (1995–2007)
Consultant for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP, Argentina) (1998–2000). Specialization: International Conferences and Human Rights in the United Nations (book and film material); also, Producer and coordinator of educational human rights programme for Argentinean Channel 7, “International Time” 1999–2001)
Expert on the Council of Europe Human Rights High Commission for the Cooperation and Fight Against Impunity in the Russian Federation (2005)
Educational Consultant of DePaul University (Chicago, United States) (2003–2005) courses and seminars on human rights
Participant in the International Conference for the Establishment of the International Criminal Court – Representative of the International Secretariat of Amnesty, Rome (1998)
UNICEF Educational Consultant (Argentina) (1995–1998)
President of Amnesty International (Argentine Section) (1989; 1993–1995)
Educational background
Doctor in Juridical Sciences (Ph. D., “cum laude”), Lawyer, Specialist in International Relations, and Master Degree in International Relations, La Plata National University (Argentina); with specialized studies in International Protection of Human Rights at the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights (Costa Rica) and the International Institute of Human Rights (Strasbourg)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Member of the Arbitration Courts of Monetary Reparations created within the framework of Friendly Solutions at the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights:
Schiavini case (2006), member
Giovanelli case (2008), president
Mendoza prisons case (2009), member
Santillán case (2010), president
Pro Bono Lawyer at the Inter-American System (to 2005)
Member of the formal education team of the Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights (1990–1996)
Illustrious Citizen of La Plata City (distinguished by the La Plata government for work done in the fields of human rights and education)
Illustrious visitor, Lobos City (Argentina)
Participant in the World Conference on Human Rights (Representative of the Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights in Argentina, Vienna, 1993)
Guest Professor, since 1993, including on courses and seminars in postgraduate and master’s programmes and conferences in various academic organizations and institutions across the Americas: Brazil (University of Brasilia, University of Santa Catarina), Chile (National University of Santiago, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Andean Commission of Jurists), Colombia (Javeriana University, Externado University, Nueva Granada University, the Social Foundation, Judicial Council of the College of the Magistrature, Higher Institute for Public Administration, Santo Tomás University, Sergio Arboleda University), Costa Rica (National University of Costa Rica), Dominican Republic (Human Rights Institute of Santo Domingo), Ecuador (Andean Democratic Auditing, College of Human Rights Specialists of Guayaquil), El Salvador (Catholic University of the West), Guatemala (Public Defender’s Institute), Honduras (Public Defender’s Institute, Central American Confederation of Human Rights Attorneys), Mexico (Iberoamerican University, Human Rights Commission of Aguascalientes State, Human Rights Commission of Querétaro State), Nicaragua (Project of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights and the European Union), Panama (Ombudsman’s Office), Paraguay (National University of Asunción, Catholic University of Asunción, Supreme Court of Justice, Judicial Studies Centre), Peru (University of San Marcos, Peruvian Institute of Human Rights Education for Peace, Andean Commission of Jurists), United States of America (Center for Human Rights in the Americas of DePaul University, Chicago), Uruguay (Catholic University of Uruguay; University of the Republic), Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (Supreme Court of Justice, University of the Andes in Mérida, Central University of Venezuela), and in Europe: France (International Institute of Human Rights, Strasbourg, University of Paris 1, the Sorbonne), Italy (International School of Politics, Rome), Portugal (Portucalense University), Russian Federation (project of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Kislovodsk) and Spain (Complutense University of Madrid, University of Seville, Pablo de Olavide University, Public University of Navarra, University of Navarra, University of Coruña, University of Valencia, University of Córdoba, University of Zaragoza, Cantábrica University, University of Extremadura, University of Santander, Jaume I de Castellón de la Plana University)
List of most recent publications in the field
Jurisprudencia comparada de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos y el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos (Valencia, Editorial Tirant Lo Blanch, 2012)
The United Nations Human Rights Committee: Decisions taken in the proceeding of examination of periodic reports, to give useful effect to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Líber Amicorum Jean François Flauss (Strasbourg, International Institute of Human Rights, 2012)
“Desafíos y perspectivas del Comité de derechos humanos de las Naciones Unidas en el sistema internacional contemporáneo de protección de los derechos y libertades fundamentales de mujeres y hombres” in Essays in Honour of Professor Claudio Zanghì (Rome, University of Rome, 2012)
“Las Sentencias de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en Materia de Reparaciones” in Tratado de Derecho Procesal Constitucional, vol. III, Pablo Manilli (Director), (Buenos Aires, La Ley, 2010)
La universidad y la educación en el siglo XXI: los derechos humanos como pilares de la nueva reforma universitaria (San José de Costa Rica, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, 2009), 429 pages
“La judicialización del derecho internacional de la persona humana” in La judicialización de los derechos humanos(Lima, Legales, 2009)
“Que veulent les victimes de violations graves des droits de l’Homme?” in Les réparations pour les graves violations de droits de l ’ homme dans les systèmes européen et interaméricain (Paris, UMR de droit comparé de Paris, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne – CNRS; 2009)
“El derecho humano a la paz en las relaciones internacionales y el derecho internacional del segundo decenio del siglo XXI” in Estudios sobre el derecho humano a la paz, Carmelo Faleh Pérez and Carlos Villán Durán, eds. (Madrid, Catarata, 2009)
“A 60 años de la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos” in Relaciones Internacionales26 (La Plata, International Relations Institute of La Plata National University, 2009)
“Algunas reflexiones sobre gestión académica y derechos humanos” in La crisis de las fuentes del derecho en la globalización, Joaquín González Ibañez, ed. (Bogotá, Biblioteca Jurídica Dike Ltda, 2009)
“Ideas claves para recordar respecto a los vínculos entre los derechos humanos y la agenda de población y desarrollo” in Derechos Humanos en la agenda de población y desarrollo(San José de Costa Rica, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights and United Nations Population Fund, 2009)
“Utilización de los estándares de derechos humanos para la realización de la agenda de población y desarrollo: algunos principios inspiradores y criterios de aplicación” in Derechos Humanos en la agenda de población y desarrollo (San José de Costa Rica, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights and United Nations Population Fund, 2009)
“Los derechos humanos en la agenda de población y desarrollo: estableciendo los vínculos conceptuales y jurídicos” in Derechos Humanos en la agenda de población y desarrollo(San José de Costa Rica, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights and United Nations Population Fund, 2009)
“De Amerikaanse Verklaring inzake de Rechten en Plichten van de Mens jubileert: van oorsprong tot toepassing” in Internationale Spectator, Jaargang 62, No. 12 (The Hague, Instituut Clingendael, 2008)
“Transparencia y políticas públicas, dimensiones contemporáneas de los derechos humanos” in Derechos Humanos , relaciones internacionales y globalización , VVAA, Joaquín González Ibáñez, ed. (Bogotá, Gustavo Ibáñez Ediciones Jurídicas, 2008)
“Les tribunaux militaires en Argentine” in Jurisdiction d´exception et Droits de l´homme (Paris, UMR de droit comparé de Paris, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne – CNRS, 2007)
Derechos Humanos y ciudadanía, general coordinator and co-author (Buenos Aires, Santillana, 2007), 192 pages
“La protección de los derechos económicos, sociales y culturales en el sistema interamericano de derechos humanos” in Revista, No. 40 (San José de Costa Rica, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, 2004)
“La competencia consultiva de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos: marco legal y desarrollo jurisprudencial” in Homenaje y Reconocimiento a Antônio Cançado Trindade(Brasilia, Sergio Fabris, 2004)
“Un análisis desde el principio pro persona, sobre el valor jurídico de las decisiones de la Comisión Interamericana de derechos humanos” in Defensa de la Constitución, tribute to Dr. Germán Bidart Campos (Buenos Aires, Ediar, 2003)
“El aporte de la Declaración Americana de 1948 para la protección internacional de los derechos humanos” in El sistema interamericano de protección de los derechos humanos en el umbral del siglo XXI, vol. I (San José de Costa Rica, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, 2001)
“El sistema interamericano de derechos humanos a favor de la democracia substancial” in Garantías, No. 3 (La Plata, Defensoría del Tribunal de Casación de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, 2000)
“Los Derechos Humanos en las Conferencias Internacionales de la última década del Siglo XX” in Las Grandes Conferencias Mundiales de la década de los ´90: las bases para la construcción de una comunidad internacional (La Plata, International Relations Institute of La Plata National University and UNDP, 2000)
“El derecho internacional público contemporáneo y sus modificaciones a la luz del derecho internacional de los derechos humanos” in Anuario de derecho, No. 3 (Buenos Aires, Universidad Austral, 2000)
“¿La justicia que viene? Un análisis de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas para el establecimiento de una Corte Penal Internacional” in Agora, revista de Ciencias Sociales, No. 2 (Valencia, CEPS, 1999)
“La influencia de la Declaración Universal en el marco nacional” in Recueil des cours 1998, textes et sommaires (Strasbourg, International Institute of Human Rights, 1998)
“El desarrollo de la Protección Internacional de los Derechos Humanos, a partir de las Declaraciones Universal y Americana” in Relaciones Internacionales, No. 13 (La Plata, International Relations Institute of La Plata National University, 1997)
“La Conferencia de Viena de las Naciones Unidas. Esperanzas y frustraciones en materia de derechos humanos” in Human Rights: The Promise for the XXIst Century/ Direitos Humanos : A promessa do século XXI (Oporto, Portucalense University, 1997)
“Relaciones internacionales, derechos humanos y educación para la paz” in Human Rights: The Promise for the XXIst Century/ Direitos Humanos : A promessa do século XXI (Oporto, Portucalense University, 1997)
“El desarrollo de la Protección Internacional de los Derechos Humanos, a partir de las Declaraciones Universal y Americana” in Relaciones Internacionales, No. 13 (La Plata, International Relations Institute of La Plata National University, 1997)
Postulados emergentes de la Jurisprudencia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en relación al Derecho Internacional Público (La Plata, International Relations Institute of the National University of La Plata, 1997), 270 pages
“Derechos, Acceso y rol de las víctimas” in El futuro del sistema interamericano de protección de los Derechos Humanos (San José de Costa Rica, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, 1997)
“Los desafíos del sistema interamericano de protección de los derechos humanos” in Estudios Básicos de Derechos Humanos, vol. V (San José de Costa Rica, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, 1996)
“La justicia como garante de la dignidad humana: las sentencias de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos contra Estados” in Amnistía Internacional, two-monthly journal for Spanish-speaking countries, No. 20, August–September 1996 (Madrid, Edai, 1996)
“La mujer en el Derecho Internacional Público: un viaje de medio siglo desde San Francisco a Pekín” in A un año de Beijing (La Plata, International Relations Institute of La Plata National University, 1996)
“Algunas reflexiones sobre la indemnización en las sentencias de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos” in Estudios Básicos de Derechos Humanos, vol. III (San José de Costa Rica, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, 1995)
“El sistema interamericano de protección de los derechos humanos” in Session d’Enseignement : Recueil des Cours , textes et sommaires /Collection of Lectures, Texts and Summaries (Strasbourg, International Institute of Human Rights, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007)
The following were published on the “educational tools” page of the website of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, available from www.iidh.ed.cr/cursosIIDH:
“El sistema universal de protección de los derechos humanos de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas”
“La protección del derecho a la integridad personal y la prohibición de la tortura en los sistemas universal e interamericano de protección de los derechos humanos”
“Curso sobre derechos económicos sociales y culturales” (in Spanish)
“Basic course on the universal system for the protection of human rights” (in English)
“Basic course on the Inter-American system for the protection of human rights” (in English)
“Basic course on economic, social and cultural rights” (in English)
Marat Sarsembayev (Kazakhstan)
Date and place of birth: December 15, 1947 in Almaty region, Kazakhstan
Working languages: English and Russian
Current position/function
Member of UN Human Rights Committee
Member of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Doctor of Laws, Professor of International Law, including Human Rights
Main professional activities
Assistant, Assistant-Professor, Professor of International Law, Dean of the Law Faculty of the Kazakh State University, Head of the Chair of International Law – 1973–2000
Member of the Commission on Human Rights at the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – 1997–1998
President of «Daneker» University of International Law and Business – 1997–2002
Dean of the Law Faculty of Eurasian national University named after L.N.Gumiliev – 2002–2005
Head of Department for International Relations, the Member of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan – 2005 – till present
Educational background
Law Faculty of the Kazakh State University – 1966–1973
Faculty of English of Almaty Institute (University) of Foreign Languages – 1965–1969
Doctor of Laws – Department of International Law of the State and Law Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences – 1994; 4. Candidate of Laws – Chair of International Law of Moscow Institute (University) for International Relations – 1978
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Member of the Commission of the Supreme Soviet (Parliament) of the Kazakh SSR on defense of human rights of the Kazakh youth after demonstration on December, 1986 against the appointment of improper head of the republic by the federal center of the former USSR – 1990
Expert of the Board at the National Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Kazakhstan – 2003–2008
Expert of the Commission on Human Rights at the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – 2012
List of most recent publications in the field
The Human Rights (the book), Almaty (Kazakhstan): Science, 1999, 252 pages
Human rights – In the book: M. Sarsembayev. International law (408 pages), Almaty: Jety Jargy, 2009, pp. 115–139
Interaction of Ombudsman, National State Bodies and the Civil Society in the Light of the Paris Principles – In the journal: Bulletin of the Ombudsman on Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana (Kazakhstan), 2011, Issue No. 1 (22), pp. 10–12
A Differentiated Approach, Standards – International (on the UN Human Rights Committee), in the newspaper: Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, Astana, 2012, May 11, p. 14, volume – 1 newspaper page (5 pages)
Constitutional and International Legal Framework of Civil and Political Rights in Kazakhstan – In the book: Constitutional Legality – the Basis of Law and Individual Liberty, Astana: Eurasian National University named after L.N. Gumilev, 2012, pp. 146–152
Dr. Anja Seibert-Fohr (Germany)
Date and place of birth: 3 April 1969, Germany
Working languages: English, German, French, Italian (elementary)
Current position/function
Chair of International Law, Goettingen University Law School
Directing Scholar of the Minerva Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (Heidelberg)
Main professional activities
Law clerk, High Court Frankfurt, 1993–1996
Research associate, George Washington University, 1998
Senior research fellow, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, 2000–2008
Lecturer in international and comparative law, Heidelberg University, 2002–2012
Adjunct professor, M.C.L. Programme of Mannheim and Adelaide University, 2003–2008
Founding Committee of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, 2010–2011
Visiting Professor: Cambridge University, 2010; Georgetown University Law Center, 2009
Educational background
German law degree (“with distinction”), 1993
LLM in International & Comparative Law (“with highest honors”), George Washington University, 2000
SJD – Doctor of Juridical Science, 2004, George Washington University (Dissertation on Amnesties for Serious Human Rights Violations), Doctoral adviser: Professor Thomas Buergenthal
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Legal Adviser to the Human Rights Section of the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law
Founder and head of the MPIL Human Rights Roundtable, 2003–2006
Co-Director of the OSCE/MPIL Project on the Independence of the Judiciary, 2008–2010
International rule of law development projects, since 2008
Legal counsel to the German delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (human dimensions), 2003–2009
List of most recent publications in the field
Prosecuting Serious Human Rights Violations (Oxford University Press, 2009)
The ICJ Judgment in the Bosnian Genocide Case and Beyond: A need to reconceptualise? in The Genocide Convention: Legal and Historical Reflection 60 Years after its Adoption, pp. 245–258 (2010)
The Rise of Equality in International Law and its Pitfalls: Learning from Comparative Constitutional Law, 35 Brooklyn Journal of International Law, pp. 1–39 (2010)
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Moving from Coexistence to Cooperation and Solidarity”, in Coexistence, Cooperation and Solidarity, Vol. 1, pp. 521–552 (2012)
Yuval Shany (Israel)
Date and place of birth: 28 March 1969, Rehovot, Israel
Working languages: Hebrew, English, French
Current position/function
Hersch Lauterpach Chair in Public International Law at the Law Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Teaches courses on international law, international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international court and tribunals
Senior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute: directs the terror and democracy program at the Institute
Co-director in the Project on International Courts and Tribunals
Main professional activities
Head of the doctoral studies program and of the LL.M. in international law and human rights at Hebrew University
Director of a European Research Council research programs on evaluative effective conditions for international adjudication
Rapporteur of an ILA study group on the application of international law by domestic judicial institutions
Member of the board of editors of the International Committee of the Red Cross Review
Co-editor in Chief of the Israel Law Review (published by Cambridge University Press)
Visiting professor at the Center for Transnational Legal Studies (London, 2012), University of Sydney Law School (2009, 2012), University of Michigan Law Faculty (2008), Georgetown University Law Center (2008)
Educational background
LLB, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1995); LL.M. in International Legal Studies, New York University (1997); PhD in Law, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (2001); Visiting researchers in Harvard Law School (2004), University of Amsterdam (2005), Max Planck Institute, Heidelberg (2011)
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Director of the Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University (2005–2009)
Co-director of European Institute for Democracy and Human Rights program on improved internalization of human rights treaties into Israeli domestic law, exploring reform of internal reporting obligations
Member of the board of B’Tselem – an Israeli NGO monitoring human rights conditions in the Occupied Territories (2009–2012)
Member of ICRC group of experts on occupation law (2008–2009)
Co-director of EU FP7 program (2007–2010) on the impact of international criminal tribunals on national criminal proceedings in the aftermath of mass atrocity cases (DOMAC)
Submitted expert opinions in connection with several human rights litigations in the US and Israel; prepared and presented Israel’s first report under the ICESCR (1997–98)
List of most recent publications in the field
“Human Rights and Humanitarian Law as Competing Legal Paradigms for Fighting Terror”, 25 pp., in Orna Ben Naftali (ed), Collected Courses of the Academy of European Law: Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, Vol. XIX/1 (2010) 1
“Guarding the Guards in the war against terrorism”, in Amicahi Cohen and Christopher Ford (eds.), Rethinking the Law of Armed Conflict in the Age of Terrorism (2012) 99
“In Defence of Functional Interpretation of the Rome Statute: A Response to Yaël Ronen’s “ICC Jurisdiction over acts Committed in the Gaza Strip”, 8 J.I.C.J. (2010) 329
“The Israeli Supreme Court and the Incremental Expansion of the Scope of International Law on Belligerent Occupation” (with Guy Harpaz), 43(3) Israel Law Review (2011) 514
“Beyond the Grave Breaches Regime: The Duty to Investigate Alleged Violations of International Law Governing Armed Conflicts”, (co-written with Amichai Cohen), IHL Yearbook 2010 (forthcoming in 2012)
Konstantine Vardzelashvili (Georgia)
Date and place of birth: July 26, 1972, Tbilisi, Georgia
Working languages: Georgian (native), English, Russian
Current position/function
Since October 2006 – elected as a Justice and Vice-President of the Constitutional Court of Georgia
Main functions
As a Chairman of the First Collegium of the Constitutional Court presides over the court hearings
Supervises research, analysis and strategy development for the reforming of court procedures
Coordinates international relations and public education activities
Main professional activities
2009 – appointed as an Ad Hoc Judge to the European Court of Human Rights
Since 2007 – Substitute Member of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission)
2004–2006 – Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia
Educational background
2002 – graduated from Tbilisi Institute of Law, Tbilisi, Georgia (Diploma in Law)
1997–1998 – University of Edinburgh, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Economic and Social History, Edinburgh, UK. (Ph.D. Research Program)
1995 – graduated from Central European University, History Department, Budapest, Hungary (MA in Modern History)
1994 – graduated from Tbilisi State University, History Department, Tbilisi, Georgia
Other main activities in the field relevant to the mandate of the treaty body concerned
Since 2012 – Professor of Law at Ilia State University (Georgia)
Since 2011 – Lecturer at Ilia State University (Georgia), subjects: Conflicting rights, Constitutional Rights and the Principles of Liberty
Since 2010 – Head of the Center for Constitutional Studies at Ilia State University (Georgia), supervising researches in constitutional justice, legal reform, society development and democratic transformation
Since 2010 – Lecturer at the Free University (Georgia), subject: Induction to the Cooperative Constitutionalism, Constitutional Rights and Judicial Review
Member of the Editorial board of the Constitutional Law review (quarterly law Journal)
2008–2011 – designed and lectured the short-term courses on Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Freedom of Expression and Religion, Property Rights
2004–2006 – as a Deputy Minister was in charge of drafting of laws: on non-profit organizations; restitution and rehabilitation of victims of the conflict in former South Ossetia Autonomy; was a member of a group working on the law on repatriation of persons deported in 1940s from territory of Georgian SSR
2001–2004 – British Council Georgia, Manager of the projects in legal and human rights education, voters education, reform of the criminal procedure and prosecution in Georgia, elaborating and advocating amendments to strengthen defense rights in the criminal process
2002–2003 – Member of Task Force on Communications and Broadcasting Law, developing strategy and framework legislation for establishment of the Public Service Broadcasting in Georgia
2000–2002 – Independent Council of Public Oversight, monitoring human rights conditions in penitentiary, drafting recommendations, appeals and requests to the Ministry of Justice of Georgia
2000–2001 – Member of the Analytical Team, Reform Support Agency (RSA) – MegaProject operated by the Open Society Georgia Foundation in cooperation with Research Triangle Institute (USA) in Support of the Education Reform in Georgia
2001 – Liberty Institute NGO (Georgia), in charge of monitoring and reporting human rights violations, with a special focus on freedom of expression and religion
List of most recent publications in the field
Co-author and editor of the Property Rights Manual to be published in 2012
Co-author and editor of the Guide to Constitution, 2012
Co-author of the Joint Opinion on the Constitutional Law on the Judicial System and Status of Judges of Kazakhstan, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 87th Plenary Session (Venice, 17–18 June 2011)
Co-author of the Opinion on the Draft Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan, adopted by the Venice Commission at its 87th Plenary Session (Venice, 17–18 June 2011)
Editor for the Georgian edition of the Human Rights in Criminal Proceedings by Stefan Trechsel, first published in 2005 by Oxford University Press Inc., published in 2009
Member of editorial board, Constitutions of the Foreign States, published in 2006
Editor of Human Rights: Freedom of Expression Manual, published in 2003