Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards

This blog tries not to keep track of all the personal appointments in the human rights movement – that would be impossible – but the additions to the Board of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) in Geneva announced on 30 May 2013 are too impressive to leave unmentioned:

Hina Jilani (Pakistan) is a human rights lawyer and one of the world’s pre-eminent human rights defenders. She established Pakistan’s first all-women’s law firm in 1981, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in 1987 and served as the UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders from 2000 to 2008. In 2000, Ms Jilani was honoured with the Amnesty International Genetta Sagan Award for Women’s Rights. She also served as a member of the UN International Fact-Finding Commission on Darfur, Sudan and the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.

 Egbert Myjer (The Netherlands) was a judge of the European Court of Human Rights from 2004 to 2012 and previously the Chief-Advocate General in Amsterdam. Mr Meyjer is a Professor of Human Rights Law, a Commissioner with the International Commission of Jurists, and a Board member of Amnesty International in The Netherlands. In 2001 he received the Medal of Merit of the Council of Europe for his contribution to human rights education and, in 2012, Mr Myjer was made a Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Sir Nicolas Bratza (United Kingdom) is the former President of the European Court of Human Rights and served as a judge of that court from 1998 to 2012. From 1993 to 1998 he was the United Kingdom Member of the European Commission of Human Rights. He was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 1988 and, with over 40 years’ experience in public and international law, is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading human rights lawyers and jurists. Sir Nicolas is also President of the British Institute of Human Rights.

This entry was posted on June 5, 2013 at 13:20 and is filed under human rights, Human Rights Defenders.

Tags: Board, Egbert Myjer, European Court of Human Rights, Hina Jilani, human rights, International Service for Human Rights, ISHR, lawyers, Nicolas Bratza, personalities