CAT
UNITED
NATIONS
Convention against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment
Distr.
GENERAL
CAT/SP/18
3 October 1995
ENGLISH
Original: ENGLISH/FRENCH/
SPANISH
MEETING OF THE STATES PARTIES
Fifth Meeting
Geneva
29 November 1995
ELECTION OF FIVE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE
TO REPLACE THOSE WHOSE TERMS ARE DUE TO EXPIRE ON
31 DECEMBER 1995, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 17 OF THE
CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR
DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT
Note by the Secretary-General
1. In accordance with article 17, paragraphs 3 and 4, of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Fifth Meeting of the States parties to the Convention will be convened by the Secretary-General at the United Nations Office at Geneva, on Wednesday, 29 November 1995, to elect five members of the Committee against Torture to replace those whose terms of office are due to expire on 31 December 1995 (see annex I). The names of the other five members who will continue to serve on the Committee until 31 December 1997 appear in annex II.
2. In accordance with article 17, paragraph 4, of the Convention, the Secretary-General, in a note verbale dated 30 June 1995, invited the States parties to the Convention to submit their nominations for the election of five members of the Committee within three months, i.e. by 30 September 1995.
3. In compliance with the provisions of article 17, paragraph 4, of the Convention, the Secretary-General has the honour to list below, in alphabetical order, the names of persons nominated by 30 September 1995 for election to the Committee against Torture, and the States parties which have nominated them.
GE.95-14295 (E)
Name of candidate Nominated by
Mr. Peter Thomas BURNS Canada
Mr. Guibril CAMARA Senegal
Mr. Ricardo GIL LAVEDRA Argentina
Mr. Alejandro GONZÁLEZ POBLETE Chile
Mr. Diomède NAHAYO Burundi
Mr. Georghios M. PIKIS Cyprus
Mr. Waleed SADI Jordan
Mr. Olimpo SÁENZ MARCUCCI Panama
Mr. Habib SLIM Tunisia
Mr. Boštjan M. ZUPANČIČ Slovenia
4. Biographical data on the persons nominated, as provided by the States parties concerned, are contained in annex III. Any further nominations and biographical data which may be received by the Secretary-General will be brought to the attention of the States parties in addenda to the present document.
Annex I
LIST OF THE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE WHOSE
TERMS OF OFFICE EXPIRE ON 31 DECEMBER 1995
Name Country of nationality
Mr. Peter Thomas BURNS Canada
Mr. Fawzi EL IBRASHI Egypt
Mr. Ricardo GIL LAVEDRA Argentina
Mr. Hugo LORENZO Uruguay
Mr. Habib SLIM Tunisia
Annex II
LIST OF THE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE WHOSE
TERMS OF OFFICE EXPIRE ON 31 DECEMBER 1997
Name Country of nationality
Mr. Alexis DIPANDA MOUELLE Cameroon
Ms. Julia ILIOPOULOS-STRANGAS Greece
Mr. Mukunda REGMI Nepal
Mr. Bent SORENSEN Denmark
Mr. Alexander M. YAKOVLEV Russian Federation
Annex III
BIOGRAPHICAL DATA ON CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION
TO THE COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE
Peter Thomas Burns (Canada)
Academic background
Professor Peter Thomas Burns, Q.C. is aged 57 years and was educated in New Zealand where he obtained his LL.M. degree with First Class Honours at the University of Otago in 1963. From 1968 he has been a Professor of Law at the University of British Columbia where he has held various offices, including that of Dean of Law 1981-1992.
His primary areas of teaching and research include criminal law, torts, victimology, international criminal law and international human rights. His recent publications include Criminal Injuries Compensation, (2d ed. 1993) 373 pp.; and "An international criminal tribunal: the difficult union of principle and politics", (1994) 5 Criminal Law Forum, 341-380.
United Nations activities
Professor Burns was elected to the Committee against Torture in 1987 and was its Rapporteur until his re-election in 1991 when he became a Vice-Chairman.
As well, he has participated in a variety of other activities related to the functions of the Centre for Human Rights at Geneva, including the following:
(a) Workshop on International Human Rights (with the Philippines Human Rights Commission), December 1988;
(b) Training course for African Legal Officers on International Human Rights Reporting, San Remo, Italy, 1991;
(c) Training Course on Human Rights Reporting for Police Officers, Malta, 1991;
(d) Training Course on Human Rights Reporting, Moscow, August 1992;
(e) Training Course on Human Rights Reporting for Police Officers, Tirana, November 1992;
(f) Attendance at the World Conference on Human Rights, Vienna, June 1993, as a member of the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, the Committee against Torture and as a member of the Canadian delegation;
(g) Workshop on Human Rights Reporting: National Capacity Strengthening, Turin, November 1994 (ILO).
Other professional activities
Professor Burns was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1975 and appointed Queen's Counsel in 1984. He has been a consultant to various branches of government, particularly in the field of law reform.
He is the Chair of the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy (Vancouver), one of only two interregional institutes affiliated with the United Nations Crime Prevention Branch in Vienna. As well, he is the President of the Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, an international organization which counts among its purposes the reinforcement of the rule of law and the enhancement of international human right standards.
The list of his (a) membership of professional and learned societies, (b) academic or professional awards and distinctions, (c) activities in professional service, (d) invited lectureships, and (e) professional posts in university, is available for consultation in the files of the Centre for Human Rights.
Publications
Five books and in excess of 90 articles, casenotes and book reviews.
Guibril Camara (Senegal)
Personal data
Born 22 December 1940 at Goudiry (Senegal)
Married, with six children
Education
Faculty of Law, Dakar (1961-1965): bachelor's degree in law;
Centre National d'Etudes Judiciaires (now the Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature), Bordeaux (1965-1966) and Paris (1966-1967): Certification of completion of course.
Professional activity
Appointed Judge of Courts and Tribunals, 1 July 1967;
Examining magistrate, First Chamber (July 1967-November 1967);
Deputy Procurator-General, Dakar (November 1967-April 1968);
Procurator-General, Court of First Instance, Saint-Louis (April 1968-August 1972);
First Deputy Procurator-General, Dakar (August 1972-September 1973);
Procurator-General, Court of First Instance, Kaolack,
(October 1973-November 1976);
Legal Adviser to the Ministry of Public Works Transport and Planning (December 1976-November 1977);
Director, Department of Supervised Education and Social Protection (1977-1984);
Advocate-General, Appeal Court (1984-1992);
First Advocate-General, Court of Cassation (1992-1993);
Procurator-General, Court of Cassation, since 29 July 1993.
International Activities
Participation in many international conferences dealing with questions of law and social problems;
Member of the Executive Committee and of the General Council of the International Union of Family Organizations (Paris);
Legal Counsel to the Pan-African Family Organization (Dakar);
Representative of Senegal on the Executive Board of UNICEF (Mexico, 1979);
National correspondent of the United Nations for the Prevention of Crime, Criminal Justice and the Treatment of Offenders;
National correspondent of the United Nations Social Defence Research Institute (Rome);
Consultant to the International School, Bordeaux
Representative of the Association Sénégalaise d'Etudes et de Recherches
Juridique to the Association mondiale de prospective sociale
Consultant to the International Centre for Children (Paris)
Lectures and intellectual activities
The list of Mr. Camara's conferences and intellectual activities is available for consultation at the Centre for Human Rights.
In the context of the United Nations Crime Prevention Unit: Preparation of the participation and representation of Senegal in:
Sixth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (Caracas, 25 August-5 September 1980);
Seventh Congress (Milan, 26 August-6 September 1985);
Eighth Congress (Havana, 27 August-7 September 1990);
United Nations Ministerial Summit on the Prevention of Crime and Criminal Justice (Versailles, 21-23 November 1991);
Third Session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Vienna, 28 April-6 May 1994);
World Ministerial Conference on organized transnational crime (Naples, 21-23 November 1994).
President, National Commission on Refugees.
Ricardo R. Gil Lavedra (Argentina)
Date of birth: 24 July 1949
Marital status: Married, four children
Teaching activities
Assistant lecturer, Criminal Law II, Faculty of Law of the University of El Salvador, 1973 and in the Faculty of Law and Social Science, University of Buenos Aires, 1973-1975;
Director of Studies, Faculty of Law, National University of La Plata, 1975;
Director of Practical Studies, Faculty of Law of the National University, 1976;
Acting Deputy Professor, Criminal Law Department, in the Faculty of Law of the National University of Buenos Aires, 1977-1986;
Professor, Department of Graduate Studies of the Faculty of Law of the National University of Buenos Aires, 1986-1988;
Titular Professor, Faculty of Law of the University of Buenos Aires, appointed by competitive examination in 1986;
Director of the course on "Business and Crime" given at the Instituto de Desarollo Empresarial Argentino;
Lecturer at the law teaching course organized by the Institutional Studies Centre and Yale University at the University of Palermo.
Academic activities
Member of the Tax Law Commission of the Argentine Petroleum Institute, 1980-1984;
Member of the Legislative Studies Institute (Criminal Law and Economic Criminal Law Sections) of the Argentine Federation of the College of Advocates, 1980 to date;
Member of the Criminal Law Commission of the State College of Advocates in the Federal Capital;
Member of the International Criminal Law Association since 1985;
Active member of the Centre for Institutional Studies;
Founder member of the Argentine Centre for the Study of Criminal Law in the Field of Taxation;
Full member of the Asociación Argentina del Derecho de las Telecomunicaciones.
Professional activities
Ministerial Reporting Secretary, Supreme Court of the Province of Buenos Aires, 1973;
Professional Court Clerk (First Instance) of the same Supreme Court, 1974 and 1975;
Professional Court Clerk (First Instance) of the Supreme Court of the Nation (Office of the Attorney-General), 1976-1978;
Judge of the National Court of Appeal (Federal Criminal and Correctional Division), City of Buenos Aires, 1984-1987;
Secretary of State for the Interior, 1988-1989;
Member of the Committee against Torture from 1987 to the present.
Publications and lectures
The list of publications and lectures is available for consultation in the files of the Centre for Human Rights.
Alejandro González Poblete (Chile)
Personal data
Date of birth: 8 September 1931
Place of birth: Concepción (Chile)
Marital status: Married (two children)
Present post
President, National Compensation and Conciliation Board.
Experience in international systems for the protection of human rights
Good knowledge of the human rights protection systems of the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
As Head of the Legal Department of the Vicaría de la Solidaridad of the Archbishopric of Santiago de Chile during the period of the military dictatorship (1973-1989), maintained regular contact with the Centre for Human Rights, with the Ad Hoc Group and with the Special Rapporteurs for Chile of the Commission on Human Rights. Also maintained contact with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and its Executive Secretariat.
Carried out a mission to Guatemala in March and April 1989, as an expert engaged by the Centre for Human Rights to advise the Government of Guatemala on questions of human rights.
Worked frequently on projects and activities of the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights.
Member of the International Jury for the UNESCO Prize for the Teaching of Human Rights, appointed by the Director-General of UNESCO.
Pre-graduate studies
1950-1954 Study of law in the Faculty of Legal and Social Science of the University of Concepción.
Postgraduate studies
1974-1975 Course on the methodology of law teaching. Faculty of Legal, Administrative and Social Science of the University of Chile, Santiago.
Academic posts held
1952-1956 Assistant lecturer in Economics in the Faculty of Legal and Social Science of the University of Concepción;
1957-1966 Assistant lecturer in Labour Law in the same Faculty from 1 March 1957. Subsequent teaching work as Director of Studies and Assistant Professor in the same Faculty up to 30 June 1966;
1971-1976 Full Professor of Labour Law, Faculty of Legal, Social and Administrative Science of the University of Chile until 1 March 1971, until dismissal by the Military Government on 2 June 1976.
Public appointments
1966-1970 Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Chile.
Representative of the Government of Chile at international conferences:
(i) Head of the delegation of Chile to the World Conference on Children, Stockholm, Sweden, September 1969;
(ii) Head of the delegation of Chile to the Fourth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, Kyoto, Japan, 1970.
Other public posts held while Under-Secretary in the Ministry of Justice:
(i) Member of the National Council for Children from 1966 to 1970;
(ii) Deputy Executive Chairman of the National Council for Minors from September 1970 to April 1971;
(iii) Vice-Chairman of the National Kindergarten Foundation, 1968-1970;
(iv) Chairman of the Executive Council of State Experts, 1967-1970;
(v) Chairman of the National Commission on Prison Policy, 1966-1970;
(vi) Member of the National Commission on the Rationalization of the Public Administration, between 1966 and 1970.
Participation in national human rights bodies
1973-1976 Legal adviser to the National Committee on Assistance to Refugees, a national body cooperating with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, established in Chile in September 1973.
1976-1992 Head of the Legal Department of the Vicaría de la Solidaridad of the Archbishopric of Santiago from July 1976 to April 1989 and Executive Secretary of the Vicaría from May 1989 to April 1992.
Participation as consultant or expert in missions, research projects, courses, conferences and other events in the field of human rights
The list of these activities is available for consultation in the files of the Centre for Human Rights.
Diomède Nahayo (Burundi)
Personal data
Date of birth 3 December 1955
Commune Makebuko
Province Gitega
Marital status Married, three children.
Education
Secondary education
(a) Lower secondary 1969-1973: Junior seminary, Mugera;
(b) Higher secondary 1973-1976: Intermediate seminary, Burasira;
Higher education 1976-1980: Law Faculty of the University of Burundi
Bachelor's degree in law after defence of a thesis entitled: "The state of need as justification in the law of Burundi.
Positions held
From 10 February to 23 March 1981 Judge of the Bujumbura Court of Major Jurisdiction;
From 24 March 1981 to 23 August 1983 Judge of the Ngozi Court of Major Jurisdiction;
From 24 August 1983 to 11 June 1984 Counsellor at the Bujumbura Court of Appeal;
From 12 June 1984 to 5 November 1985 Vice-President of the Bujumbura Court of Appeal;
From 6 November 1985 to 15 July 1988 Counsellor at the Supreme Court;
From 16 July 1988 to President of the Ngozi Court of
26 September 1989 Appeal;
From 27 September 1989 to Counsellor at the Court of Audit;
22 August 1993
From 23 August 1993 to 31 July 1995 President of the Supreme Court.
Courses
From January 1987 to June 1988: Course of training at the National College of Magistrates (International Section), Paris. Awarded diploma with the distinction "Très bien".
During this period elected Secretary-General of the Association of Trainee Magistrates of the International Section.
Mission abroad
Recently led a Burundi delegation to the Fifth Congress of the Association Internationale des Hautes Juridictions Administratives, held in Rome from 27 to 29 March 1995, which dealt with the topic "Emergency interim measures of protection and accelerated procedures in administrative disputes".
Membership of various commissions
National Electoral Commission appointed to prepare for the presidential election of August 1984;
Commission to verify the conduct of the referendum on the Charter of National Unity, 5 February 1991;
Commission to verify the conduct of the referendum held on 9 March 1992 on the draft constitution for the Republic of Burundi.
Human rights seminars
The list of human rights seminars in which Mr. Nahayo participated may be consulted in the Centre for Human Rights
Georghios M. Pikis (Cyprus)
Born in 1939 at Larnaca
Married with three children
Academic qualifications
1960 LL.B.
1961 Barrister-at-Law (of Gray's Inn)
Advocacy
1961 Enrolled as an advocate in Cyprus
1961-1965 Practised as an advocate
Law Office at Larnaca
Judicial appointments
1966 District Judge (on an acting basis for the first six months)
1972 Acting President District Court
1977 President District Court
1981 Justice of the Supreme Court of Cyprus
1995 President of the Supreme Court
Judicial service
1966-1967 District Court, Limassol
1967-1974 District Court, Famagusta. In 1974 he was displaced with his family from Famagusta as a result of the Turkish invasion
1974-1981 President District Court Larnaca-Famagusta
1981 Justice of the Supreme Court of Cyprus
1995 President of the Supreme Court of Cyprus
Publications
Sentencing in Cyprus (in English) and The English Common Law and Rules of Equity and their Application in Cyprus (in Greek)
Co-author of Criminal Procedure in Cyprus
Papers on several aspects of the law.
Committees
1980 Chaired and wrote the report of a committee set up by the Ministry of Justice to review rent control legislation
1988-1989 Chaired and wrote the report of a committee set up by the Supreme Court to study the functioning of the district courts and other first instance courts and make recommendations for changes and improvements in the rules, procedure, organization and practice of the courts.
Waleed M. Sadi (Jordan)
Personal data
Date of birth: 1937
Married, four children
Education
B.A. Economics, Southern Methodist University, Texas, United States of America
J.D. Doctor of Law, University of Chicago Law School, United States of America
Scholarship
Holder of the National Honor Scholarship for three years, University of Chicago, United States of America
Memberships
Jordan Bar Association
Rotary Club
Consumer Association, Amman, Jordan
Jordanian Red Crescent Society
Human rights activities
Member of the Jordanian delegation to the Commission on Human Rights, 1975-1981
Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, 1980-1981
Member of the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, 1978-1981
Member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Fund for Victims of Torture, 1980-1992
Member of the Human Rights Committee, 1990-1994
Member of the Armand Hammer Conferences on Peace and Human Rights, 1976-1983
Member of the Jordanian delegation to the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, 1993
Present employment
Lawyer, columnist, editorialist and human rights expert
Experience
Chief Editor, Jordan Times, 1988-1990
Lawyer, 1986-1988
Ambassador to Turkey, 1982-1985
Ambassador to the United Nations and other international organizations, 1975-1980
Diplomat, Jordanian Mission to the United Nations, New York
Diplomat, Jordanian Embassy in Washington D.C.
Diplomat, Jordanian Embassy in Moscow
Diplomat, Jordanian Embassy in Paris
Diplomat, Jordanian Embassy in London
Publications
The Economic Theory in Islam
Jordanian Foreign Policy
Olimpo Sáewz Marcucci (Panama)
Biographical data on Mr. Sáewz Marcucci will be made available in an addendum to the present document when received from the Government of Panama.
Habib Slim (Tunisia)
Date and place of birth 10 July 1938 at Moknine
Present position Professor of public law (Agrégé)
Degrees awarded
Bachelor's Degree in public law, 1962, Faculty of Law of Toulouse
Higher Studies Diploma (DES) in public law, 1965, Faculty of Law of Toulouse
State Doctorate in Public International Law, 1978, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Tunis
Agrégation in Public Law, 1982, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Tunis
Present functions
Professor in the Faculty of Law and Political Science, Tunis
Chairman of the Conciliation and Arbitration Centre, Tunis
Director of the Workshop on "Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law" at the Centre for Study, Research and Publications (CERP).
Director of the Observatoire de prospective méditerranéenne at the CERP
Head of the Maghreb Research and Study Unit (UREM) at the Faculty of Law and Political Science, Tunis
Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee of Jurists of the African Institute of Private International Law
Member of the Joint Scientific Committee of the American Centre for Maghreb Studies, Tunis.
References
Former Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science, Tunis;
Arbitrator of the International Chamber of Commerce, Paris;
Advocate, Member of the Bar, Tunis (1971-1978);
Member of the Tunisian delegation to the World Conference on Human Rights (Vienna, 14-26 June 1993);
Director-General of the Chambre Tuniso-Française de Commerce et d'Industrie (1983-1986);
Adviser on Export Strategies to the Minister of Agriculture and Food (1986-1988);
Consultant on international trade, international tourism, air transport, foreign investment, partnership projects, transfers of technology and free trade areas;
Associate Professor at the University of Social Science, Toulouse, at the University of Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne) and at the University of Nice-Sofia-Antipolis;
Adviser to the Chambre Tuniso-Française de Commerce et d'Industrie, Rapporteur of the "Conciliation and Arbitration" Commission and member of the Commission on "Relations between the universities and enterprises".
Other activities
Assistant Secretary-General of the Tunisian Red Cross, responsible for matters connected with the dissemination of international humanitarian law;
Member of the Red Cross, Red Crescent and Peace Commission and Rapporteur of the Working Group on "New factors threatening peace".
The full list of other activities may be consulted in the Centre for Human Rights.
Boštjan M. Zupančič (Slovenia)
Personal data
Date of birth 13 May 1947
Place of birth Ljubljana, Slovenia
Status Married, three children
Education
1981 Harvard Law School
Cambridge, Massachussetts
Scientiae Juris Doctor, Professor R.M. Unger, Mentor
Dissertation: "Criminal law, the conflict and the rules"
1976-1977 Harvard Law School
Research scholar
1973-1974 Harvard Law School
Scientiae Juris Doctor programme
1972-1973 Harvard Law School
LL.M. Program (Master's in Law); average grade: A-;
Thesis: "Criminal law and its influence upon normative integration", Professor Lloyd Ohlin, Mentor.
Grade: A. Published in 7 Acta Criminologica, Spring, 1974
1971-1972 Université de Montreal, École de Criminologie
Ford Foundation research scholar
Specialization in criminology
1970-1971 University of Zagreb, Law School
Master's in Law program
Summer 1968 Cambridge University, Law School
Cambridge, England, Extra-mural law studies
1966-1970 University of Ljubljana, Law School
Degree "DIPL.IUR."; average grade: 9 (out of 10) award scholarships: "BORIS KRAIGHER," and "BORIS KIDRIČ"; 1970 "DR. PREŠEREN AWARD" (highest available for students)
Employment
1993-present Justice of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia
1993 China University of Law and Public Policy, Visiting Professor
1989-1992 First Vice-President (for academic affairs) University of Ljubljana
1984-present University of Ljubljana, Law School
Full Professor of Law since 1989
Subjects: Jurisprudence, criminal law, criminal procedure, comparative law
1982-1984 Seton Hall University, Law School
Full Professor of Law, elected in 1985
Subjects: criminal law, criminal procedure, comparative law, jurisprudence, corrections law, criminology, advanced criminal law
1983-1985 Athens University and Temple University
(Joint summer programs)
Subjects: comparative constitutional law, comparative criminal procedure
Autumn 1981 Fordham University, School of Law
Visiting Professor of Law
1980-1981 Seton Hall University, Law School
Visiting Professor of Law
Autumn 1980 Iowa University, College of Law
Visiting Professor of Law
Autumn 1979 Supreme Court of Slovenia
Clerking
1977-1979 New York Law School
Assistant Professor of Law
1975-1976 University of Ljubljana, Law School
Assistant Professor of Law
1976 Circuit Court of Ljubljana
Clerking
1974 Army
Honorary discharge, corporal
1970-1974 University of Ljubljana
Assistant Professor
LANGUAGES Fluent in English, French, Slovene, Croatian; can read German, Italian and Latin
Legal expert of the Chinese Government for the reform of criminal procedure
The list of Mr. Zupančič's publications, in English and Slovene, and of his memberships and lectures is available for consultation in the files of the Centre for Human Rights.
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