The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) was founded in 1952 in Berlin in the wake of the Nuremberg Trials and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Eminent jurists from 42 countries met to establish a non-governmental organization based on the conviction that justice and the law are two indispensable pillars of democracy. The Rule of Law in a free society was their objective and they undertook to build bridges between East and West and South and North in order to promote the legal protection of human rights throughout the world.

The International Commission of Jurists is a non-profit organization. Its headquarters are in Geneva. The modest office of approximately 15 people, through the direction of its Secretary-General carries on a worldwide program of activities in the field of human rights.

The ICJ has been instrumental in the drafting and adoption of the 1985 United Nations Basic Principles on Independence of the Judiciary and the United Nations Declaration against Torture and in achieving the International Criminal Court and the African Human Rights Court.

The ICJ sponsors fact-finding missions on human rights, particularly in relation to the harassment or persecution of lawyers and judges and communicates its concerns to the relevant national authorities and the international community. ICJ press releases and statements act as constant denunciations and reminders of flagrant violations of human rights all over the world.

The ICJ is organized throughout many countries. Its governing body - the Commission - is made up of 60 members who are outstanding jurists from different nations and represent all legal systems and traditions. The Honourable Claire L’Heureux-Dubé, formerly of the Supreme Court of Canada, recently served as President of the Commission. In 2003, the Honourable W. Ian Binnie of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Honourable Michèle Rivet, President of the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal, were appointed as Commissioners of the international body for five-year terms.

ICJ Canada
The ICJ has some 97 national sections and affiliated organizations. The Canadian Section, or ICJ Canada, is a charitable organization established in 1958 under the leadership of the Hon. J.T. Thorson, an eminent Canadian jurist from Manitoba, who was President of the Exchequer Court of Canada (now the Federal Court of Canada). The Canadian Section supports the activities of the ICJ, participates in ICJ missions, and organizes lectures and panel discussions, including a major program at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Bar Association.

ICJ Canada awards the Walter Tarnopolsky Medal to commemorate Canadian initiatives in the field of human rights. Each year, at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Bar Association, the Medal is awarded to a Canadian who has made a major contribution in the field of human rights. Recipients of the award include Irwin Cotler, Ed Broadbent, the late Mark McGuigan, Gordon Fairweather, Joseph Arvay, Wayne MacKay, Gérald Beaudoin, Georgette Gagnon, Rosalie Abella, Marcia Kran, Errol Mendes, and David Matas.

Over the past few years, the Canadian Section has also been active in promoting international exchanges with judges and lawyers from eastern Europe, Africa and South Asia. During the three-year period commencing in the year 2000, for example, visits were exchanged between Canada and Croatia. During a series of intensive seminars, Croatian and Serbian delegates were introduced to the workings of the Canadian judicial system, with particular emphasis on the independence of the judiciary.

The success of the Croatia Project has led to an expanded project on the Independence and Impartiality of the Judiciary in the South-East Adriatic countries. This regional project will involve similar exchanges with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia.

In the summer of 2000, Justice Nasir Zahid, formerly of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, toured Canada and spoke to ICJ members with respect to the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan. These activities were supported by grants from the Canadian International Development Agency and other funding bodies.

In the summer of 2001, the Hon. Anthony Gubbay, who was forced to resign as Chief Justice of Zimbabwe, visited several cities in Canada and participatedin the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Bar Association in Saskatoon. In 2002, ICJ Canada also hosted meetings with Hon. Nicholas McNally, who also resigned recently from the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe.

In October 2003, ICJ Canada hosted the visit of Judge Radmila Dicic of Serbia, who was persecuted under the Milosevic regime and is now President of the Serbian Association of Judges. She spoke to judges, lawyers, and law students in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, and Banff.

Individual members of ICJ Canada continue to contribute to the goals of the ICJ internationally. In recent years, they have participated in missions, meetings, and other assignments in Egypt, Tunisia, Kenya, Northern Ireland, East Timor, South Africa, China, and Swaziland.

Membership in ICJ Canada is open to judges, lawyers, law professors, and law students interested in supporting the objectives of the International Commission of Jurists.

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