Triennial Meeting of the International Commission of Jurists - Cape Town
The Triennial Meeting of the International Commission of Jurists and the Conference on "The Rule of Law in a Changing World" will be held July 20-24, 1998, in Cape Town, South Africa. Opening remarks will be made by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the opening address will be given by Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa. ICJ officials Michael D. Kirby, Adama Dieng, and Kofi Kumado will also speak at the opening of the conference.

The Hon. Madam Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé, who is an international vice president, will participate in the plenary panel commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers. Canadian Section president Hon. Michèle Rivet will also be attending.

CIJL Mission to Cairo
A fact-finding mission composed of Neil A. Davidson, Q.C., of Edinburgh, Scotland, and Bâtonnier Pierre Sébastien, Q.C., of Montreal, was sent to Cairo recently by the International Commission of Jurists and its Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers to examine the problems that currently hinder the proper functioning of the Egyptian Bar Association.

The Mission took place from March 10 to March 16, 1998, and was able to meet with a wide range of interlocutors representing various points of view, including representatives from the Government, the judiciary, and the legal profession.

At the present time, the Egyptian Bar Association is and has been under judicial sequestration since early 1996 and is currently run by three trustees appointed by the court. As a consequence, the E.B.A. has been without a Bâtonnier and without an elected Bar Council for more than two years, and the proper functions and duties of a bar association have been either neglected or simply carried out by Court-appointed officials. Needless to say, the E.B.A. is absent from all international legal organisations and, in particular, is excluded from the Arab Lawyers Union because the Union has a principle that only bar associations with freely elected representatives may participate. It does not appear as if this situation will come to an end in the near future.

The difficulties experienced by the E.B.A. go back to 1992, when a majority of lawyers belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood or in sympathy with it were elected to the Council of the Bar. It must be understood that the Muslim Brotherhood is a political movement which is not recognized as a political party in Egypt, although it has considerable support among the population.

During their first year in office, the ruling Muslim Brothers and sympathisers brought about a number of administrative changes which, rightly or wrongly, were considered by many as exaggerated or even downright fraudulent, and the government passed a new law, Law No. 100/1993, entitled "Law of Guarantees for the Democracy of Professional Associates," which imposed court supervision and an obligation to hold future elections with a necessary quorum of 50%. As far as the E.B.A. was concerned, the elections that were supposed to take place in 1996 were never held due to the sequestration.

The Mission was able to determine that an interplay of many issues has created an appearance of considerable complexity. All parties concerned, however, were agreed that the current position is most unsatisfactory and that it must be remedied.

The Mission is to report soon and will provide recommendations.

The International Criminal Court
The International Commission of Jurists continues to work toward the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court. The ICJ has actively participated in the work of the United Nations Ad Hoc and Preparatory Committees, and the text of the draft Statute for the establishment of the ICC, which was finalized in April 1998, will be considered by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries taking place in Rome this summer. The International Commission of Jurists is hopeful that the impunity surrounding crimes such as genocide, wilful killings, torture and disappearances wherever they occur, will end before the turn of the century.

A one-page summary of the ICJ's position on the International Criminal Court is available on request from the Ottawa office.

On March 13, 1998, the Honourable Claire L'Heureux-Dubé of the Supreme Court of Canada participated in the American Bar Association Conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Madam Justice L'Heureux-Dubé took part in a panel on the International Criminal Court. Copies of Madam Justice L'Heureux-Dubé's remarks may be obtained from the Ottawa office.

Oral Intervention
On April 2, 1998, the ICJ, on behalf of the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, delivered an oral intervention before the UN Commission on Human Rights. The intervention supported the findings and recommendations of Dato Param Cumaraswamy, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers. Mr. Cumaraswamy's report was derived in part from country visits he had made to Belgium, Peru, and Northern Ireland. In addition to sharing Mr. Cumaraswamy's concern over the situation in these countries, the ICJ intervention also noted that the conditions experienced by judges and lawyers in countries such as Colombia, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, and Malaysia warrant continued close attention, and, in the case of Malaysia, immediate action.

A two-page summary of the intervention is available from the Ottawa office.

CANADIAN SECTION

Annual Meeting in St. John's
This year's annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the Annual Conference of the Canadian Bar Association on Wednesday, August 26, 1998, in St. John's, Newfoundland.

The meeting, which will include the presentation of this year's Walter S. Tarnopolsky Award, will take place in the Avalon Room of the Hotel Newfoundland, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The annual meeting will be followed by a brief meeting of Council.

Opening Ceremonies
Canadian Section president, Hon. Michèle Rivet, has been invited by the Canadian Bar Association to speak at the Conference's opening ceremonies, which will also include addresses by the Right Honourable Antonio Lamer and the Honourable Anne McLellan. Judge Rivet will will be speaking on the national and global importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in December of this year.

The opening ceremonies will take place at 9:00 a.m. in the Green Room of the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre.

Hon. Bertha Wilson Joins ICJ Steering Committee
The Steering Committe of the Canadian Section is pleased to announce that the Hon. Bertha Wilson, retired Supreme Court Justice, may now be counted among its members. Mrs. Wilson fills the vacancy that resulted from the death of the late Hon. Mark MacGuigan.

The Steering Committee is the local Ottawa group that, with the participation and approval of the executive, meets quarterly to oversee the routine and special activities of the Canadian Section. It includes the Hon. Michèle Rivet, Brian Crane, Brad Smith, and Dean Louis Perret from the Executive, ex-officio member Madam Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé, and supporting members Sen. Gerald-A Beaudoin, Joe Konst, Allan McChesney, and the Hon. Bertha Wilson.

Executive members who participate by conference call when possible include the Hon. Robert Wells, the Hon. F.B. William Kelly, the Hon. Kenneth Lysyk, and David Matas.

Other Section News
The Executive Committee of the Canadian Section was greatly saddened by news of the sudden death of Mario Oiumet, the husband of Section president Michèle Rivet. On behalf of the entire membership, the exexutive expresses its deepest sympathy to Judge Rivet and her children.

MEMBERSHIP

Largely due to the efforts of Canadian Section vice-presidents Bill Kelly and David Matas, and members Graham Walker and Trevor Anderson, membership so far this year is booming. The number of members in both Nova Scotia and Manitoba has nearly doubled.

PUBLICATIONS AND NEWS RELEASES:

The Ottawa office has received the following news releases, copies of which are available on request:

• African States Establish Supranational Human Rights Court
• Turkey: ICJ Urges that Perpetrators of Assassination Attempt against Human Rights Defender Be Brought to Justice
• Despite Some Positive Steps, UN Commission on Human Rights Forsakes Victims of Human Rights Violations
• "Dissolution" de l'AZADHO: la CIJ dénonce l'arbitraire au Congo-Kinshasa
• Jurists Call on UN Secretary-General To Appoint a Special Envoy for Tibet
• Jurists Denounce New Wave of Violence against Ogoni Rights Defenders in Nigeria
• Les jurists préoccupés par l'érosion du droit au Niger

International Commission of Jurists (Canadian Section) Annual General Meeting August 26, 1998, at 3:00 p.m. Hotel Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland.

AGENDA

Minutes of the 1997 Annual General Meeting President's Report - The Honourable Michèle Rivet Financial and membership matters - Brian A. Crane, Q.C. Nominating committee report - Senator Gerald-A. Beaudoin Triennial Meeting in Cape Town - The Honourable Michèle Rivet Other business Meeting of Council