CCIJ Welcomes Award Winning Author to Honorary Council
For release: August 21, 2009
Ottawa – The Canadian Centre for International Justice (CCIJ) today announced the inclusion of highly acclaimed Canadian author Erna Paris on the organization’s Honorary Council.
The CCIJ’s Council brings together former Supreme Court judges, politicians and other notable Canadians who support the organization’s work to promote justice in the face of massive human rights abuses. Other Council members include Louise Arbour, Lloyd Axworthy, Ed Broadbent, Flora MacDonald, Maher Arar, Claire L'Heureux-Dubé, and Raynell Andreychuk.
The recipient of ten national and international writing awards, Erna Paris is the author of seven books of literary non-fiction that include The Sun Climbs Slow: The International Criminal Court and the Struggle for Justice (2008), Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History (2000), and The End of Days: A Story of Tolerance, Tyranny and the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain (1995). She is also the current Chair of the Writers’ Union of Canada.
"Justice is humanity's best hope in the struggle against criminal impunity on the global stage when atrocities are committed,” Ms. Paris said. “It can also help to address the burning desire of many survivors to see the perpetrators of these crimes made accountable.”
Canadians can be proud of their country’s leadership role in the creation of the world’s first permanent International Criminal Court (ICC), Ms. Paris added. “On the other hand, it is urgent that Canada and other countries bring cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity to their own courts as a national complement to the work of the ICC. I am honoured to be associated with the important efforts of the CCIJ in this area.”
In May of this year, a Quebec court handed down the first guilty verdict in a war crimes case in this country, using legislation passed after Canada ratified the ICC treaty. Désiré Munyaneza, who was living in Canada at the time of his arrest in 2005, was convicted for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He will be sentenced in September.
The CCIJ has called for more criminal cases of this kind, citing the presence of an estimated 1500 alleged war criminals in Canada. The organization is also seeking a law reform amendment that will allow civil cases for compensation to proceed in Canadian courts as a complement to criminal cases.
“We are thrilled to include Erna Paris among our supporters,” said Jayne Stoyles, the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for International Justice. “There is so much work to do in Canada to ensure that our government and our courts contribute effectively to the cause of international justice as a means to help prevent massive human rights abuses. The involvement of accomplished Canadians like Erna Paris, Louise Arbour and Lloyd Axworthy helps to bring attention to this important issue.”
The Canadian Centre for International Justice works with survivors of genocide, torture and other atrocities to seek redress and bring perpetrators to justice. Please visit our website at www.ccij.ca.
