Conference Speakers
Dr. William Schabas
Director, Centre for Human Rights / Ireland
Professor William A. Schabas is director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway, where he also holds the chair in human rights law. Professor Schabas holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Toronto and LL.B., LL.M. and LL.D. degrees from the University of Montreal.
Schabas is the author of twelve books dealing in whole or in part with international human rights law, including Introduction to the International Criminal Court (2004, 2nd ed.), Genocide in International Law (2000), The Abolition of the Death Penalty in International Law (2003, 3rd ed.) and The UN International Criminal Tribunals: Former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone (2006), all with Cambridge University Press. The third edition of his book International Human Rights Law and the Canadian Charter published by Carswell will appear early in 2007 (with co-author Stephane Beaulac). He has also published more than 185 articles in academic journals, principally in the field of international human rights law.
Schabas is editor-in-chief of Criminal Law Forum, the quarterly journal of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law.
From 1991 to 2000, Schabas was professor of human rights law and criminal law at the Département des sciences juridiques of the Université du Québec à Montréal, a Department he chaired from 1994-1998; he now holds the honorary position of professeur associé at that institution. He is also an honorary professor at the Law Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing. He has taught as a visiting or adjunct professor at universities around the world.
In May 2002, the President of Sierra Leone appointed Professor Schabas to the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, upon the recommendation of Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights.
Schabas is an Officer of the Order of Canada.