- Martin Scheinin
-
Martin Scheinin 
Born November 4, 1954
Helsinki, FinlandResidence Florence, Italy Nationality Finnish Education University of Turku, Finland
University of Helsinki, FinlandOccupation Professor of Public International Law, European University Institute, Florence, Italy Known for UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, 2005-2011 Martin Scheinin (born 4 November 1954) is the first United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism.[1] He was selected for this position after serving for eight years (1997-2004) as member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the independent expert body monitoring states' compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. While on the Committee, he was known as a defendant of the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples and opponent of capital punishment, as well as the drafter of the Committee's General Comment No. 29 on states of emergency.
Today he is a Professor of Public International Law at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, and an expert of international law, human rights and constitutional law.
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Education
Martin Scheinin was born on 4 November 1954 in Helsinki, Finland, and was educated in law at the Universities of Turku and Helsinki.
Academic career
Scheinin received his doctorate in law from the University of Helsinki in 1991.[2] Scheinin was professor of law for fifteen years in Finland, first at the University of Helsinki (1993-1998) and then at Åbo Akademi University (1998-2008) where he was also the Director of the Institute for Human Rights, before moving to Florence in 2008 to take up office as Professor of Public International Law at the European University Institute.[2][3]
At the European University Institute, Scheinin's areas of research and supervision include public international law, human rights law, international criminal law, comparative constitutional law and anti-terrorism legislation. He is a Work Package leader in the research project DETECTER (Detection Technologies, Terrorism, Ethics, and Human Rights) under the European Union Framework 7 Security Programme,[4] and coordinator of the research strand GLOTHRO (Beyond Territoriality: Globalisation and Transnational Human Rights Obligations) within the EUI Global Governance Programme. [5]
His professional experience also includes working for the Parliament of Finland, the Finnish Ministry of Justice and three governmental commissions that drafted amendments to the Finnish Constitution, including the 1995 fundamental rights reform.[3] He has taught courses on human rights or counter-terrorism in many parts of the world, including at the University of Melbourne,[6] University of Pretoria,[7] and the University of Toronto, and for professional target groups such as judges, lawyers or prosecutors in Egypt, Latvia, and the Russian Federation.
In December 2010 Scheinin was elected President of the International Association of Constitutional Law.[8]
Work with the UN
Scheinin has worked with the UN on human rights issues since 1997, first as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, and later as Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism.[2]
Special Rapporteur
In April 2005, the UN Commission on Human Rights appointed "a special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism"[1]. This was initially a three-year appointment, to end in 2008, but was later extended by three more years, to end in 2011.
As Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Scheinin reports annually both to the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Human Rights Council. His reports have covered themes such as definitions of terrorism, the right to fair trial in terrorism cases, the impact of counter-terrorism measures on economic, social and cultural rights, the right to privacy in the age of counter-terrorism, the role of intelligence agencies and their oversight in counter-terrorism, and the identification of best practice in combating terrorism in full compliance with human rights.
Some of the reports have been commended by governments, such as those related to discriminatory profiling[disambiguation needed
] or the right to privacy in the context of counter-terrorism. On some other occasions, certain governments have been highly critical about the reports, such as Scheinin's analysis of the [gender] impact of counter-terrorism measures [9] and his proposals of a total reform of the terrorist listing by the United Nations Security Council. [10]The Special Rapporteur is a member of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and has conducted a number of country visits to assess the counter-terrorism law and practice of countries such as Turkey, South Africa, United States, Israel, Spain, Egypt, Tunisia and Peru. As part of the country missions, he visits prisons and observers terrorism trials, such as the Military Commission hearings in the Hamdan case in Guantanamo Bay [11] and the Jose Padilla and Ahmed Ghailani trials in the United States. The country visits have often resulted in concrete improvements, such as the repeal of a contested Presidential Decree in Peru immediately after the visit in September 2010. [12] As Special Rapporteurs can visit a country only upon the invitation of its government, Scheinin has not been able to obtain access to countries such as Pakistan, the Philippines, or the Russian Federation.
References
- ^ a b OHCHR. "Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism". http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/terrorism/rapporteur/srchr.htm.
- ^ a b c EUI. "Curriculum Vitae: Martin Scheinin". http://www.eui.eu/Documents/DepartmentsCentres/Law/Professors/Scheinin/cvScheinin.pdf.
- ^ a b EUI. "Martin Scheinin". http://www.eui.eu/DepartmentsAndCentres/Law/People/Professors/Scheinin.aspx.
- ^ University of Birmingham. "Detection Technologies, Terrorism, Ethics, and Human Rights". http://www.detecter.eu.
- ^ EUI. "Beyond Territoriality: Globalisation and Transnational Human Rights Obligations (GLOTHRO)". http://www.eui.eu/Projects/GGP/ResearchStrands/Scheinin.aspx.
- ^ University of Melbourne. "Professor Martin Scheinin, Senior Fellow (The Melbourne Law Masters)". http://www.masters.law.unimelb.edu.au/index.cfm?objectid=3A3D6E1C-1422-207C-BA2FF780360A4931&username=Martin%20Scheinin.
- ^ Center for Human Rights, University of Pretoria. "Lecturers)". http://www.chr.up.ac.za/index.php/llm-hrda-staff.html.
- ^ IACL. "Executive Committee of the IACL 2011-2014". http://www.iacl-aidc.org/?p=665.
- ^ Justus Eisfeld. "Report of the Discussion of the Scheinin report on gender aspects in Human Rights and countering terrorism". http://www.sxpolitics.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/scheinin-report.pdf.
- ^ Radio Free Europe. "UN Expert Says Security Council Counterterrorism Measures Anti-Human Rights". http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/news/2010/10/sec-101027-rferl01.htm.
- ^ USA Today (12 December 2007). "UN expert: Guantanamo hearings unfair". http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2007-12-12-1229143174_x.htm.
- ^ IPS. "Peru: Gov't Backs Down on Law Letting Rights Violators Off Hook". http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52845.
External links
Categories:- United Nations Human Rights Committee members
- United Nations Special Rapporteurs
- Finnish lawyers
- 1954 births
- Living people
- University of Pretoria faculty
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