Rajsoomer Lallah
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Rajsoomer Lallah (September 1933 – 3 June 2012) was a
Mauritian Mauritians (singular Mauritian; ; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a melting pot of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious peoples. Mauritian is made up ...
lawyer and judge who played a leading role in International Human Rights cases.


Birth and education

Lallah was born in
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
in 1933. He was an Anderson Scholar at
Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...
, where he studied from 1954 to 1957, graduating with a BA in jurisprudence. He went on to the
Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...
in London, becoming a Barrister-at-Law in 1958. Returning to Oxford University he obtained an MA in 1960. Later he obtained a United Kingdom Law Officers Fellowship in 1968 and a UNITAR Fellowship at the
Hague Academy of International Law The Hague Academy of International Law () is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Courses are taught in English and French and, except for External ...
in 1970. He died in Mauritius on 3 June 2012 aged 79.


Career

Lallah was made a Deputy to the Electoral Commissioner during the period leading up to independence of Mauritius in 1968. He was responsible for registering electors, drafting electoral regulations and administering the pre-independence general elections. Between 1970 and 1975 Lallah was a Special Adviser at the
Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth Secretariat is the main intergovernmental agency and central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is responsible for facilitating co-operation between members; organising meetings, including the Commonwealth Heads of ...
and provided legal advice to Commonwealth Governments on resource development, taxation, negotiation with multinational companies, independence negotiations and establishing constitutions. Lallah became a Queen's Counsel in 1976 and was Assistant Solicitor General in Mauritius from 1976 to 1978. He was Parliamentary Counsel from 1978 to 1980. He was Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the Council of the
University of Mauritius The University of Mauritius (UoM) () is the national university of Mauritius. It is the oldest and largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and the curriculum offered. The public university's main campus is located at Réd ...
from 1977 to 1980. In 1980 Lallah was appointed a Judge of the
Supreme Court of Mauritius The Supreme Court of Mauritius is the highest court of Mauritius. It was established in its current form in 1850, replacing the ''Cour d'Appel'' established in 1808 during the French administration and has a permanent seat in Port Louis. There i ...
. He was Chairman of the Commission of Enquiry into the 1982 General Elections. In 1983 he was chairman of the commission that reviewed legal studies in Mauritius, causing a law school to be established at the University of Mauritius and the Council of Legal Education to be set up. From 1988 to 1994 he was Chairman of the Council of Legal Education of Mauritius. He assisted with work on a post-apartheid Constitution for South Africa in 1991. Lallah retired from the Supreme Court as Chief Justice in 1995. That year he was appointed a member of the
London Court of International Arbitration The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) is the oldest arbitral body in the world dealing with international disputes. It was founded as a British private company limited by guarantee with a head office in London. It offers dispu ...
.


International human rights work

Lallah was elected to the
United Nations Human Rights Committee The United Nations Human Rights Committee is a treaty body composed of 18 experts, established by a 1966 human rights treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Committee meets for three four-week sessions per yea ...
on 20 September 1976. At its first session, the committee elected him as vice-chairman. He was vice-chairman until 1978, Rapporteur from 1978 to 1982 and chairman from 1989 to 1991. He served on the commission to set up the human rights machinery for the
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
and on the
International Commission of Jurists The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is an international human rights non-governmental organization. It is supported by an International Secretariat based in Geneva, Switzerland, and staffed by lawyers drawn from a wide range of jurisdi ...
based in
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
. He was involved in United Nations assessments related to human rights in Chile (1983–1984), industrial complaints in Nigeria (1990) and the genocide in Cambodia (1998). After the resignation of
Yozo Yokota Yozo Yokota (; 17 October 1940 – 12 June 2019) was a professor of Law who acted as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar from 1992 to 1996. Academic career Yozo Yokota was born in New York City, US ...
, Lallah served as United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar from June 1996 to November 2000. He reported his findings to the Commission on Human Rights and the
United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
. Despite being repeatedly denied entry to the country, Lallah presented highly critical reports on conditions in Burma. On 26 October 2000 Lallah reported to the UN General Assembly that the Myanmar government continued to "privilege the repression of all political activity over the engagement in a genuine political dialogue". He said the military regime had ignored all UN resolutions and had made no progress in improving human rights over the past four years. Lallah resigned from the position of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma on 2 November 2000 due to lack of support from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Lallah is well known for his concurring decision (together with Martin Scheinin) in the Joslin v New Zealand, a leading case on
gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...
.


Recognition

In 1980 Lallah was made an Honorary Professor of Law at the
University of Mauritius The University of Mauritius (UoM) () is the national university of Mauritius. It is the oldest and largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and the curriculum offered. The public university's main campus is located at Réd ...
. In 1985 he was given the International Gold Mercury Award ad personam for contribution to development and human rights law. He was made a Grand Officer of the
Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...
(GOSK) in 1995.


Selected bibliography

* * * *


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lallah, Rajsoomer 2012 deaths 1933 births Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford 20th-century Mauritian judges Members of the Middle Temple United Nations Human Rights Committee members Grand Officers of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean Chief justices of Mauritius Mauritian officials of the United Nations United Nations special rapporteurs