International Coalition Against Torture (InCAT.org)




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::	InCAT Team
+	Directors
+	Project Mangers

++ DIRECTORS

:: Houshang Bouzari - President
:: Mark H Arnold - Co-Chair and Senior Legal Advisor
:: David Matas - Co-Chair and Senior Legal Advisor
:: Abraham J. Arnold - Honourary Director

HOUSHANG BOUZARI - President

you can contact Mr. Bouzari by email at: h.bouzari@incat.org

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MARK H. ARNOLD - Co-Chair and Senior Legal Advisor

Mark H. Arnold is a partner and a senior civil litigator with the Law Firm of Gardiner Miller Arnold LLP. He has appeared as counsel at all court levels, to and including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Mark's background includes instructing in the area of Civil Trial Practice for the Law Society of Upper Canada in its annual Bar Admission Course. He is a the Vice-Chair of the Civil Litigation Section of the Canadian Bar Association (Ontario).

Mark obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Sir George Williams University in Montreal and a Master of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Manitoba. He attended Dalhousie Law School in Halifax, Nova Scotia and obtained an LL.B. in 1983. He also attended Osgoode Hall Law School and graduated in 1999 with a Master of Laws degree in commercial litigation and alternate dispute resolution. He is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and a past member of the Nova Scotia Barristers Society.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mark was a college teacher in Montreal, Charlottetown and Halifax. He also worked for CBC Radio in Charlottetown as a freelance broadcaster and storyteller. Mark’s involvement with human rights activities dates as far back as to the early days of his career.

Mark was the first Executive Director for the Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission. His interest in human rights continues to this day, and he is adamant about seeking justice for the victims of torture at home and abroad.

Interestingly, Mark was a member of the Canadian National Track and Field Team during his student days and competed for Canada in the Pan American Games. He was ranked as one of the top three sprinters in Canada.

you can contact Mr. Arnold by email at: m.arnold@incat.org

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DAVID MATAS - Co-Chair and Senior Legal Advisor

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, 29 August 1943; son of Harry and Esther (Steiman) Matas; home address: 1146 Mulvey Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3M 1J5; office address: 602-225 Vaughan Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3C 1T7; tel: 204-944-1831; fax: 204-942-1494

Education: University of Manitoba Bachelor of Arts 1964; Princeton University Masters of Arts 1965; Oxford University Bachelor of Arts (Jurisprudence) 1967 and Bachelor of Civil Law 1968.

Professional qualifications: Middle Temple United Kingdom Barrister 1969; called to Bar of Manitoba 1971.

Employment: Law Clerk to the Chief Justice Supreme Court of Canada 1968-69; member of the Foreign Ownership Working Group, Government of Canada 1969; articled with Thompson, Dorfman & Sweatman 1970-71; special assistant to the Solicitor General of Canada 1971-72; associate of Schwartz, McJannet, Weinberg 1973-79; private practice in refugee, immigration and human rights law 1979-.

Government appointments: member Canadian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly 1980; Task Force Immigration Practices & Procedures 1980-81; member Canadian delegation to the United Nations Conference on an International Criminal Court 1998; member Canadian Delegation to the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust, 2000; Director of the International Centre for Human Rights & Democratic Development which became Rights and Democracy 1997-2003.

Academic appointments: Lecturer in Constitutional Law, McGill University 1972-73; Lecturer in Introductory Economics, Canadian Economic Problems 1982, International Law 1985, Civil Liberties 1986-88, Immigration & Refugee Law 1989-, University of Manitoba.

Volunteer activities: Director of the International Defence & Aid Fund for South Africa in Canada 1990-91; Director of Canada-South Africa Cooperation 1991-93;
Co-chair Canadian Helsinki Watch Group 1985-;
Director Manitoba Association of Rights & Liberties 1983-87;
Amnesty International: Member of the Standing Coalition on Mandate of the International Executive Coalition, 1993-1999, Legal Co-ordinator Canadian Section (English speaking branch) 1980-; member of the anti-impunity working group 2002-
B'nai Brith Canada: Chair League for Human Rights, 1983-85, Senior Honourary Counsel 1989-, Vice-President 1996-1998;
Canadian Bar Association: member of the Coalition on the Constitution 1977-78, chair of the Constitutional & International Law section 1979-82, chair of the Immigration Law section 1996-97, member of the Working Group on Racial Equality in the Legal Profession 1994-2000, chair of the Working Group on the Review of the Canadian Human Rights Act 1999, member of the Federal Court
Bar Bench Liaison Coalition 1999-, member of the Racial Equality Implementation Coalition 2000-, and chair 2002-.
International Commission of Jurists: Councillor Canadian Section 1983-94, Vice-President 1994-2003;
Canadian Jewish Congress: Chair Legal Coalition on War Crimes 1981-84; Co-Chair, Race Relations and the Law Project 1985-7;
Canadian Council for Refugees: Chair of the Working Group on Overseas Protection 1989-1991, Member of the international Expert Group on Carrier Sanctions, 1990-91; Chair of the Task Force on Overseas Protection, 1992; President 1991-95.

Trial observations - prosecution of Eddie Carthan, Tchula Mississippi, for Amnesty Interational; sanctuary trial, Tucson Arizona for International Commission of Jurists; prosecution of Enhadda, Tunisia for Human rights Watch and International Human Rights Law Group; sentencing of Grenada seven, Grenada, for Human Rights Watch; civil suit for compensation of torture victims of Marcos against the Marcos estate, Honolulu Hawaii for International Commission of Jurists.

Honours: Governor-General's Confederation Medal 1992; Jewish War Veterans Victory in Europe Fifteeth Anniversary Medal 1995; Outstanding Achievement Award, Manitoba Association of Rights & Liberties 1996; Honourary Doctorate of Law, Concordia University 1996; Dr. Percy Barsky Humanitarian Award Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation 1997; Centennial Community Service Award of the National Council of Jewish Women (Winnipeg Section) 1997; Lord Reading Law Society of Montreal Honouree 1997; League for Human Rights of B'nai Brith Canada Midwest Region Human Rights Achievement Award 1999; Community Legal Education Association Manitoba Human Rights Achievement Award 1999.

Books: "Canadian Immigration Law" 1986; "Justice Delayed: Nazi War Criminals in Canada" 1987 with Susan Charendoff; "The Sanctuary Trial" 1989; "Closing the Doors: The Failure of Refugee Protection" 1989 with Ilana Simon; "No More: The Battle Against Human Rights Violations" 1994; co-editor "The Machinery of Death" Amnesty International USA 1995; "Bloody Words: Hate and Free Speech" 2000.

Manuscripts: "Bringing Nazi War Criminals in Canada to Justice" B'nai Brith Canada 1985; "Renaissance in Tunis" 1990; "Nazi War Criminals in Canada: Five Years After" B'nai Brith Canada, 1992; "Refugee Protection in New States: The Kyrgyz Republic" Canadian Helsinki Watch Group, 1998; "What Happened to Raoul Wallenberg" 1998.

you can contact Mr. Matas by email at: d.matas@incat.org

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Abraham J. Arnold - Honourary Director

Abraham J. Arnold (Abe) has an Honorary Doctorate (LL. D. ) from the University of Winnipeg.

Mr. Arnold has been an author, journalist, editor, human rights advocate, and a community service professional and volunteer for over 50 years. During 1945-48 in Toronto, he served as an editorial associate with the Canadian Film Weekly, editor of Anglo-Jewish news service, and an English-page editor of the Yiddish language paper, Vochenblatt. In Vancouver (1949-1960), he served as an editor/publisher of the weekly Jewish Western Bulletin. In Montreal (1960-65), he worked as a Public Relations Director for the Jewish Federation/Combined Jewish Appeal. In Winnipeg he served as a Western Region Director of the Canadian Jewish Congress (1965-1973),
Founding Director of the Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada (1968-75), and the Founding Director of the Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties (1978-88). He has placed over 30 feet of manuscripts and papers with the Provincial Archives of Manitoba under the heading A. J. ARNOLD PAPERS.

AWARDS
Mr. Arnold has received the Shem Tov (good name) award from the Winnipeg Jewish Community Council, 1997; the Manitoba Human Rights Achievement Award as a “life-long advocate of human rights and civil liberties”, 1994; best editorial in a weekly newspaper from Vancouver United Way, 1951; and an Honourable Mention, Bowater Award for Journalism, 1958 & 1959. He has also received Canada Council grants for research in Canadian Jewish history (1968 & 1970).

PUBLISHED BOOKS AND OTHER WRITING
Mr. Arnold has published a book titled “Judaism: Myth, Legend, History and Custom from the Religious to the Secular”, as well as “Jewish Life in Canada”. He has also contributed chapters to five other books including two school texts (1981-1995), among them “William Kurelek, an Appreciation” in “A Sharing of Diversities”. His essay “Moses Hart, First Born Canadian Jew was a Deist and Social Activist”, is to be published by the York University Centre for Jewish Studies in a book of papers titled “Canadian Jewry: A Heritage in Transition”.

In past years, Mr. Arnold has contributed articles to Vancouver Sun, Victoria Colonist, Montreal Star, Globe and Mail, Winnipeg Free Press, and other dailies and in recent years to The Beaver Magazine, Canadian Jewish News, Toronto, Humanistic Judaism, Detroit, and Jewish Currents, New York. Currently he contributes to Outlook Magazine, Vancouver, and Jewish Post & News, Winnipeg.

OTHER ACTIVITIES
Mr. Arnold has been a Volunteer Advisor member of CESO, the Canadian Executive Services organization, and in this capacity went on Assignment to Russia in 1999. He is a board member of the Jewish Heritage Centre in Winnipeg, a member of the national executive of the Canadian Association for Jewish Studies, and the National Executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress. He is a board member of the Joseph Zuken Memorial Association, advisor to the Sholem Aleichem Community in Winnipeg, a member of the Manitoba Writers Guild, the Society for Humanistic Judaism, and the United Jewish Peoples Order.

He is currently serving as a member of the Manitoba Film Classification Board, and he has been elected to the board of the Jewish Federation/CJA of Winnipeg.

you can contact Mr. Abraham J. Arnold email at: a.arnold@incat.org

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