Brian Currin
Encyclopedia
Brian Currin is a South Africa
n lawyer
who was instrumental in the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
He practiced law in Pretoria from 1977 to 1987, specializing in labour law and civil and human rights, and now works in mediation
and institutional transformation.
In 1994 he was appointed by South African President Nelson Mandela
to chair a Prison Audit Committee and was subsequently involved in the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In 1987 he founded the National Directorate of Lawyers for Human Rights which he headed for eight years.
He has worked in Sri Lanka
, Rwanda
and the Middle East
on political transformation. Currin now co-chairs the Sentence Review Commission
in Northern Ireland
, which decides on the early release of prisoners who have committed terrorism-related offences. In 2000, he became an independent mediator
in the Drumcree parading dispute and said that he hoped he could achieve a breakthrough in the mediation role because he was a completely independent outsider. But he quit his role in December 2001, saying that as Portadown
Orangemen had withdrawn from dialogue, he was "unable to take the process any further".
In the last years he is part of the international mediators team involved in the search of a negotiated solution for the conflict in the Basque Country between the Basque separatist organisation ETA
(Basque Country and Freedom) and the Spanish and French governments. However, this mediators team is not recognized by either the Spanish or the French government. The main associations of ETA's victims has asked him to leave his labour seeing it as inadequate and harmful and the main Spanish parties People's Party
and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
have also criticized his labour because of what they consider a lack of knowledge of the Basque conflict.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who was instrumental in the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
He practiced law in Pretoria from 1977 to 1987, specializing in labour law and civil and human rights, and now works in mediation
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
and institutional transformation.
In 1994 he was appointed by South African President Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
to chair a Prison Audit Committee and was subsequently involved in the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In 1987 he founded the National Directorate of Lawyers for Human Rights which he headed for eight years.
He has worked in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
on political transformation. Currin now co-chairs the Sentence Review Commission
Sentence Review Commission
The Sentence Review Commission was established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and was co-chaired by Brian Currin, a South African human rights lawyer and Sir John Blelloch, a retired senior Northern Ireland Office civil servant.The Sentence Review Commissioners in Northern Ireland were appointed...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, which decides on the early release of prisoners who have committed terrorism-related offences. In 2000, he became an independent mediator
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
in the Drumcree parading dispute and said that he hoped he could achieve a breakthrough in the mediation role because he was a completely independent outsider. But he quit his role in December 2001, saying that as Portadown
Portadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
Orangemen had withdrawn from dialogue, he was "unable to take the process any further".
In the last years he is part of the international mediators team involved in the search of a negotiated solution for the conflict in the Basque Country between the Basque separatist organisation ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
(Basque Country and Freedom) and the Spanish and French governments. However, this mediators team is not recognized by either the Spanish or the French government. The main associations of ETA's victims has asked him to leave his labour seeing it as inadequate and harmful and the main Spanish parties People's Party
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
have also criticized his labour because of what they consider a lack of knowledge of the Basque conflict.
Sources
- Pen Pictures Sentence Review Commission Accessed 3 November 2007.
- Drumcree Dispute - Key figures BBC News NI Accessed 3 November 2007
- Brian Currin - profile South Africa History Archive Accessed 3 November 2007