Felix Ermacora
Encyclopedia
Felix Ermacora was the leading human rights
expert of Austria
and a member of the Austrian People's Party
. He was a professor of international law at the University of Innsbruck from 1956, at the University of Vienna
from 1964, member of Parliament for the Austrian People's Party from 1971 to 1990, member of the European Commission of Human Rights
and the United Nations Human Rights Committee 1959-1980 and 1984-1987. In 1974 he was President of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and from 1984 he was UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan
. In 1992, he cofounded the Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte
, with his students and close collaborators Manfred Nowak
and Hannes Tretter
, and served as its first director.
He was part of UN delegations investigating human rights abuses in Chile
, South Africa
, occupied Palestine
, Iran
and Afghanistan
. On behalf of the Council of Europe, he investigated human rights abuses in Algeria
, Greece
, Ireland
, Turkey
and Cyprus
. As an academic, a legislator and a UN official, he fought unconditionally against injustice and human rights abuses. In an expert opinion commissioned by the Bavaria
n government in 1991, Ermacora concluded that the Expulsion of Germans after World War II
constituted a genocide
and crime against humanity
. As the UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, he uncovered "gross violations of human rights" by Soviet forces in Afghanistan, made public in a 1985 report.
He received the German Great Cross of Merit, Commander of the Ordre national du Mérite
of France, Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Polar Star
of Sweden, the European Charlemagne Award of the Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft
, the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
in 1983 and the European Human Rights Prize
of the Council of Europe
in 1992 (jointly with Médecins Sans Frontières
) for "an exceptional contribution to the cause of human rights". He received honorary doctorates at the universities of Cologne and Strasbourg, and was a corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
from 1971. He was also a board member of the International Society for Human Rights
.
In 1999, the Felix Ermacora Institut was founded, and in 2005, the Felix Ermacora Human Rights Award
was established by the Faction of the Conservative Party in the Austrian Parliament. The Felix Ermacora Society was founded in 2005, and is headed by Wolfgang Schüssel
, the former Austrian Chancellor.
His students include human rights scholars Manfred Nowak
and Hannes Tretter
as well as Andreas Khol
, a former President of the Austrian parliament.
He died in 1995, of a disease he caught on a UN mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan in December 1994.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
expert of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and a member of the Austrian People's Party
Austrian People's Party
The Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology...
. He was a professor of international law at the University of Innsbruck from 1956, at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
from 1964, member of Parliament for the Austrian People's Party from 1971 to 1990, member of the European Commission of Human Rights
European Commission of Human Rights
European Commission of Human Rights was a special tribunal.From 1954 to the entry into force of Protocol 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, individuals did not have direct access to the European Court of Human Rights; they had to apply to the Commission, which if it found the case to be...
and the United Nations Human Rights Committee 1959-1980 and 1984-1987. In 1974 he was President of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and from 1984 he was UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. In 1992, he cofounded the Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte
Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte
Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte is a research institute affiliated with the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, that specializes in the area of human rights. It was founded in 1992 by Felix Ermacora, Manfred Nowak and Hannes Tretter. Felix Ermacora served as its first director, as of...
, with his students and close collaborators Manfred Nowak
Manfred Nowak
Manfred Nowak is an Austrian human rights lawyer.Nowak was a student of Felix Ermacora, and cooperated with him until Ermacora's death in 1995. They co-founded the Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte in 1992...
and Hannes Tretter
Hannes Tretter
Hannes Tretter is an Austrian lawyer and human rights expert. He is Professor of Human Rights at the University of Vienna and Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte, which he cofounded with Felix Ermacora and Manfred Nowak in 1992...
, and served as its first director.
He was part of UN delegations investigating human rights abuses in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, South Africa
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...
, occupied Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. On behalf of the Council of Europe, he investigated human rights abuses in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. As an academic, a legislator and a UN official, he fought unconditionally against injustice and human rights abuses. In an expert opinion commissioned by the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n government in 1991, Ermacora concluded that the Expulsion of Germans after World War II
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
constituted a genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
and crime against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
. As the UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, he uncovered "gross violations of human rights" by Soviet forces in Afghanistan, made public in a 1985 report.
He received the German Great Cross of Merit, Commander of the Ordre national du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
of France, Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Polar Star
Order of the Polar Star
The Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
of Sweden, the European Charlemagne Award of the Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft
Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft
The Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft is an organization representing Sudeten German refugees from the Sudetenland. Most of them fled to West Germany from Czechoslovakia during the Expulsion of Germans after World War II....
, the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
The UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights, created in 1978 as the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, serves to honour the efforts of organizations or individuals that have...
in 1983 and the European Human Rights Prize
European Human Rights Prize
The European Human Rights Prize, also known as the Council of Europe Human Rights Prize, is a human rights prize that is awarded by the Council of Europe in recognition of outstanding contributions to the cause of human rights as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.It was...
of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
in 1992 (jointly with Médecins Sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
) for "an exceptional contribution to the cause of human rights". He received honorary doctorates at the universities of Cologne and Strasbourg, and was a corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
from 1971. He was also a board member of the International Society for Human Rights
International Society for Human Rights
The International Society for Human Rights is an international non-governmental, non-profit human rights organization with Participative Status with the Council of Europe and is a member of the Liaison Committee of the Non-Governmental Organisations at the Council of Europe...
.
In 1999, the Felix Ermacora Institut was founded, and in 2005, the Felix Ermacora Human Rights Award
Felix Ermacora Human Rights Award
The Felix Ermacora Human Rights Award is an Austrian human rights award. It was established in 2005 by the Austrian People's Party, and is awarded each year by the Felix Ermacora Verein – Verein zur Wahrung und Förderung der Menschenrechte...
was established by the Faction of the Conservative Party in the Austrian Parliament. The Felix Ermacora Society was founded in 2005, and is headed by Wolfgang Schüssel
Wolfgang Schüssel
Wolfgang Schüssel is an Austrian People's Party politician. He was Chancellor of Austria for two consecutive terms from February 2000 to January 2007...
, the former Austrian Chancellor.
His students include human rights scholars Manfred Nowak
Manfred Nowak
Manfred Nowak is an Austrian human rights lawyer.Nowak was a student of Felix Ermacora, and cooperated with him until Ermacora's death in 1995. They co-founded the Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte in 1992...
and Hannes Tretter
Hannes Tretter
Hannes Tretter is an Austrian lawyer and human rights expert. He is Professor of Human Rights at the University of Vienna and Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte, which he cofounded with Felix Ermacora and Manfred Nowak in 1992...
as well as Andreas Khol
Andreas Khol
Andreas Khol is an Austrian politician of the center-conservative Austrian People's Party, President of the Nation Council from 2002 to 2006....
, a former President of the Austrian parliament.
He died in 1995, of a disease he caught on a UN mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan in December 1994.
Selected works
- Handbuch der Grundfreiheiten und der Menschenrechte, 1963
- Allgemeine Staatslehre, 2 vol., 1970
- Österreichische Verfassungslehre, 2 vol., 1970/80
- Grundriß der Menschenrechte in Österreich, 1988
- Die Entstehung der Bundesverfassung, 5 vol., 1986–93
- Menschenrechte in der sich wandelnden Welt, 3 vol., 1974–94
- Menschenrechte ohne Wenn und Aber. Erlebnisse und Begegnungen, 1993
Literature
- Manfred NowakManfred NowakManfred Nowak is an Austrian human rights lawyer.Nowak was a student of Felix Ermacora, and cooperated with him until Ermacora's death in 1995. They co-founded the Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte in 1992...
, Dorothea Steurer and Hannes TretterHannes TretterHannes Tretter is an Austrian lawyer and human rights expert. He is Professor of Human Rights at the University of Vienna and Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte, which he cofounded with Felix Ermacora and Manfred Nowak in 1992...
(eds.), Festschrift für Felix Ermacora - Fortschritt im Bewußtsein der Grund- und Menschenrechte, Kehl am Rhein, Engel, 1988