Jerome Shestack and Thomas Buergenthal, Two Renowned Advocates of Human Rights and Justice Through Law, Receiving Prestigious Gruber Prize

Business Wire, Oct 29, 2008

* Giuseppe Bisconti, chair, International Studio Legale Bisconti, former president of the International Bar Association

* Arthur Chaskalson, former head of the Constitutional Court of South Africa (retired)

* Param Cumaraswamy, former president of the Malaysian Bar, former UN Rapporteur of the Independence of Judges and Lawyers

* Bernice Donald, US District Court, Western District of Tennessee

* Martin Lee, Office of Mr. Martin C.M. Lee, QC., SC

Past honorees of the Gruber Foundation Justice Prize include:

* 2007: Carmen Argibay of Argentina, Carlos Cerda of Chile, and Monica Feria of Peru. Justice Argibay has been a pioneering women's advocate, corruption foe, and participant at the Tokyo Tribunal to adjudicate charges of sexual slavery; Judge Cerda is an independent and courageous member of the Chilean judiciary who pursued Pinochet abuse while the dictator was in power; and Ms. Feria is an international lawyer, defender of children's rights and tireless champion of victims of the Fujimori prison massacre of 1992.

* 2006: Aharon Barak, retired president of the Supreme Court of Israel, renowned for championing an activist judiciary and the rule of law and democracy.

* 2005: Malaysian attorney Param Cumaraswamy who, at considerable risk to himself, stood up for the independence of the judiciary.

* 2004: Arthur Chaskalson, the first president of South Africa's Constitutional Court, and Pius Langa, an advocate and judge who helped establish South Africa's Constitution as a model for modern democratic societies.

* 2003: Canadian Supreme Court Justices Rosalie Silberman Abella and Bertha Wilson for their contributions to jurisprudence in Canada and beyond. Abella, who served on the Ontario Court of Appeal for 20 years before her appointment to the Supreme Court, is one of Canada's leading advocates for women's and human rights; Wilson, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, has forged a reputation as a champion of the underdog and a dedicated proponent of fair play.

* 2002: Fali Sam Nariman, Member of the Parliament of India, Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India and president of the Bar Association of India. Nariman has played an important role in both establishing and enforcing the rule of law in India. He has helped to institute universal principles of human rights as a standard for India and other emerging democracies.

* 2001: Anthony Roy Gubbay, former Chief Justice of Zimbabwe, and the Law Society of Zimbabwe were the joint recipients of the inaugural Justice Prize in 2001, honored for upholding the independence of the judiciary and protecting the rights of the people of Zimbabwe.

The Peter and Patricia Gruber International Prize Program honors contemporary individuals in the fields of Cosmology, Genetics, Neuroscience, Justice and Women's Rights, whose groundbreaking work provides new models that inspire and enable fundamental shifts in knowledge and culture. The Selection Advisory Boards choose individuals whose contributions in their respective fields advance our knowledge, potentially have a profound impact on our lives, and, in the case of the Justice and Women's Rights Prizes, demonstrate courage and commitment in the face of significant obstacles.