{{Short description|Canadian lawyer}} {{Infobox person | name = David Matas | image = David Matas 2.jpg | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1943|8|29|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Winnipeg]], Manitoba, Canada | death_date = | death_place = }} '''David Matas''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM}} (born 29 August 1943) is the senior legal counsel of [[B'nai Brith Canada]] who currently resides in [[Winnipeg|Winnipeg, Manitoba]]. He has maintained a private practice in [[Canadian refugee law|refugee]], [[Canadian immigration and refugee law|immigration]], and [[Human rights law in Canada|human rights law]] since 1979, and has published various books and manuscripts.
Criticizing [[impunity]] for human rights abuses, Matas stated: "Nothing emboldens a criminal so much as the knowledge he can get away with a crime."<ref name=Cassese/>
==Early life and education== David Matas was born in [[Winnipeg|Winnipeg, Manitoba]]; his grandparents were immigrants from [[Ukraine]] and [[Romania]].{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} He obtained a B.A. from the [[University of Manitoba]] in 1964, and a Master of Arts from [[Princeton University]] in 1965. In 1967, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Jurisprudence) from the [[University of Oxford]], England, and in 1968 he obtained a [[Bachelor of Civil Law]]. In 1969, he became a [[Middle Temple]] [[United Kingdom]] [[Barrister]], and he joined the [[Bar association|Bar]] of [[Manitoba]] in 1971.
==Career== ===Government work=== Matas served as a Law Clerk to the [[Chief Justice of Canada]] in 1968–69, and was a member of the Foreign Ownership Working Group, [[Government of Canada]], and was special assistant to the [[Solicitor General of Canada]] in 1971–72.
He served as a member of the Canadian delegation to the [[United Nations General Assembly]], the Task Force on Immigration Practices & Procedures, the Canadian delegation to the United Nations Conference on an [[International Criminal Court]] 1998, the Canadian Delegation to the Stockholm International Forum on the [[Holocaust]], and from 1997 until 2003, the [[International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development|Director of the International Centre for Human Rights & Democratic Development]]. On 13 November 2009, Matas was appointed to the board of this centre, also known as Rights and Democracy (R&D), which was headed by Professor Aural Braun. Shortly afterwards, a number of illicit actions by the staff of R&D and secret grants to radical organizations were exposed,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/Replace |title=Replace Rights and Democracy |date=2012-06-14 |access-date=2016-08-21 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614125605/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/Replace+Rights+Democracy/6338406/story.html |archive-date=2012-06-14 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.ngo-monitor.org/books/the_politics_of_canadian_government_funding_for_advocacy_ngos/|title=The Politics of Canadian Government Funding for Advocacy NGOs|last1=Seligman|first1=Steven|last2=Steinberg|first2=Gerald|publisher=NGO Monitor|year=2012}}</ref> and Matas joined Braun in initiating a major investigation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/the-rights-and-democracy-twist/article1314283/|title=The Rights and Democracy twist|website=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=26 February 2010 |access-date=2016-08-21|last1=Matas |first1=David }}</ref> As a result of the investigations, funding was cut and in 2012, the government closed the Rights and Democracy framework.
===Teaching work=== Matas has also taught [[constitutional law]] at [[McGill University]], Introductory Economics, Canadian Economic Problems, [[International Law]], [[Civil Liberties]], and [[immigration law|Immigration & Refugee Law]], at the University of Manitoba.
===Politics=== David Matas ran for the [[House of Commons of Canada]] in the [[1979 Canadian federal election|1979]] and [[1980 Canadian federal election|1980 federal election]]s as a [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] candidate in [[Winnipeg—Assiniboine]] district and came in second place both times.
In 2009, Matas was a signatory to a letter opposing the appointment of [[Christine Chinkin]] to a UN [[Human Rights Council]] fact finding mission on the 2008-2009 [[Gaza War (2008–09)|Gaza War]] (also known as the Goldstone Commission), alleging that Chinkin signed a prejudicial letter that indicated that, without examining the evidence, she "concluded that Israel was acting contrary to international law."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-09-08 |title=Letter to Professor Christine Chinkin |url=http://blog.unwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/cdn-lawyers-support-recusal-of-biased-un-fact-finder-sept-11-09doc.pdf |website=unwatch.org}}</ref> Chinkin did not resign, and endorsed the UN [[Goldstone report|report]], which was later denounced as biased and ill-informed by one of its authors, Judge Goldstone. The report's other authors stand by its content and criticized Goldstone's reversal of position on it.
In his book "Aftershock: Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism", Matas accused critics of [[Israel]]'s post-1967 war policies regarding the [[West Bank]] of having double standards in not also criticizing [[China]]'s occupation of [[Tibet]].<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DYR7SqcMe9gC&pg=PA67 |title = Aftershock: Anti-zionism and Anti-semitism|isbn = 9781550025538|last1 = Matas|first1 = David|date = 2005-09-03| publisher=Dundurn }}</ref>
===Human rights work=== {{quotebox|width=20em|Nothing emboldens a criminal so much as the knowledge he can get away with a crime. That was the message the failure to prosecute for the [[Armenian genocide|Armenian massacre]] gave to the Nazis. We ignore the lesson of the Holocaust at our peril.|—Matas in 1989<ref name=Dadrian>{{cite journal |last1=Dadrian |first1=Vahakn |title=The Historical and Legal Interconnections Between the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust: From Impunity to Retributive Justice |journal=Yale Journal of International Law |date=1998 |volume=23 |issue=2 |url=https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/yjil/vol23/iss2/5/ |issn=0889-7743}}</ref><ref name=Cassese>{{cite journal |last1=Cassese |first1=Antonio |title=Reflections on International Criminal Justice |journal=The Modern Law Review |date=1998 |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.1111/1468-2230.00124 |jstor=1097333 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1097333 |issn=0026-7961|url-access=subscription }}</ref>}} He has been actively involved as Director of the International Defence & Aid Fund for [[South Africa]] in Canada, Director of Canada-South Africa Cooperation, Co-chair Canadian [[Helsinki Watch]] Group, Director Manitoba Association of Rights & Liberties, [[Amnesty International]], B'nai Brith Canada, the [[Canadian Bar Association]], the [[International Commission of Jurists]], [[Canadian Jewish Congress]], and [[Canadian Council for Refugees]].{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
He represented [[Lai Changxing]] in his extradition proceedings.<ref>Bill Benedict (09 August 2009) [http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2009/08/chinas_most_wanted_man_admits.html "China's most wanted man admits guilt"], cleveland.com</ref>
He is also counsel for ''Justice for Jews from Arab Countries'' and is co-author of "Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries: The Case for Rights and Redress".
He presented various papers on the legal issue of prosecuting war criminals in Bangladesh.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
====Organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China==== {{main|Organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China|Persecution of Falun Gong#Organ harvesting}} In 2006, with [[David Kilgour]] he released the [[Kilgour-Matas report]],<ref name=OH>David Kilgour, David Matas (6 July 2006, revised 31 January 2007) [http://organharvestinvestigation.net An Independent Investigation into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China] (free in 22 languages) organharvestinvestigation.net</ref> which stated "the source of 41,500 transplants for the six year period 2000 to 2005 is unexplained" and "we believe that there has been and continues today to be large scale organ seizures from unwilling [[Falun Gong]] practitioners".<ref name=OH/> In 2009, they published an updated version of the report as a book.<ref>David Kilgour, David Matas (2009) [http://www.seraphimeditions.com/bloody-harvest.html Bloody Harvest, The killing of Falun Gong for their organs] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018063316/http://www.seraphimeditions.com/bloody-harvest.html |date=2014-10-18 }} p. 232 seraphimeditions.com</ref> They visited about 50 countries to raise awareness of the situation.<ref name=WFP/> Later Matas stated, "We estimate in the period between 2000 and 2005, there were 41,500 transplants which have no other explained source".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvAOOwvJMZs Killed for Organs: China's Secret State Transplant Business] (2012) YouTube video, 8 minutes</ref>
In 2012, ''State Organs: Transplant Abuse in China'', edited by Matas and Torsten Trey, was published with essays from Gabriel Danovitch, Professor of Medicine,<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Danovitch+G G Danovitch articles], US National Library of Medicine</ref> [[Arthur Caplan]], Professor of Bioethics,<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Caplan+AL AL Caplan articles], US National Library of Medicine</ref> Jacob Lavee, cardiothoracic surgeon,<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Lavee+J J Lavee articles], US National Library of Medicine</ref> Ghazali Ahmad,<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Ahmad+G G Ahmad articles], US National Library of Medicine</ref> Maria Fiatarone Singh,<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Fiatarone+Singh+M M Fiatarone Singh articles], US National Library of Medicine</ref> Torsten Trey,<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Trey+T T Trey articles], US National Library of Medicine</ref> [[Ethan Gutmann]] and Matas.<ref>[http://www.seraphimeditions.com/pdfs/Introduction-State-Organs "State Organs: Introduction"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527201924/http://www.seraphimeditions.com/pdfs/Introduction-State-Organs |date=2013-05-27 }} seraphimeditions.com</ref><ref>Rebeca Kuropatwa (19 September 2012) [http://www.jewishtribune.ca/arts-and-culture/2012/09/19/new-matas-book-reveals-transplant-abuse "New Matas book reveals transplant abuse"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402124932/http://www.jewishtribune.ca/arts-and-culture/2012/09/19/new-matas-book-reveals-transplant-abuse |date=2015-04-02 }}, Jewish Tribune</ref><ref>[[Mark Colvin]] (27 November 2012) [http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3642188.htm "Parliament to hear evidence of transplant abuse in China"], [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]</ref><ref>David Matas, Torsten Trey (2012) [http://www.seraphimeditions.com/state-organs.html State Organs, Transplant Abuse in China] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224121713/http://seraphimeditions.com/state-organs.html |date=2015-02-24 }} seraphimeditions.com p. 144</ref>
==CBA Committee on the Constitution== Matas is a member of the [[Canadian Bar Association]]. In 1977, following the election of the [[Quebec sovereignty movement|separatist]] [[Parti Québécois]] government the previous year, he was asked to sit on the [[Jacques Viau#CBA Committee on the Constitution|CBA Committee on the Constitution]]. The committee's mandate was to study and make recommendations on the [[Constitution of Canada]].<ref>CBA Resolution 77-01-A: Constitution of Canada - Special Committee; reproduced in ''Canadian Bar Association: Towards a new Canada - Committee on the Constitution'', p. xv.</ref> The members of the committee were drawn from each province of Canada, and included two future [[Premier (Canada)|provincial premiers]], a future Supreme Court of Canada justice, two future provincial chief justices, and a future Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations. The Committee presented its report to the CBA at the next annual meeting, in 1978. The committee made wide-ranging recommendations for constitutional change, including a completely new constitution, abolishing the monarchy, changing the Senate, entrenching language rights and a bill of rights, and changing the balance of powers between the federal government and the provinces.
==Works== * ''Justice Delayed: Nazi War Criminals in Canada'' (1987) with Susan Charendoff, {{ISBN|978-0920197424}} * ''Closing the Doors: The Failure of Refugee Protection'' (1989) with Ilana Simon, {{ISBN|978-0920197813}} * ''No More: The Battle Against Human Rights Violations'' (1996), {{ISBN|978-1550022216}} * ''Bloody Words: Hate and Free Speech'' (2000), {{ISBN|978-1553310006}} * ''Aftershock: Anti-Zionism & Antisemitism'' (2005), {{ISBN|978-1550025538}} * ''[http://bloodyharvest.info/about/ Bloody Harvest, The killing of Falun Gong for their organs]'' (2009) with David Kilgour * ''Why Did You Do That?: The Autobiography of a Human Rights Advocate'' (2015), {{ISBN|978-1-927079-34-8}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120414161949/http://www.bnaibrith.ca/institute/articles/dm020107.html Durban Conference: Civil Society Smashes Up], Bnai Brith Canada, 2002 Matas has also appeared in the documentaries ''Red Reign: The Bloody Harvest of China's Prisoners'' (2013) <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwe_jxzomiw "Red Reign trailer"], (4 minutes) youtube, 30 July 2013</ref> and ''[[Human Harvest (film)|Human Harvest]]'' (2014).<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ZmFLi0lgY Human Harvest (aka Davids and Goliath) Official Trailer], (2 minutes) youtube, 24 September 2014</ref>
==Awards== Matas is the recipient of numerous honours and awards including:<ref>[http://www.seraphimeditions.com/david-matas-david-kilgour.html "David Matas"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924100453/http://www.seraphimeditions.com/david-matas-david-kilgour.html |date=2015-09-24 }} Seraphim Editions</ref> * Governor-General's Confederation Medal in 1992 * Outstanding Achievement Award from the Manitoba Association of Rights & Liberties in 1996 * League for Human Rights of B'nai Brith Canada Midwest Region Human Rights Achievement Award in 1999 * Vancouver Interfaith Brotherhood Person of the Year 2006 * Appointed a member of the [[Order of Canada]] on October 23, 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients|title=Recipients|first=Office of the Secretary to the Governor|last=General|date=June 11, 2018|website=The Governor General of Canada}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-12-30 |title=Governor General Announces New Appointments to the Order of Canada |url=https://archive.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=5601 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614142608/https://archive.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=5601 |archive-date=2017-06-14 |access-date= |website=archive.gg.ca}}</ref> *For their [[Persecution of Falun Gong#Organ harvesting|organ harvesting]] work Matas and Kilgour won the 2009 Human Rights Award from the German-based [[International Society for Human Rights]] and were nominated for the [[2010 Nobel Peace Prize]].<ref name=WFP>{{cite web |url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/crusader-up-for-nobel-prize-84838397.html |publisher= Winnipeg Free Press |title=Crusader up for Nobel Prize, Lawyer lauded for investigating abuses in China|date=20 February 2010}}</ref>
== Professional discipline == Matas is a member of the [[Law Society of Manitoba]], the regulatory body for lawyers in that province. On April 11, 2024, he admitted in disciplinary proceedings that he had breached an undertaking he had made to the Law Society, that he would only practise with the assistance of other lawyers. The Law Society disciplinary body noted that his breach of his undertaking did not cause any harm to his clients, but felt it necessary to issue a reprimand. It also directed that he pay costs of $1,500 in relation to the disciplinary proceedings.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/david-matas-professional-misconduct-1.7220863 "'Otherwise unimpeachable' Manitoba lawyer pleads guilty to professional misconduct"], ''CBC News'', May 31, 2024.</ref>
==See also== *[[Ethan Gutmann]] *[[David Kilgour]] *[[Edward McMillan-Scott]]
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180550/http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/hrsj-bio-matas Biography] at University of Winnipeg * [http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/meechlake/keynote.html Biography] at Canadian Political Science Students' Association
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Matas, David}} [[Category:University of Manitoba alumni]] [[Category:Princeton University alumni]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford]] [[Category:Lawyers from Winnipeg]] [[Category:Lawyers in Manitoba]] [[Category:Canadian people of Romanian-Jewish descent]] [[Category:Canadian people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent]] [[Category:1943 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Clerks of the Supreme Court of Canada]] [[Category:Canadian human rights activists]]