Canadian Supreme Court Justice Named to UN human rights post

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OTTAWA (CP) - Justice Louise Arbour will leave the Supreme Court of Canada in June to fill the UN's top human-rights post, touching off what promises to be a contentious process to replace her.

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Arbour, 57, a criminal law expert, was named to Canada's court of last resort in 1999. She is known for an especially strong belief in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and was touted as a potential future chief justice.


Before joining the top court, Arbour was a war crimes prosecutor for tribunals into the Rwanda genocide and human rights abuses in Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
She earned an international reputation for courage and tenacity that won the respect of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) and human rights groups worldwide.


"She has the strength to stand up to the bad guys," said Reed Brody, spokesman for Human Rights Watch, a New York-based independent agency.
"I think she combines both the outspokenness and the diplomatic skills that are necessary for this kind of job."
Human rights are increasingly threatened by the "endless war on terror," Brody said.



Arbour will replace Sergio Vieira de Mello, killed in the bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad last Aug. 19.

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