Description
Ever since I entered the world of journalism in 1970, I have been very much interested in what goes on in our law courts. I had the opportunity to experience the hustles and bustles of the courts for six long years on a daily basis, as a reporter. Criminal and Human Rights cases were my prefered cases. It was in those troubled times that I first heard and came to know Dr. Giovanni Bonello. To me, he was our foremost lawyer for human rights cases. He had fought and won many legal battles for his clients who had been subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment by the powers that be.
The Blue Sisters case in which he was joined by an army of lawyers — as a sign of solidarity — remains an epic case in the history of the Maltese Courts. He never stepper back in the face of hostilities and sometimes even personal threats, He was the champion of Human Rights.
Two years ago at a Joumalists’ meeting in London, I met an American colleague who asked me if I knew Giovanni Bonello. Obviously I said that I knew Dr. Bonello but was curious to learn how did my colleague knew about him.
I was informed that the interest on Dr. Giovzmni Bonello came out of the fact that in some American Law Schools his decisions and separate opinions at the European Court of Human Rights were being quoted in human rights lectures.
Back in Malta I was intrigued by the thought that the lawyer I admired so much when he was practising in our law courts, was now being quoted even in the United States of America. I thus decided to lock up some of his decisions at the Strasbourg Court.
When I had only read five or six of his decisions I found them so interesting and “brave” that I decided to ask his permission to publish a collection of these cases. I took the idea to the Council of the Institute of Maltese Journalists which was very enthusiastic about it and so we decided to approach Judge Giovanni Bonello and ask him to let us undertake this task.
Dr Bonello approved and he himself provided us with a list of cases in which he gave separate opinions from those of the Court, which he deemed were the most interesting. With the list in hand I started the research and compilation of the cases you have in your hand.
This is a compilation which should make us, Maltese, proud. It shows the courage of Vanni Bonello, an erudite scholar who finds no difficulty to criticise — sometimes harshly — his fellow judges on the Bench of Strasbourg, when he feels that their decisions do not go far enough in defence of human rights. His opinions, “Championing Human Rights”, are a lesson to one and all.
I am indebted to Judge Giovanni Bonello for granting us permission to publish his sentences and opinions and for giving advise on the compilation of this book. Our thanks go also to the Strickland Foundation, chaired by President Emeritus, Prof. Guido de Marco who not only wrote the forward to this book, but also accepted to sponsor this publication.
This is the contribution of the Institute of Maltese Journalists to the cause of human rights.
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