Sir Ian Brownlie

We reported last month about the untimely death of Sir Ian Brownlie, one fo the world's leading international lawyers.  He and one of his daughters (Rebecca) had been killed in a car accident in Egypt.  The Sydney Morning Herald has now published an obituary for him, noting his important role in the Pinochet case in 1998 and 1999, when the House of Lords ruled that the former Chilean President was not entitled to claim immunity as a former head of state where the crime of torture was alleged.

The obituary in the Sydney Morning Heraldwas authored by Philippe Sands, who notes that Sir Ian Brownlie had appeared before the International Court of Justice in more than 40 contentious cases -- a number that represents well more than half of the court's docket in cases brought by one country against another.  He also served for 11 years as a member of the International Law Commission, and was its president in 2007  The article also notes that his book, Principles of Public International Law, is now in its seventh edition and is one of the most widely-read treatises on international law. article

The article also notes that "Brownlie enjoyed life and believed that a decent lunch was always necessary, even in the heat of litigation."  Ian Brownlie (1932-2010): Formidable Lawyer Took on a Host of Unfashionable Clients, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb. 10, 2010, at 26. 

(mew)