Philippe Sands
Encyclopedia
Philippe Sands, QC
(born 17 October 1960) is a British
lawyer at Matrix Chambers
, and is Professor of International law
at University College London
. Sands is notable for writing a book, Lawless World
, in which he accused US President George W. Bush
and Prime Minister
Tony Blair
of conspiring to invade Iraq
in violation of international law. His further book, Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values, was released in May 2008.
He also was the first to refer to the Bush-Blair memo
that contained the claim that Bush wanted to lure Saddam Hussein
's forces to shoot down a UN plane.
Having read law at Cambridge (B.A.
1982, LL.M.
first class 1984), Sands was called to the Bar
in 1985 and appointed Queen's Counsel
in 2003, and appointed a Bencher
of the Middle Temple
in 2009. He has held academic positions at St Catharine's College, Cambridge
(1984–88), King's College London
(1988–91), the New York University School of Law
(1994–2003), and the School of Oriental and African Studies
(1989–2002), where he founded the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development. He took up his present post as a Professor of Laws and the Director of the Centre on International Courts and Tribunals at University College London
in 2002.
OpEdNews
reports that Sands claims the memo states that Bush had proposed trying to provoke the Iraqis to fire on fighter planes in United Nations
colours.
He testified before the United States House Judiciary Committee Hearing From the Department of Justice to Guantanamo Bay: Administration Lawyers and Administration Interrogation Rules and United States Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Coercive Interrogation Techniques: Do They Work, Are They Reliable, and What Did the FBI Know About Them?.
Jane Mayer
reported in The New Yorker
on Sands's reaction to news that Spanish investigating judge Baltazar Garzon had received motions requesting that six former Bush officials (Alberto Gonzales
John Yoo
,
Douglas Feith
,
William Haynes II,
Jay Bybee
, and
David Addington
) be charged with war crimes.
Mayer reported that when Sands's book was published the prediction that the six men would be charged seemed far-fetched.
In the same report Mayer recorded Sands's apparent reluctance to represent General Pinochet in his extradition proceedings. She says that Sands declined the case, but then went on to appear against Pinochet instead. Sands is currently representing Macedonia
in its case against Greece
relating to the Macedonian naming dispute
at the International Court of Justice
and made opening statements for the Balkan state on 21 March 2011.
Sands lives in London and is married to American lawyer Natalia Schiffrin, daughter of André Schiffrin
. They have three children: Leo, Lara, and Katya.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(born 17 October 1960) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
lawyer at Matrix Chambers
Matrix Chambers
Matrix Chambers is a barristers’ set situated at Gray’s Inn, London. It was founded in April 2000 by 22 barristers from 7 different chambers.Matrix was founded shortly before the implementation of the Human Rights Act in October 2000...
, and is Professor of International law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. Sands is notable for writing a book, Lawless World
Lawless World (book)
Lawless World: America and the Making and Breaking of Global Rules is a book by Philippe Sands. It was published by Viking Adult in October 2005.Sands is a professor of international law at University College London....
, in which he accused US President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
of conspiring to invade Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in violation of international law. His further book, Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values, was released in May 2008.
He also was the first to refer to the Bush-Blair memo
Bush-Blair memo
The Bush–Blair 2003 Iraq memo or Manning memo was a secret memo of a meeting between American President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair that took place on January 31, 2003 in the White House...
that contained the claim that Bush wanted to lure Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's forces to shoot down a UN plane.
Having read law at Cambridge (B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
1982, LL.M.
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
first class 1984), Sands was called to the Bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
in 1985 and appointed Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 2003, and appointed a Bencher
Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can be elected while still a barrister , in recognition of the contribution that the barrister has made to the life of the Inn or to the law...
of the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 2009. He has held academic positions at St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St. Catharine’s College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473, the college is often referred to informally by the nickname "Catz".-History:...
(1984–88), King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
(1988–91), the New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
(1994–2003), and the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
(1989–2002), where he founded the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development. He took up his present post as a Professor of Laws and the Director of the Centre on International Courts and Tribunals at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 2002.
OpEdNews
OpEdNews
OpEdNews is a United States-based progressive/liberal news, activism, and opinion website founded in 2003. The site claims 350 to 800,000 unique visitors, around 70 million hits every month, having over 44,000 registered members...
reports that Sands claims the memo states that Bush had proposed trying to provoke the Iraqis to fire on fighter planes in United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
colours.
He testified before the United States House Judiciary Committee Hearing From the Department of Justice to Guantanamo Bay: Administration Lawyers and Administration Interrogation Rules and United States Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Coercive Interrogation Techniques: Do They Work, Are They Reliable, and What Did the FBI Know About Them?.
Jane Mayer
Jane Mayer
Jane Mayer is an American investigative journalist who has been a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine since 1995...
reported in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
on Sands's reaction to news that Spanish investigating judge Baltazar Garzon had received motions requesting that six former Bush officials (Alberto Gonzales
Alberto Gonzales
Alberto R. Gonzales was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales was appointed to the post in February 2005 by President George W. Bush. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Attorney General in U.S. history and the highest-ranking Hispanic government official ever...
John Yoo
John Yoo
John Choon Yoo is an American attorney, law professor, and author. As a former official in the United States Department of Justice during the George W...
,
Douglas Feith
Douglas Feith
Douglas J. Feith served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for United States President George W. Bush from July 2001 until August 2005. His official responsibilities included the formulation of defense planning guidance and forces policy, United States Department of Defense relations...
,
William Haynes II,
Jay Bybee
Jay Bybee
Jay Scott Bybee is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has published numerous articles in law journals and taught law school; his primary interests are in constitutional and administrative law....
, and
David Addington
David Addington
David Spears Addington , was legal counsel and chief of staff to former Vice President Dick Cheney, and is now vice president of domestic and economic policy studies at The Heritage Foundation....
) be charged with war crimes.
Mayer reported that when Sands's book was published the prediction that the six men would be charged seemed far-fetched.
In the same report Mayer recorded Sands's apparent reluctance to represent General Pinochet in his extradition proceedings. She says that Sands declined the case, but then went on to appear against Pinochet instead. Sands is currently representing Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
in its case against Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
relating to the Macedonian naming dispute
Macedonia naming dispute
A diplomatic dispute over the use of the name Macedonia has been an ongoing issue in the bilateral relations between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia since the latter became independent from former Yugoslavia in 1991...
at the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
and made opening statements for the Balkan state on 21 March 2011.
Sands lives in London and is married to American lawyer Natalia Schiffrin, daughter of André Schiffrin
André Schiffrin
André Schiffrin is a European-born American author, publisher and socialist.- Life :Schiffrin is the son of Jacques Schiffrin, a Russian Jew who emigrated to France and briefly enjoyed success there as publisher of the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, which he founded, and which was bought by...
. They have three children: Leo, Lara, and Katya.
External links
- UCL Faculty of Laws - Philippe Sands official profile
- Matrix Chambers - Profile of Philippe Sands
- Interview of Philippe Sands, Democracy Now!, March 7, 2006
- The Bush Administration Torture Trail, Interview on Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
, April 3, 2008 (video, audio, and print transcript) - Interview with Philippe Sands by Professor Harry Kreisler
- Human Rights First; Tortured Justice: Using Coerced Evidence to Prosecute Terrorist Suspects (2008)