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George Bizos a distinguished human rights advocate who defended against apartheid in South Africa. He is married to Arethe, and has three sons, two of whom are surgeons.

Early Life

In May 1941 at the age of thirteen George Bizos claims that he helped seven New Zealand soldiers (Don Gladding, Mick Karup, Peter Martin, John Lewis and three others)- unfortunately these men have died and cannot confirm the story - who where hiding in the hills to escape Nazi occupied Greece to Crete. He says the escape did not go well and he was adrift for three days until he managed to attract the attention of crew on the British destroyer, HMS Kimberley, which was on its way to the Battle of Crete. After the battle HMS Kimerley dropped him off at Alexandria, Egypt. As a refugee he where sent to South Africa and landed in Durban, from here he went by train to Johannesburg. He disembarked at the Braamfontein railway station because it was feared that the Ossewabrandwag would have a demonstration at the central station. The Ossewabrandwag blamed Jan Smuts for bringing the vuilgoed (rubbish) of Europe to South Africa. The local Greek community helped integrate him into society. Bizos did not immediately go to school because he could not speak English or Afrikaans but by 1948 — the year that the Nationalist Party (South Africa) was voted into power — Bizos had managed to gain entry into the law faculty at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Career

Bizos joined the Bar in Johannesburg in 1954. He was counsel to Trevor Huddleston of Sophiatown in the 1950s and since then Bizos has been counsel to Nelson Mandela. He was part of the team that unsuccessfully defended Mandela, Govan Mbeki and Walter Sisulu in the Rivonia Trial in 1963-64. He credits to himself the drafting of Mandela's famous speech spoken at the trial. This trial heralded the arrival of a group of tough human rights lawyers — Joel Joffe, Arthur Chaskalson. He defended Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on more than 20 occasions.

Bizos was counsel at the inquests into the deaths in detention of Ahmed Timol in 1971, of Steve Biko in 1977 and of Dr Neil Agget in 1982. He also represented and the family of Chris Hani.

In the 1970s Bizos says he to helped start a Greek school, called Saheti. It embraced Hellenism, yet was non-exclusionist, even during the heart of apartheid. It was here that people like Chris Hani's children were educated.

He has been a senior member of the Johannesburg Bar since 1978. He is a member of the National Council of Lawyers for Human Rights, which he helped found in 1979. He is Senior Counsel at the Legal Resources Centre in Johannesburg in the Constitutional Litigation Unit. He was a judge on Botswana's Court of Appeal from 1985 to 1993. Bizos was counsel to United Democratic Front leaders, including future provincial Premiers Patrick Lekota and Popo Molefe in the Delmas Treason Trial, 1985-89. In 1990 he became a member of the African National Congress's Legal and Constitutional Committee, and at Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) he served as advisor to the negotiating teams and participated in drawing up the Interim Constitution. He was involved of the drafting of legislation, and particularly the Truth and Reconciliation Bill and amendments to the Criminal Procedures Act, to bring it into line with Chapter 3 of the constitution, guaranteeing fundamental human rights to all citizens of South Africa.

In the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, He was the leader of the team to oppose applications for amnesty on behalf of the Biko, Hani, Goniwe, Calata, Mkonto, Mhlauli, Slovo and Schoon families. He was appointed by then President Mandela to the Judicial Services Commission which, in terms of the constitution recommends candidates for appointment as judges and proposes reforms to the judicial system to erase its apartheid past. Bizos was the leader of the team for the South African Government to argue that the death penalty was unconstitutional and counsel for the National Assembly in the Certification of the Constitution by the Constitutional Court. Bizos has never been a member of the South African judiciary, even though many of his contemprories were appointed.

He was part of the team that defended the Zimbabwean opposition Movement for Democratic Change's leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who was charged with planning a coup d'etat by conspiring to assassinate President Robert Mugabe before the 2002 general elections.

Honors and Awards

10 June 1999 he received the Order for Meritorious Service Class II medal from then President Mandela.
5 April 2001 he was awarded the 2001 International Trial Lawyer Prize of the Year by the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
The International Bar Association (IBA) named Bizos the winner of the 2004 Bernard Simons Memorial Award

Author of No One to Blame - In Pursuit of Justice in South Africa published in 1998.

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-'''George Bizos''' a distinguished human rights advocate who defended against [[apartheid]] in [[South Africa]]. He is also known as  ''Mathlathlo'' ([[Sotho]] for strength of the elephant). He is married to Arethe, and has three sons, two of whom are surgeons.
+'''George Bizos''' a distinguished human rights advocate who defended against [[apartheid]] in [[South Africa]]. He is married to Arethe, and has three sons, two of whom are surgeons.
 ==Early Life==
-In May [[1941]] at the age of thirteen George Bizos with his father Antoni Bizos (the mayor of the small village of [[Vasilitsi]], south of [[Koroni]] and [[Kalamata]] on the ''Messinian'' peninsula of the Peloponnese, [[Greece]]) helped seven [[New Zealand]] soldiers (Don Gladding, Mick Karup, Peter Martin, John Lewis and three others) who where hiding in the hills to escape [[Nazi]] occupied Greece to [[Crete]]. But the escape did not go well and they where adrift for three days until they managed to attract the attention of crew on the [[United Kingdom|British]] destroyer, [[HMS Kimberley]], which was on its way to the [[Battle of Crete]]. After the battle HMS Kimerley dropped them off at [[Alexandria]], [[Egypt]]. As refugees they where sent to South Africa and landed in [[Durban]], from here they went by train to [[Johannesburg]]. They disembarked at the ''Braamfontein'' railway station because it was feared that the [[Ossewabrandwag]] would have a demonstration at the central station. The Ossewabrandwag blamed [[Jan Smuts]] for bringing the ''vuilgoed'' (rubbish) of [[Europe]] to South Africa. The local [[Greeks|Greek]] community helped integrate them into society. Bizos did not immediately go to school because he could not speak [[English language|English]] or [[Afrikaans]] but by [[1948]] &mdash; the year that the [[Nationalist Party (South Africa)]] was voted into power &mdash; Bizos had managed to gain entry into the law faculty at the [[University of the Witwatersrand]]. It was here that he says he first became politically active.
+In May [[1941]] at the age of thirteen George Bizos claims that he helped seven [[New Zealand]] soldiers (Don Gladding, Mick Karup, Peter Martin, John Lewis and three others)- unfortunately these men have died and cannot confirm the story - who where hiding in the hills to escape [[Nazi]] occupied Greece to [[Crete]]. He says the escape did not go well and he was adrift for three days until he managed to attract the attention of crew on the [[United Kingdom|British]] destroyer, [[HMS Kimberley]], which was on its way to the [[Battle of Crete]]. After the battle HMS Kimerley dropped him off at [[Alexandria]], [[Egypt]]. As a refugee he where sent to South Africa and landed in [[Durban]], from here he went by train to [[Johannesburg]]. He disembarked at the ''Braamfontein'' railway station because it was feared that the [[Ossewabrandwag]] would have a demonstration at the central station. The Ossewabrandwag blamed [[Jan Smuts]] for bringing the ''vuilgoed'' (rubbish) of [[Europe]] to South Africa. The local [[Greeks|Greek]] community helped integrate him into society. Bizos did not immediately go to school because he could not speak [[English language|English]] or [[Afrikaans]] but by [[1948]] &mdash; the year that the [[Nationalist Party (South Africa)]] was voted into power &mdash; Bizos had managed to gain entry into the law faculty at the [[University of the Witwatersrand]].
 ==Career==
-Bizos joined the Bar in Johannesburg in 1954. He was counsel to [[Trevor Huddleston]] of [[Sophiatown]] in the 1950s and since then Bizos has been counsel to [[Nelson Mandela]]. He was part of the team that defended Mandela, [[Govan Mbeki]] and [[Walter Sisulu]] in the [[Rivonia Trial]] in 1963-64. This trial heralded the arrival of a group of tough human rights lawyers &mdash; [[Joel Joffe]], [[Arthur Chaskalson]] and Bizos. He defended [[Winnie Madikizela-Mandela]] on more than 20 occasions.
+Bizos joined the Bar in Johannesburg in 1954. He was counsel to [[Trevor Huddleston]] of [[Sophiatown]] in the 1950s and since then Bizos has been counsel to [[Nelson Mandela]]. He was part of the team that unsuccessfully defended Mandela, [[Govan Mbeki]] and [[Walter Sisulu]] in the [[Rivonia Trial]] in 1963-64. He credits to himself the drafting of Mandela's famous speech spoken at the trial. This trial heralded the arrival of a group of tough human rights lawyers &mdash; [[Joel Joffe]], [[Arthur Chaskalson]]. He defended [[Winnie Madikizela-Mandela]] on more than 20 occasions.
 Bizos was counsel at the inquests into the deaths in detention of Ahmed Timol in [[1971]], of [[Steve Biko]] in [[1977]] and of Dr Neil Agget in [[1982]]. He also represented  and the family of [[Chris Hani]].
-In the 1970s Bizos to helped start a Greek school, called ''Saheti''. It embraced [[Hellenism]], yet was non-exclusionist, even during the heart of apartheid. It was here that people like Chris Hani's children were educated.
+In the 1970s Bizos says he to helped start a Greek school, called ''Saheti''. It embraced [[Hellenism]], yet was non-exclusionist, even during the heart of apartheid. It was here that people like Chris Hani's children were educated.
 He has been a senior member of the Johannesburg Bar since 1978. He is a member of the National Council of Lawyers for Human Rights, which he helped found in 1979. He is Senior Counsel at the Legal Resources Centre in Johannesburg in the Constitutional Litigation Unit. He was a judge on [[Botswana]]'s Court of Appeal from 1985 to 1993. Bizos was counsel to [[United Democratic Front]] leaders, including future provincial Premiers [[Patrick Lekota]] and [[Popo Molefe]] in the Delmas Treason Trial, 1985-89. In 1990 he became a member of the [[African National Congress]]'s Legal and Constitutional Committee, and at [[Convention for a Democratic South Africa]] (CODESA) he served as advisor to the negotiating teams and participated in drawing up the Interim Constitution. He was involved of the drafting of legislation, and particularly the Truth and Reconciliation Bill and amendments to the Criminal Procedures Act, to bring it into line with Chapter 3 of the constitution, guaranteeing fundamental human rights to all citizens of South Africa.
-In the [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] hearings, He was the leader of the team to oppose applications for amnesty on behalf of the Biko, Hani, Goniwe, Calata, Mkonto, Mhlauli, Slovo and Schoon families. He was appointed by then President Mandela to the Judicial Services Commission which, in terms of the constitution recommends candidates for appointment as judges and proposes reforms to the judicial system to erase its apartheid past. Bizos was the leader of the team for the South African Government to argue that the death penalty was unconstitutional and counsel for the National Assembly in the Certification of the Constitution by the Constitutional Court.
+In the [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] hearings, He was the leader of the team to oppose applications for amnesty on behalf of the Biko, Hani, Goniwe, Calata, Mkonto, Mhlauli, Slovo and Schoon families. He was appointed by then President Mandela to the Judicial Services Commission which, in terms of the constitution recommends candidates for appointment as judges and proposes reforms to the judicial system to erase its apartheid past. Bizos was the leader of the team for the South African Government to argue that the death penalty was unconstitutional and counsel for the National Assembly in the Certification of the Constitution by the Constitutional Court. Bizos has never been a member of the South African judiciary, even though many of his contemprories were appointed.
-He successfully defended the [[Zimbabwe|Zimbabwean]] opposition [[Movement for Democratic Change]]'s leader [[Morgan Tsvangirai]], who was charged with planning a coup d'etat by conspiring to assassinate President [[Robert Mugabe]] before the 2002 general elections.
+He was part of the team that defended the [[Zimbabwe|Zimbabwean]] opposition [[Movement for Democratic Change]]'s leader [[Morgan Tsvangirai]], who was charged with planning a coup d'etat by conspiring to assassinate President [[Robert Mugabe]] before the 2002 general elections.
 ==Honors and Awards==