Honorary doctorate for international judge

International Court of Justice judge Dr Christopher Gregory Weeramantry was last week awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Monash.

Dr Weeramantry has been a judge of the International Court since 1991, and was vice-president of the court, the United Nations' highest judicial tribunal, from 1997 to 2000.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws and Doctor of Laws from the University of London, and an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Colombo, where he has been an honorary visiting professor since 1984.

He became the youngest justice of Sri Lanka's Supreme Court in 1967, after practising as an advocate for 17 years from 1948 and serving the court as Commissioner of Assize from 1965 to 1967.

From 1972 to 1991, Dr Weeramantry was the Sir Hayden Starke Professor of Law in Monash's Law faculty, serving as acting dean several times. He was appointed emeritus professor in 1992.

He has written 17 books and had more than 100 articles published in legal journals in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

He has a wide knowledge of international law, common law, comparative law, comparative religion, philosophy and ethics, and has been a champion of human rights law.

Deputy Chancellor Mr Paul Ramler and Dr Christopher Gregory Weeramantry.