#zimprofessorreginaldaustindies

#ZimProfessorReginaldAustinDies Professor Reginald Austin, a distinguished Zimbabwean legal scholar, international human rights expert, and liberation struggle supporter who served as a key legal adviser to Zapu and the Patriotic Front during Lancaster House talks in 1979, has died in the United Kingdom. Deeply involved in the liberation struggle and negotiations for Independence in 1980, Austin left an indelible footprint on the local historical and political landscape. He was close for the late former Zipra commander and intelligence supremo Dumiso Dabengwa and the Zapu leadership under Joshua Nkomo. A former Dean of Law at the University of Zimbabwe for a decade, specialising in constitutional law, international human rights protection, and the law of armed conflict, he was an integral part of the anti-Rhodesian regime movement. He was later Director and Chief Electoral Officer of the UN Observer Mission to South Africa (UNOMSA) for the 1994 transitional elections, and UN Director of Elections in Cambodia in 1993. Austin organised the successful national elections in Afghanistan in 2003, and the Solomon Islands in 2006. He was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as one of three high-level electoral experts to verify the conduct of each phase of the electoral process in East Timor for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007. Austin has facilitated a number of key initiatives for SARDC including observation of Zambia’s first multi-party elections and the first multi-party conference on elections in Angola (both 1991), and contributed to SARDC workshops for pre-independence Namibia (1989) and post-conflict Mozambique (1992). Austin was Chief Electoral Officer of UNAMA (2002) in Afghanistan; Director of the Legal and Constitutional Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat (1993-98) and a Director at International IDEA in Stockholm (1998-2002). He was the first chairman of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, among other things. Key Publications and Academic Works: 🔴The History of Zimbabwe's Constitution-Making Process 1888 to 2008: A comprehensive look at the evolution of Zimbabwe's constitutional framework. 🔴Racism and Apartheid in Southern Africa: Rhodesia; a Book of Data (1975): An early analysis for UNESCO regarding the legal and social structures of racial discrimination in pre-independence Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). 🔴Access to Legal Education and the Legal Profession in Zimbabwe: An article examining the transformation of the legal profession post-independence and the curriculum of the Faculty of Law at the University of Zimbabwe. 🔴Democracy, Conflict and Human Security (Handbook): Published by International IDEA, Austin contributed to this work which addresses the nexus between democratic practices and human security. 🔴Land in Zimbabwe (Written Evidence): Provided expert written evidence to the Africa All-Party Parliamentary Group (AAPPG) regarding land reform and historical land issues. 🔴Namibia: The Facts (1980): While focused on Namibia, this publication reflects his broader engagement with Southern African decolonisation and legal issues.