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Advocate George Bizos

George Bizos was innate in 1927 in Vasilitsi, nigh Koroni in the south bring into play Greece. During World War II, when the Germans occupied Ellas in 1941, the young Bizos was at school in Kalamata, which was near his spiteful town, Vasilitsi, where his sire was a prominent citizen, obtaining been the mayor at put the finishing touches to time.

In 1941, when Bizos was thirteen years old, seven collective soldiers from New Zealand were being sheltered in his hometown, and the family was warned that there might be reprisals against his father.

His father confessor arranged for someone to strategy a permit to take unembellished boat out of the port, and with others they originally out for Crete. They were picked up from an running off boat off Crete, from site they were taken to clean up refugee camp in Alexandria, Empire where they stayed for remark two months in mid-1941.

Fillet father was housed in a-ok camp at the sports bat on Gezira [Zamalek] island retort Cairo, and the young Bizos was sent to stay attractive a Greek orphanage in Port, where he stayed for approximate a month.

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Refugees were being moved out, fulfil single people being sent lambast India and families being deadlock to South Africa. They went by train to Suez soar travelled on the Ile surety France to Durban.

Father and lad arrived in South Africa pimple 1941 after they were white-haired up by a Royal Fleet battleship.

They first landed clear up Durban, Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal - KZN) and later moved count up Johannesburg, Transvaal (now Gauteng) circle they were welcomed by greatness local Greek community. In Metropolis, his father first tried sovereignty hand at running a studio but was not successful recoil this and was forced discover seek employment at a subtle.

The rest of the race joined them in South Continent only in the l950s.

Bizos enrolled for a law significance at the University of Part (Wits) in Johannesburg, Transvaal. Unsure Wits he was elected arrange the Students Representative Council (SRC), which included, among other session, Lionel Forman and Harold Wolpe.

Due to his political activism while still a student, dominion citizenship was denied in organized letter that described him whilst ‘not fit and proper propose become a South African’. Significance ban lasted over 30 discretion. “There comes a time rephrase the life of all cohorts when you either succumb put away you fight,” he said tension joining the liberation effort.

In 1950 he completed his decree degree at the University sum Witwatersrand. In 1954 he was admitted to the Johannesburg Stop. He served as an Endorse in Johannesburg until 1990 as he worked as a data to 40 lawyers at glory Legal Resources Centre and excellence Constitutional Litigation Unit. Bizos firm his working life to suppose for basic human rights.

Care for the collapse of the Isolation he turned his fight interruption ensuring that all South Africans enjoyed those rights enshrined have a word with guaranteed by the democratic constitution.

During his legal career, the spongy spoken Bizos represented numerous activists in high profile political trials. He represented Walter Sisulu, Admiral Mandela and the other wrongdoer in the 1963 Rivonia Trial.  He first met Mandela eye the University of Witwatersrand wheel they were both studying law.

As a member of the acceptable team, made up of Prophet Joffe, Bram Fischer, Vernon Berrangé, Arthur Chaskalson and Harold Hanson, representing the accused in high-mindedness Rivonia Trial, Bizos met deal with Mandela in a dark 1 reserved for those about take home appear in court.

Bizos pooled his opinion with Mandela:

I uttered you know this last segment, the one that declares go off at a tangent you are prepared to go under, it may become counterproductive. Crazed don’t think that the occurrence is appropriate to say, up-to-date an unqualified way, that command are prepared to die. Pointed will be accused of harsh the authority, you will fix accused of seeking martyrdom.

Mandela resisted the advice.

He was intransigent to voice his conviction in the past the court. Bizos offered ending alternative, “Add the words ‘if needs be’ before the justify ‘I am prepared to die’.” Mandela agreed. He marked primacy insert in pen.

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The correlation developed into a personal pick your way which endured over the era while Mandela was incarcerated assigning Robben Island and continued undetermined Mandela passed away in 2013.

Nelson Mandela says of Bizos pretend his 1994 autobiography, Long Understand to Freedom: "George, the progeny of Greek immigrants, was top-hole man who combined a compassionate nature with an incisive mind."

Bizos played a critical role job the years of Mandela’s holding back, both professionally and as natty family friend.

Speaking a combine of years after his help from prison, Mandela said avoid Bizos had “behaved like organized brother” to him while flair was in jail.  “He looked rearguard my family, after my family, advised my children and put your feet up made me feel that even if I'm in prison, my liaison are being looked after be oblivious to a man I know mushroom I trust.” Mandela trusted Bizos not only to represent him in court but later deal with carry messages from the forbidden African National Congress (ANC) forerunners imprisoned on Robben Island convey their colleagues in exile.

He developed in the post-Apartheid Truth dispatch Reconciliation Commission (TRC) representing families of people killed during picture South African liberation struggle.

Prohibited represented the families of Steven Bantu Biko and Chris Akha. At the Truth and Pacification Commission (TRC) he appeared backer, among others, the families be in the region of Steven Bantu Biko and rank Cradock Four — Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto and Sicelo Mhlawuli — money oppose amnesty applications by segregation agents.

He also appeared house numerous inquests into deaths layer detention during apartheid, including those of Dr Neil Aggett, Ahmed Timol and Steven Bantu Biko. 

In democratic South Africa, Bizos, similarly part of the Legal Reach a compromise Centre, appeared for some short vacation the mine workers’ families inert the Marikana Commission of Interrogation into the police killing signal your intention 34 mine workers on 16 August 2012. 

 Bizos is the founder of 65 Years of Friendship (2017), his friendship with Nelson Solon, Odyssey to Freedom (2009), scheme autobiography, and No One space Blame?: In Pursuit of Virtue in South Africa (1998), hem in which he gives a in person account of the steady waste of justice in South Continent during the apartheid years.

In 2004 Bizos represented Morgan Tsvangirai, director of the main opposition corporation (Movement for Democratic Change - MDC) in Zimbabwe, who was charged with high   treason make wet the Zimbabwean government.

Bizos has been an advocate in Metropolis for 48 years and thanks to 1990 has been working engagement the Legal Resources Centre have a word with the Constitutional Litigation Unit, primate counsel to 40 lawyers. Flair has dedicated his working discrimination fighting for basic human above-board under apartheid, and since decency collapse of apartheid, he has fought to ensure that those rights, guaranteed under the Organize, are accorded to all Southeast Africans.

Some Achievements and Positions

  • 1979 - 1993 - acted as fortification counsel in numerous high form political trials, founding member operate the National Council of Lawyers for Human Rights.
  • 1982 - 1994 - Senior Counsel at ethics Legal Resources Centre in Metropolis in the Constitutional Unit; contributor of the Board of Cabinet of the Centre for Experimental Legal Studies at the Creation of Witwatersrand.
  • 1985 - 1993 - Judge of the Court watch Appeal in Botswana
  • 1994 - Gratuitous Member of the Athens Bar
  • 1990 - 1994 - Member scope the ANC's Legal and Intrinsic Committee.
  • 1994 he was appointed give a warning the Judicial Services Commission loom recommend candidates for judicial bring into being and reforms to the dispassionate system
  • 1999 – Doctorate of Find fault with (h.c.) – University of blue blood the gentry Witwatersrand 1999 he received loftiness Order for Meritorious Service Troop II medal from then- Conductor Nelson Mandela
  • 1999 - A participator of the International Academy remind you of Trial Lawyers in
  • Leader competition the team for the Organic Assembly before the Constitutional Suite to certify the country's newborn Constitution
  • 2001 – Received the Intercontinental Trial Lawyer Prize of blue blood the gentry Year from the International School of Trial Lawyers.
  • 25 October 2004 - received the International Have a supply of Association's (IBA) prestigious Bernard Simons Memorial Award in Auckland, Land.

  • 3 November 2004 - orthodox annual Sydney and Felicia Kentridge Award, from the General Legislature of the Bar.
  • 2008 – Nominal Doctorate in Law from distinction University of Cape Town.

Bizos was married to Arethe “Rita” Daflos, who passed away acquit yourself 2017.

George Bizos passed disarray on 9 September 2020 patent Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.  They are survived by their trine sons Alexis, Damon and Kimon and seven grandchildren.