Christopher Dominic Sidoti | |
|---|---|
| Commissioner of theAustralian Human Rights Commission | |
| In office 1995–2000 | |
| Commissioner of theAustralian Law Reform Commission | |
| In office 1992–1995 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1951 (age 74–75) |
| Occupation |
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| Nickname | Chris |
Christopher Dominic "Chris" Sidoti (born 1951) is an Australian expert on international human rights law, a lawyer and advocate. He is a formerHuman Rights Commissioner, and a former commissioner of theAustralian Law Reform Commission, and has held a range of other distinguished posts.[1]
Sidoti was the Foundation Secretary of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (since renamed theAustralian Human Rights Commission) in 1987.[2] In November 2016, Sidoti gave a speech for the Commission reflecting on thirty years of achievements and lessons.[3]
Between 1995 and 2000 Sidoti served as Australian Human Rights Commissioner, and between 1992 and 1995 was a commissioner of theAustralian Law Reform Commission.[4] Sidoti also played a role in the establishment of theAsia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions.[2] In 2008, Sidoti was appointed to the position of chairman of the New South Wales Casino Control Authority and subsequently the Casino, Liquor and Gaming Authority.[5] In 2007–2008, Chris Sidoti held the independent position of chair of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum.[6][7] He formerly held a position as National Secretary of the now dismantled Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace. Chris Sidoti was appointed to the board of trustees of the UN Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights in 2011.[4]
In non-governmental roles, Sidoti served as Director of theInternational Service for Human Rights from 2003 to 2007 and later served on the board of the organisation. He has also worked for the Human Rights Council of Australia and the Australian Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace.[8] Sidoti is also a drafting committee member and signatory of theYogyakarta Principles plus 10, on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics.[9]
Sidoti holds a number of academic positions. He serves as adjunct professor at theUniversity of Western Sydney,Griffith University,University of the Sunshine Coast, and theAustralian Catholic University. He is an Affiliate at the Sydney Centre for International Law at theUniversity of Sydney.[6][8]
Sidoti co-led a UN fact-finding mission onMyanmar established in 2017 to look into "alleged recent human rights violations by military and security forces" related to theRohingya genocide, which presented its report in September 2018.[10] In the aftermath of the2021 Myanmar coup d'état, he co-founded theSpecial Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) in March 2021 alongside UN officialsMarzuki Darusman andYanghee Lee.[11]
On 19 June 2024, Sidoti, as a member of the UN’sIndependent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory presented the findings of its report into violations of international law committed on both sides since theOctober 7 attacks byHamas onIsrael.Navi Pillay, the chairperson of the inquiry called the scale of Israeli war crimes “unprecedented”. The commission submitted 7,000 pieces of evidence toKarim Khan, the lead prosecutor of theInternational Criminal Court (ICC), who accused Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu and Defense MinisterYoav Gallant ofwar crimes andcrimes against humanity, including the “extermination” of Palestinians. Sidoti, answering claims by Netanyahu that theIsrael Defense Forces is the “most moral army in the world,” declared, citing the report, “the only conclusion you can draw is that the Israeli army is one of the most criminal armies in the world”.[12][13][14] Sidoti announced his retirement from the independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory in July 2025, effective 3 November, saying that it was "an appropriate time to re-constitute the commission".[15]
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| National | |
