David Matas is an international human rights lawyer, author and researcher based in Winnipeg, Canada. He has served the government of Canada in numerous positions including as member of the Canadian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Conference on an International Criminal Court. He is currently Senior Honorary Counsel for B’nai Brith Canada and remains involved in several non-profit organizations.

Liberal Party activity: Parliamentary candidate Winnipeg South Centre, Liberal Party, 1979, 1980, 1984; Chair of the policy committee of Manitoba and member of the national policy committee Liberal Party of Canada 1973 ‑ 1978; Member of the platform committee, 1980 election, and vice-president for Manitoba of the Canadian Group of Liberal International from 2019.

Author or co-author, editor or co-editor of twelve books on a variety of human rights subjects including bringing to justice Nazi war criminals, hate speech, antisemitism, refugees, general human rights advocacy, organ transplant abuse in China with prisoner of conscience victims, and the death penalty in the US.

Member of a number of Canadian Government appointed bodies: Government of Canada Task Forces on Foreign Ownership 1970 and Immigration Practices & Procedures 1980 ‑ 81;

Canadian delegations to the United Nations General Assembly 1980, the United Nations Conference on an International Criminal Court 1998, International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Conference on Antisemitism; Member of Board of directors of the International Centre for Human Rights & Democratic Development (Rights and Democracy).

Awards: Governor General’s Confederation Medal; Companion Member of the Order of Canada; Outstanding Achievement Award, Manitoba Association of Rights & Liberties; Honorary Doctorates of Law, Concordia University, University of Alberta; International Commission of Jurists Walter Tarnopolsky Human Rights Award; Asia Pacific Human Rights Watch Charitable Trust Guardian of Justice Award; International Society for Human Rights Swiss Section Human Rights Prize; Carthage Academy International Prize for Peace and Defense of Human Rights; Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award; Friends of Falun Gong Human Rights Award; Canadian Society for Refugees in Dire Need Global Humanitarian Leader of the Year; Tamil Rights Defenders Award.