A final call has been made for people to fill “critically important” positions on the island’s Human Rights Tribunal.

The Selection and Appointment Committee for Human Rights wants applications from people prepared to rule on discrimination complaints referred by the Human Rights Commission.

Seth Darrell, the head of the committee, said: “We are encouraged by the current level of public engagement and the diverse group of persons, both new and previous applicants, who have lodged applications to serve such a critically important quasi-judicial role.

“We wish to remind other interested persons of this tremendous opportunity and tremendous responsibility to be a stalwart of Bermuda’s human rights institution, meaningfully steering the protection and promotion of human rights in Bermuda for all her residents.”

The Human Rights Tribunal panel will be made up of 12 to 15 people able to adjudicate proceedings that may take three to five days and judgment writing training will be provided for all panel members.

The SAC follows the appointment standards for national human rights institutions based on guidance set out by the United Nations under the “Paris principles”, which were drawn up to foster a fair and public application process.

Mr Darrell said: “Perhaps most importantly, our role as the SAC provides an opportunity for the implementation of recent amendments to Bermuda’s human rights legislation which create a separation between the Human Rights Tribunal and the Human Rights Commission, marking a significant step in ensuring that Bermuda has a truly independent Human Rights Tribunal to safeguard human rights in Bermuda.

“Commissioners are therefore ineligible for appointment unless a period of more than two years has elapsed since the individual concerned has completed service as a commissioner.”

Mr Darrell added members of the judiciary, Parliamentarians and government officials were also excluded to avoid “the potential existence of multiple conflicts of interest due to the nature of their work”.

The SAC is made up of five members – Mr Darrell and Chiara Nannini, both lawyers, Dennis Pimentel, the former president of power firm Belco, reinsurance executive Cherie Dill and Robin Tucker, a One Bermuda Alliance senator.

For more information and to review Application Guidance and submit an application form, visit https://www.humanrights.bm/sac-application-home/ or e-mail SAC@gov.bm