McGrath Tonner is delighted to announce that His Excellency Martyn Roper OBE, Governor of the Cayman Islands, has re-appointed Ben Tonner KC to the Cayman Islands Human Rights Commission (“HRC”).

Established under Section 116 of the 2009 Constitution, the primary responsibility of the HRC is to promote understanding and observance of human rights in the Cayman Islands which includes educating the public about the Bill of Rights, Freedoms and Responsibilities. The HRC has powers to establish mechanisms to hear and investigate public complaints about potential breaches of human rights, to provide a forum for mediation or conciliation, to give advice and guidance to enquirers of all kinds in relation to their human rights, and to publish reports on its own initiative on human rights issues.

In accordance with the Constitution, the HRC consists of a Chairman and four other members appointed by the Governor, acting after consultation with the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition, at least two of whom are experienced lawyers. Appointments to the Commission are for renewable terms of between two to four years, with members serving for different periods, so that new appointments or re-appointments can take place in staggered fashion.

The HRC currently comprises Chairman Dale Crowley and Members Joni Kirkconnell, Nick Quin, Deborah Barker Roye and Cathy Gomez.

Mr Tonner’s appointment will commence on 1 September 2022 for a term of three years (having previously served as a member of the HRC from 2015-2018).