Albert Lilar

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Albert Lilar (Antwerp, 21 December 1900 - 16 March 1976 ) was a Belgian politician of the Liberal Party and a Minister of Justice.

Lilar was a renowned lawyer of Maritime and International Private Law in Antwerp, and Chairman of the International Maritime Committee. He was also a Professor of Law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He was the husband of the writer Suzanne Lilar, and father of the writer Françoise Mallet-Joris (b. 1930) and the 18th century art historian Marie Fredericq-Lilar (b. 1934). In his political life, Lilar was a liberal senator of the Arrondissement Anwerp (1946-1971) and four times Minister of Justice (1946-1947, 1949-1950, 1954-1958 en 1960-1961). He became Minister of State in 1969. Under the Gaston Eyskens Government (1958-1960), Lilar was vice-president of the Cabinet. As Vice-Premier, he was elected president of the Round Table in 1960 whose discussions lead to the independence of the Belgian Congo. A great humanist and defender of human rights, no death penalties were carried out under his terms as minister of justice.

The Albert Lilar Prize from the Comité Maritime International is awarded for a leading work on maritime law published in any language in the world during the previous five years.