2UJDQLVDWLRQDOPDWWHUV 2UJDQLVDWLRQDOPDWWHUV &37PHPEHUVKLS 65. The CPT learned with sadness of the death on 21 October 2011 of the renowned Italian jurist, Judge Antonio Cassese. He was the Committee's very first President, holding that office from November 1989 to September 1993. Even before becoming the CPT's President, Antonio Cassese played an important role in the negotiations leading to the adoption of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. With his remarkable intellect and boundless energy, he then guided the Committee through its difficult first years. Together with his fellow Bureau members, the Danish surgeon Bent Sørensen and the Swiss psychiatrist Jacques Bernheim, Antonio Cassese shaped the course that the CPT would follow. 66. At the time of publication of this General Report, the CPT has 46 members. The Committee regrets that some nine years after Bosnia and Herzegovina became a Party to the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, there has still never been a member elected in respect of that country. 67. Two new members were elected to vacant seats during the period covered by this General Report, namely Baltasar Garzón Real (in respect of Spain) and Ana Racu (in respect of Moldova). Further, five sitting members were re-elected – Haritini Dipla (Greece), Lԥtif Hüseynov (Azerbaijan), Marzena Ksel (Poland), Anna Lamperová (Slovak Republic) and Celso Manata (Portugal). 68. The next biennial renewal of the CPT’s membership is due to take place at the end of this year, the terms of office of 23 members of the Committee expiring on 19 December 2011. To date, elections for 11 of the seats concerned have taken place. The CPT hopes that elections for the remaining 12 seats will take place in the near future, as this will greatly facilitate the planning of the Committee’s visits for the following year. In this connection, the CPT is concerned to note that lists of candidates in respect of two countries (Latvia and Montenegro) have not yet been forwarded to the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly. 69. Given the challenging and specialised nature of the CPT’s activities, it is essential that the Committee continues to have a highly qualified membership in terms of relevant professional expertise and empirical experience. The effectiveness of the CPT will ultimately depend on the quality of its members.