Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Human Rights News & Events

WCL Events


1. FIRST ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL WEEK, October 1 through October 5, 2007
The International Legal Studies Program is presenting the first annual International Week.  From October 1st through the 5th, faculty, students, staff, and other members of the WCL community are invited to partake in its series of week-long events. The goal is to promote awareness of international law in an attempt to better understand what it means to live in an international community. Events range from lectures and panels to luncheons and socials, all hosted by various offices within WCL.  Topics include: CEDAW: Promoting Women’s Human Rights Across the World; Access to HIV/AIDS Medicine in the African & Caribbean Regions; and the Annual Human Rights Conference sponsored by the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.  For more information, please visit: http://www.wcl.american.edu/ilsp/internationalweek.cfm.    

2. PANEL DISCUSSION ON ‘IRAQ’S DISPLACED - REGIONAL IMPACT, INDIVIDUAL NEEDS, AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE,’ Wednesday, October 3, 2007, 12:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m., JD Student Lounge (6th Floor)
The conflict in Iraq has led to the displacement of millions of Iraqi citizens, both internally and to many other countries throughout the region. This movement has had a tremendous impact on the lives of the displaced, as well as the social and political stability of the region in general. This panel, organized by the International Human Rights Law Clinic, brings together experts in the area of refugee rights, protection, and policy to discuss the myriad issues facing Iraq’s displaced and the impact of their mass movement on the region and the world. The panel will also look at the local and international response addressing the displaced population’s most basic needs. Speakers include: Wendy Young, Coordinator for External Relations, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Regional Office for the U.S. and Caribbean; Nathaniel Hurd, Advocacy and Government Affairs Officer, International Rescue Committee; third panelist to be confirmed. Moderator: Prof. Meetali Jain, Practioner in Residence, WCL International Human Rights Law Clinic. For more information contact Lindsay Jenkins at 202-375-3708 or email her at irc.cochairs@gmail.com

3. EIGHT ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS FILM SERIES: ENCOUNTER POINT, Wednesday, October 3, 2007, 6:00pm, Rm. 603
Like to go to the movies? This Fall, the Center, in conjunction with the AU Center for Social Media, the Center for Global Peace, the Kay Spiritual Life Center, and School of International Service will sponsor the Eighth Human Rights Film Series. The film series explores ways in which film and media can be used to promote and protect human rights. Films will be screened twice, first on Wednesdays at WCL and again on Thursday nights on AU Main Campus.  Out of respect for those breaking the Ramadan fast, light refreshments will be served at each screening. Each film will be followed by a discussion with a guest speaker from local NGOs and institutions.

On October 3rd, the series kicks off with Encounter Point, a film that follows the unlikely journey of two Israelis and two Palestinians as they risk their lives and public standing to promote nonviolence in their communities.  Encounter Point is a true story about the everyday leaders who refuse to sit back as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalates. For more information contact the Center’s Program Coordinator, Amelia Parker, at humlaw@wcl.american.edu.  A complete list of films featured in this year’s film series is listed below or for additional information, please visit the Center’s website at www.wclcenterforhr.org.

ENCOUNTER POINT (2006)
Follow the unlikely journey of two Israelis and two Palestinians as they risk their lives and public standing to promote nonviolence in their communities.  A true story about the everyday leaders who refuse to sit back as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalates.
WCL: Wednesday, October 3, 6:00 pm, WCL Rm. 603
Main Campus: Thursday, October 4, 5:30 pm, Wechsler Theatre, 3rdFloor, Mary Graydon Center

DEVIL'S MINER (2006)
Fourteen-year-old Basilieo and his younger brother work in the mines of Cerro Rico in Bolivia, where devout Catholic miners sever their ties with God upon entering the mountain. Winner, Tribeca Film Festival Best Documentary Special Mention.
WCL: Wednesday, October 17, 6:00pm, WCL Room 603
Main Campus: Thursday, October 18, 6:30pm, Wechsler Theatre, 3rd floor, Mary Graydon Center

SIERRA LEONE'S REFUGEE ALL-STARS (2005)
An inspiring story of survival and rebirth in the wake of the horrors of Sierra Leone’s Civil War, and a triumphant testament to the power of music. SXSW 2006 Film Festival Winner.
WCL: Wednesday, October 24, 6:00pm, WCL Room
Main Campus: Thursday, November 1, 6:30pm, Wechsler Theatre, 3rd floor, Mary Graydon Center

SPECIAL EVENT: HUMAN RIGHTS IN A TIME OF WAR: AN EVENING WITH GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB PRODUCER LIZ GARBUS!
Join us for a screening of the film Ghosts of Abu Ghraib and discussion with award-winning human rights film pioneer Liz Garbus as she shares her experiences and answers your questions about the making of this provocative film.  Ghosts of Abu Ghraib  is a beyond-the-headlines look into the psychological and political contexts of the torture at Iraq’s infamous prison. An HBO Documentary, also featured at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.  There will be a one-time showing for this film.  This event takes place against the backdrop of Fernando Botero’s startlingly barbaric exhibit, Botero: Abu Ghraib.
Katzen Arts Center: Thursday, November 8, 5:30 pm

4. WAR CRIMES RESEARCH OFFICE TALK ON ‘TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE IN AFGHANISTAN,’ Thursday, October 4, 2007, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., 4910 Conference Room
The War Crimes Research Office is hosting an important discussion on transitional justice in Afghanistan.  Scott Worden, an adviser in the United States Institute of Peace Rule of Law program, will speak on transitional justice in Afghanistan. For more information contact Liz Allan at 202-274-4067 or email her at eallan@wcl.american.edu.

5. PANEL DISCUSSION HOSTED BY THE ACADEMY ON HOLDING MULINATIONAL CORPORATIONS ACCOUNTABLE IN US COURTS FOR INTERNATIONAL INJUSTICES, Friday, October 5, 2007, 12:00 p.m. to 1:20 p.m., WCL 6th floor student lounge
The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law is hosting a panel discussion as part of the WCL International Week. The topic for this panel discussion will be the ATCA (Alien Tort Claims Act) and its importance in bringing to justice perpetrators of human rights abuses. The discussion will focus mainly on the ATCA’s recent use in holding multinational corporations such as Drummond (Colombia), Unocal (Burma) and Shell (Nigeria) accountable in U.S. federal courts for international human rights abuses. The Academy will be serving “Empanadas of the World” as refreshments for this event. A selection of pastries from around the globe will be offered for attendees to sample, including empanadas from Latin America, samosas from India and sambussas from Ethiopia. For more information please contact the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at hracademy@wcl.american.edu or (202) 274-4295.

Community Events


1. SMART POWER SPEAKERS SERIES EVENT: HOW THE UNITED STATES CAN HELP EXTEND THE BENEFITS OF GLOBALIZATION TO THE WORLD’S LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, Thursday, October 4, 2007, 1:00p.m. - 2:30p.m., 1800 K Street, NW, CSIS B-1 Conference Center, Washington DC, 20006
The Smart Power Speaker Series features opinion leaders from around the country and across the political spectrum to engage in a discussion on U.S. Smart Power.  The series is a spin-off of the CSIS Commission on Smart Power. Kemal Dervis, the administrator for the UN Development Programme will host the discussion on How the United States Can Help Extend the Benefits of Globalization to the World’s Least Developed Countries. For more information, go to www.csissmartpower.org. Coffee, tea, and soda will be served. Please RSVP by emailing Peter Hering at phering@csis.org

2. IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE, Friday, October 12, 2007, 8:30a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Georgetown University Law Center, McDonough Hall, Room 200, 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington DC, 20001
You are cordially invited to a one-day symposium with some of the world's leading scholars and practitioners on innovative uses of human rights norms and strategies for the advancement of non-citizens' rights. The titles of the three panels are as follows: Immigration Law and International Human Rights, The Rights of Noncitizens Beyond Our Borders and A Comparative Approach to Human Rights and Immigration Law. Food will be provided. RSVP and for more information, please contact Seema Ahmad at sa386@law.georgetown.edu. There is no fee to attend the conference.

3. REGISTER NOW FOR THE SEMINAR ON “USING INTERNATIONAL TREATIES AND THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL TO FIGHT FOR JUSTICE IN THE U.S,” Wednesday, October 31, 2007, Holiday Inn on the Hill, 415 NJ Ave., NW, Washington DC 20001
Please join us for a day of nuts-and-bolts instruction from international law experts and activists. You do not need to be a lawyer to get valuable information from the seminar, and non-lawyers receive a substantial discount. Please note that Ajamu Baraka of the US Human Rights Network is scheduled to be one of the presenters. Panelists: John Brittain, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Ajamu Baraka, US Human Rights Network; the Hon. Claudia Morcom (ret.), former Wayne County Michigan Circuit Court Judge; Lance Tapley, journalist for the Portland, Maine Phoenix; Ann Fagan Ginger, Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute; Curtis Cooper, National Lawyers Guild International Committee; Marjorie Cohn, President, National Lawyers Guild; Bruce Zagaris, Berliner Corcoran & Rowe, LLP. Registration fees postmarked by October 10, 2007 are $150 for lawyers, $for students, $80 for all others. Registration fees postmarked after 0ctober 10, 2007 are $175 for lawyers, $60 for students, $100 for all others. Make checks payable to "MCLI", P.O. Box 673, Berkeley, CA 94701-0673. Register now for better rates! More information is available on the NLG International Committee website: www.nlginternational.org/event/current.php#59

Announcements & Professional Development Opportunities

 

1. LEGAL RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITION WITH THE LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW. Send in applications now!
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (“Lawyers’ Committee”) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that was formed at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in the provision of legal services to victims of racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers' Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law. To this end, the Lawyers' Committee conducts litigation in the broad areas of civil rights law including fair housing, education, desegregation, employment discrimination, voting rights, and environmental justice. The Committee also testifies before Congress on important issues affecting civil rights and equal access to justice, and engages in public policy advocacy within the federal administration.The Lawyers’ Committee’s Education Project strives to guarantee that all American students receive equal educational opportunities in public schools and institutions of higher learning. The Education Project is seeking a law student to assist in the research and drafting of an article on educational adequacy litigation in a certain state (to be disclosed upon accepting the assignment for confidentiality reasons). The student will research state education finance legislation, the relationship between education and economic development, and the general status of education in the state. In addition to excellent research and organization skills, the ideal candidate should also have superior writing and Bluebooking skills to assist in drafting the article. A demonstrated commitment to civil rights issues is also required. The student would begin work at the beginning of October. The time commitment will average approximately 15 hours per week through mid-January (excluding finals). The position pays a stipend of approximately $500 on a monthly basis.
Please send your cover letter, résumé, and a brief writing sample to:
Michelle Woolley
Institute for Educational Equity and Opportunity Fellow
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
1401 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 400

2. FEMINIST LEGAL THEORY AND FEMINISMS CONFERENCE CALL FOR PAPERS, Abstracts for the papers due October 15, 2007 at 5 p.m.
This call for papers seeks submissions for the University of Baltimore School of Law’s upcoming Feminist Legal Theory and Feminisms Conference. The conference will begin with a keynote address by Gloria Steinem the evening of Thursday, March 6, 2008. On Friday, March 7, 2008, the conference will continue with a day of presentations by legal academics, practitioners and activists regarding current scholarship and/or legal work that explore the evolution of feminism and feminist legal theory and its application to current legal theory and practice. This conference begins with three questions: What wave of feminism currently exists, how is it affecting society and effectuating change, and how is it linked to the past waves? This conference will attempt to address these questions from the perspectives of activists, practitioners and academics. The conference will provide an opportunity for participants and audience members to exchange ideas about the current state of feminist legal theories and feminisms and how those theories are being actualized in practice. From the conference, we hope that a new discourse about the future of feminist legal theories and feminisms will begin. In addition, the conference is designed to provide presenters with the opportunity to gain extensive feedback on their papers. Abstracts for the papers should be sent to Professor Margaret E. Johnson (majohnson@ubalt.edu). Abstracts should be no longer than one page. We will notify presenters of selected papers by November 15, 2007.

3. SUMMER 2008 REFUGEE WOMENS RIGHTS LAW CLERK POSITIONS. Send in applications now!
The Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS), one of the nations leading refugee advocacy organizations, is seeking full- time Judith Stronach Womens Rights Fellows for Summer 2008. The Center, which is based at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, works to advance womens human rights by focusing on gender-based asylum and broader migration and refugee policies, both in the U.S. and internationally. The law clerks will be involved in the full range of CGRSs work, including research and writing on key legal issues, appellate advocacy, the development of detailed country conditions information, the preparation of expert witness affidavits, and national policy work. Experience or background in immigration or asylum law is required. Experience with related areas, such as international human rights law should be mentioned. Spanish language desirable, but not required. Position runs from June 2 to August 8, 2008. Please indicate eligibility for work study, as well as your prospects for securing external funding.
For more information on CGRS visit http://cgrs.uchastings.edu/.  All applications must be received by November 16, 2007.  Interested applicants should mail or fax a cover letter and resume to:
Diana Rodriguez
CGRS Summer Law Clerk Position
UC Hastings College of the Law
200 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Fax: 415/581-8824
The cover letter should include how the applicants background is relevant to an organization committed to diversity in all respects. CGRS is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). All qualified persons including people of color, women, lesbians and gay men, are encouraged to apply.

4. OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE LEGAL INTERN POSITION. Send in applications now!
The OSI Washington office seeks to hire a Legal Intern to work on United States civil liberties issues and immigration policy. Specifically, the qualified applicant shall research and prepare reports on civil liberties and immigration policy issues with particular attention to human rights and national security. The Legal Intern will work under the supervision of the Senior Policy Analyst for Civil Liberties and Immigration Policy, and his or her duties will include: (1) Performing legal research (including LexisNexis and other research tools); (2) Drafting legal memoranda, background papers, and other advocacy materials; and (3) Attending hearings or meetings and drafting summaries and analysis. For additional information about OSI, please visit www.soros.org.  Apply Immediately.  Interested applicants should mail or fax a cover letter and resume to:|
Lynthia Gibson-Price
Administrator
Open Society Institute- Washington Office
1120 19th Street, N.W., 8th Floor
Re: Human Resources
Fax to: (202) 530-0128; or e-mail: osidcresume@osi-dc.org .

 

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The Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law compiles a newsletter at the start of each semester and distributes it to all students, faculty and staff as a resource for upcoming human rights events and opportunities at WCL. We hope you find it useful and look forward to seeing you at the many events that the Center and other offices and student groups have planned throughout the Fall. To access the Fall 2007 newsletter, please visit the following site: http://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/center/newsletter/fall07_newsletter.cfm

 

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