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

WCL Events

1. TODAY AT NOON: OLYMPIAN VIOLENCE ERUPTING IN TIBET
Wednesday, April 2, 12pm - 1:20pm, Room TBA
Over the past two weeks, Tibet has experienced its worst violence in 20 years. The Chinese crackdown on Tibetan protesters has left hundreds wounded, dead and detained. Sympathetic protests in support of Tibet have spread through China, Nepal, India and beyond. Events continue to develop in the shadow of the upcoming Olympics. Join us for lunch and a discussion of the current crisis with T.Kumar, Advocacy Director for Asia and the Pacific, Amnesty International USA; John Ackerly, President, International Campaign for Tibet; and Paul Donowitz, Students for a Free Tibet (invited). No registration necessary. Lunch will be served. For additional information, please contact the Center by emailing humlaw@wcl.american.edu or by calling 202.274.4180.

2. FIFTH ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM ON IP/GENDER: MAPPING THE CONNECTIONS
Friday, April 4, 9:30am- 4:00pm, Room 528
Please join the Women and the Law Program, the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property and the American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law for our Fifth Annual Symposium on IP/Gender: Mapping the Connections, as we explore the rich intersection of Intellectual Property Law and Feminist Jurisprudence. Each year this program brings together scholars in Intellectual Property and Gender Studies to present innovative scholarship that unites these two fields. Please register for this event online at http://www.wcl.american.edu/secle/cle_form.cfm. For more information email wilp@wcl.american.edu.

3. MURKY WATERS: FIGHTING WORLD BANK-FINANCED WATER PRIVATIZATION
Tuesday, April 15, 12-1:30pm, WCL Room 602
Join us for a panel discussion on how to challenge World Bank (MIGA) financed water projects. In 2001 the World Bank gave Bechtel, the largest engineering company in the U.S, a guarantee for its investments in the water system in Guayaquil, Ecuador. After years of mismanagement, including water cut-offs, a Hepatitis B outbreak, and ongoing flooding, an Ecuadorian-based civil rights group, Observatorio Cuidadano de Servicios Publicos, has initiated a World Bank investigation into the water project. Bechtel also has a prior history of involvement in oil and water sources overseas, and has recently become the focus of criticism from growing environmental movements. Featured speakers include: Marcos Orellana, Center for International Environmental Law; Cesar Cardenas Ramirez, Observatorio Cuidadano de Sercicos Publicos; and Agosto Parada Campos, Legal Counsel, Observatorio Cuidadano de Sercicos Publicos. The event is hosted by the WCL Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, the Center for International Environmental Law and Food & Water Watch. Lunch will be served. For more information please contact Maj Fiil at 202.683.2453 or via email at mfiil@fwwatch.org.

4. SAVE THE DATE: THE ROLE OF THE LAW SCHOOL IN PROMOTING AND PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS,
Monday, April 21st and Tuesday, April 22nd, WCL Room 603
Please join us on April 21-22 to discuss the Role of Law Schools in Promoting and Protecting Human Rights. This event will be the first national convening of law school Centers for Human Rights and will provide a forum for discussion, sharing of information and thinking about the challenges and successes of law schools engaged in human rights work. The conference will open with a dinner on April 21 with a keynote address by Prof. Michael Tigar "Four Levels of Understanding in Clinical Human Rights Teaching." The day-long conference on April 22 will start with a discussion of various forms of teaching human rights in law schools to be followed by interactive facilitated roundtable discussions on specific aspects of research, training, advocacy and teaching. An afternoon panel will explore funding human rights in law schools and the day will conclude with a high level discussion of what law schools should be doing but are not. Confirmed speakers include Ken Roth (Human Rights Watch), David Weissbrodt (University of Minnesota), Doug Cassel (Notre Dame), and Dean Claudio Grossman (AU WCL). Registration for both the dinner and the conference is required. To register or for additional information, please contact the Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education at (202) 274-4075 or register online at www.wcl.american.edu/secle/cle_form.cfm.

Community Events

1. THE UNITED NATIONS GENOCIDE CONVENTION: A 60th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION
Friday, April 4, 2008, 8:45am, Rutgers University School of Law - Newark, 123 Washington Street, in Newark, New Jersey.
Rutgers Law Review, in conjunction withRutgers Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, will host a symposium in commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The keynote speakerwill beJuan E. Mendez, Director of the International Center for Transitional Justice and recipient of a 2007 Doctorate Honoris Causa from the University of Quebec at Montreal. For more information please contact Megha Jonnalagadda, Symposium Editor for Rutgers Law Review, via email megha4281@gmail.com or via telephone, (973) 353-3113, or visit the Symposium Website at: http://www.pegasus.rutgers.edu/~review/symposium08.php.

2. WORKING IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: CHALLENGING POVERTY THROUGH LAW, Friday-Saturday, 4-5 April 2008, University of Georgia School of Law
The University of Georgia School of Law cordially invites you to attend the Third Annual "Working in the Public Interest: Challenging Poverty Through Law" conference on April 4-5, 2008. This two day event features panels and roundtable discussions with speakers drawn from all parts of the country. The conference will be held in Athens, Georgia, at the University of Georgia School of Law, which is approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta. We will be offering CLE credits for a small registration fee. We can also arrange free housing for student attendees who would like to stay with other students here in Athens. Registration and other information will soon be available online at www.law.uga.edu/wipi. If you have questions or concerns, please email us at: wipi.publicity.2008@gmail.com.

Announcements & Professional Development Opportunities

1. THE NEW SPRING 2008 ISSUE OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS BRIEF IS NOW AVAILABLE!
Pick up a free copy today from the shelves outside the elevators on the first floor -or- from the shelves outside room 628! The Human Rights Brief, a student-run publication of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, reports on developments in international human rights and humanitarian law and provides concise legal analysis of cutting edge human rights issues. Established in 1994, the Brief maintains a strong commitment to supporting human rights practitioners and strengthening the community of human rights advocates around the world. Currently, the Brief reaches over 6,000 subscribers in more than 90 countries. It is published three times a year and welcomes submissions from practitioners, students, and academics. If you would like to subscribe to the Human Rights Brief, please send your request, mailing address, and a check or money order of $30.00 made payable to the Human Rights Brief to the following address:
Human Rights Brief
4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Room 630
Washington, DC 20016-8181
If a nonprofit organization or individual is unable to meet the subscription price, the publication is available at no cost upon request. For additional information contact the Human Rights Brief at hrbrief@wcl.american.edu or visit www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/.

2. CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKS A FEW GOOD SUMMER DEAN'S FELLOW
The Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law is looking for a few good Summer Dean's Fellows to join us for a fun summer and to help us make our exciting human rights programming happen!!! You will assist in planning the Center's Annual Human Rights Film Series and other Fall Semester activities. The position also includes administrative tasks such as developing the Center's website and promotional materials. And, most importantly, you will help plan the Center's ANNUAL SUMMER PICNIC, which has been brought back by popular demand! To apply, please send a resume and short cover letter to aparker@wcl.american.edu , with the subject line “Summer 2008 Dean's Fellow.” The position will remain open until filled.

3. OFFICE OF PUBLIC INTEREST SEEKS SUMMER DEAN’S FELLOW
The Office of Public Interest is seeking a Summer Dean’s Fellow to work 20 hours/week on a number of projects including: outreach to public interest employers and WCL alumni, writing the Public Interest Wire newsletter, development of pro bono initiatives and the Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program (PILRAP). Some additional research and writing may be required. This is a great opportunity for a student taking summer classes. Sense of humor, excellent writing, computer and interpersonal skills are required, a passion for social justice issues is a plus. Interested candidates should submit a current resume and brief cover letter to Charlene Gomes, Public Interest Coordinator at cegomes@wcl.american.edu . Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

4. SUMMER SESSION HEALTH LAW AND POLICY INSTITUTE, June 16-20
American University Washington College of Law (WCL) announces the first Annual Health Law and Policy Institute, providing JD and LL.M. students and practitioners, with an opportunity for intensive training in various aspects of health law and policy over a one-week period.The Summer Session offers a broad range of custom-developed courses taught by leading practitioners from private practice businesses, health care organizations, government and non-governmental organizations, specifically for an intensive learning format. The courses are designed to enhance the preparation of legal professionals for practicing health care law, and focus on both theoretical and practical aspects of health law and policy. For students, the Summer Session at the Health Law and Policy Institute can complement a summer internship or externship in exciting Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, where opportunities for an enriched health care law-related experience abound. Both day and night courses are available. Students can choose among several 1 credit classes and can take up to 3 credits. Courses in the Health Law and Policy Institute can be taken for law school credit or for Continuing Legal Education (CLE). The credits can also be used toward an LL.M. Program on Law and Government degree with a Health Law Specialization, from WCL. A Certificate of Attendance will be presented to participants who do not wish to take courses for academic credit. For more information email cparver@wcl.american.edu or visit www.wcl.american.edu/llmlawandgov/health/institute.cfm . 

5. WOMEN’S LAW ASSOCIATION SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP, DUE APRIL 9.
The Women’s Law Association invites you to apply for the 2008 WLA Summer Scholarship. All 1L, 2L, or 3L part-time WCL students with an unpaid internship in gender issues are welcome to apply. This scholarship, raised entirely by the WLA Board and Membership, will be in excess of $1,000 and is compatible with an EJF Grant. The scholarship application is posted on the WLA website http://www.wcl.american.edu/org/wla , uploaded to the WLA TWEN and YahooGroups sites, and available in hardcopy in the WLA Mailbox (C12) in the SBA Lounge. There are more detailed instructions and information in the application packet, but please feel free to direct any questions about the scholarship to me, Cori Racela: racela@gmail.com . Also, please continue to support the WLA summer scholarship by helping us fundraise. We have a bake sale on Tuesday, April 1- please bring something for us to selland/or sign up to table, via the sign-up sheet on the WLA TWEN site.Applications are due by 8:00pm on Wednesday, April 9.

6. CALL FOR PAPERS: GLOBAL WOMEN’S MOVEMENTS IN CHANGING SOCIETIES
Women for Women International, a non-profit humanitarian organization, seeks submissions for the Fall 2008 issue of its bi-annual academic journal, Critical Half. This issue will focus on global women’s movements and women’s movements globally in various contexts, including politics, women’s rights, social change, religion, and economic endeavors. Women’s movements may be global in their organization or effects, as in the international feminist movement, or they may be global in their concerns but local or ‘grassroots’ in their organization and immediate impact. Papers might consider the genesis and logistics of women’s movements; the underlying ideological concerns which give rise to and sustain, or counteract, these movements; or the interaction of women’s movements with local, regional, and global organizations, such as religious groups, political parties, or local or international local women’s groups.Papers which address issues of women’s movements in conflict and post-conflict societies, developing countries, and trans-national contexts are particularly encouraged. Articles should be 2,000-2,500 words long. The deadline to submit the article is June 16th. For further information, including topic suggestions, article possibilities, and submission guidelines, please visit http://www.womenforwomen.org/cfpapers.htm or for more information email criticalhalf@womenforwomen.org .