Introducing the AUWCL 2007 - 2008 Humphrey Fellows
Ibrahim Ayoub is a public prosecutor in the Office of the Attorney General, an institution under Egypt's Ministry of Justice, leading criminal investigations and examining civil complaints filed by citizens. After graduating from Ain Shams University, School of Law, he served as a district attorney for six years. He intends to use his Humphrey year to study human rights and constructive mechanisms to enhance the rule of law in Egypt's changing sociopolitical structure. Such changes have risen to the top of his country's development agenda. Ayoub is determined to be involved in upcoming institutional and legislative developments necessary for an evolving justice sector committed to upholding human rights. Ayoub will be hosted by Professor Steve Wermiel.
Anderson Freitas de Cerqueira is a district attorney within the Public Ministry of the State of Bahia, Brazil. In this position, he prosecutes criminal and juvenile offenders and exercises external control over police activity. He has also been involved in investigating and trying corruption cases within the public administration and filing legal proceedings to uphold children's rights. Having previously worked as a legal consultant for the Federal Property Secretariat and as a federal public defender, Cerqueira has a special interest in law enforcement policy. During his Humphrey year, he intends to study how the American justice system addresses the issues of human rights abuses by police and police corruption, with the goal of developing effective practices to fight similar cases in the Brazilian police forces. Cerqueira will be hosted by Professor Elizabeth Boals.
Abdelkerim Chtourou is a public service counselor for the Ministry of Social Affairs in Tunisia. He manages all disputes involving the ministry, representing it in court and at various investigative institutions. He also contributes to the development of the legal texts governing its activities. At the Tunis National School of Administration, he studied management and law, and in 2002 he presented a dissertation on environmental and property law. He has a strong interest in human rights law as it relates to persons with disabilities and desires to use his Humphrey Fellowship to implement a new framework of law that will protect this population in Tunisia. Chtourou will be hosted by Professor Robert Dinerstein.
Anna Cu?nir is a practicing lawyer in the field of corporate and international commercial law. She also heads the Anglophone Section of the Department of Law and lectures at the University of European Studies in Moldova, where she promotes practically oriented forms of legal education and teaching methodologies. Cu?nir has worked as a staff attorney on World Bank, USAID, and EU projects, for leading law firms and commercial companies in Moldova. She also has served as a permanent member of interdepartmental commissions and working groups for drafting and streamlining commercial, energy, and telecommunication legislation. While a Humphrey Fellow, Cu?nir intends to broaden her understanding of American law, international law, alternative dispute resolution, and the functioning mechanisms of certain international organizations. Cu?nir will be hosted by Professor Perry Wallace.
Gehane El Sharkawy is the disability coordinator at the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood in Egypt, where she coordinates between governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders to draft and modify disability legislation. She is also involved in building the capacities of different disability specialists, as well as supervising projects that target children with disabilities, their families, and communities. She was awarded the British Chevening Scholarship in 2001, and coauthored two disability related publications. During her year as a Humphrey Fellow she intends to focus on how disability issues can be mainstreamed in public policy, while taking into account the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She also plans to explore the links between disability and poverty. El Sharkawy will be hosted by Professor Robert Dinerstein.
Gunarathne Mudiyanselage Arunuwan Induwara has been a permanent lecturer for the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka since 1998. He teaches forensic medicine, jurisprudence, and ethics and is also a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Dental Sciences. In addition he functions as the academic coordinator, visiting lecturer, and examiner at the Human Rights Centre of the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Induwara is secretary of the Bio Ethics Committee and legal representative for the University of Peradeniya. He is also a part-time mediator and resource to the National Human Rights Commission at the Kandy Regional Office. His main area of interest is in law and human rights, and he plans to use his Humphrey year to gain experience in clinical workshop and advocacy experiences as well as enhance his understanding of international dimensions, teaching methods, and skills in the field of human rights law. Gunarathne will be hosted by Professor Richard Wilson.
Marie Dorothie Jean-Charles is a private attorney in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, specializing in civil contracts and family law cases. She also works as a freelance legal advisor for the United Nations, conducting research regarding constructive accountability laws for the Haitian National Police. In 1998 she completed her legal thesis on the recognition and enforcement of foreign decisions in Haitian private international law. During her Humphrey year she desires to study judicial mechanisms governing the exchanges and functions of international cooperation, with special emphasis on the process of negotiating, drafting, and facilitating dispute resolution of contracts to strengthen federal legislation regarding foreign investment and other related elements. Jean-Charles will be hosted by Professor Padideh Ala'i.
Rodrigo Rivera is a former presidential candidate and senator for the Congress of Colombia. During his eight years in office he led constitutional reforms to modify the current electoral, social security, and health systems; increase penalties for illicit drug consumption; and encourage measures against government corruption. In 1997, he was recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World by Junior Chamber International for his work as Speaker of the House during the impeachment against Colombian president Ernesto Samper. As a Humphrey Fellow, Rivera expects to strengthen his knowledge of economics, globalization, security, and environmental issues to broaden his understanding of Colombia from an international perspective. He is particularly committed to applying this perspective on the civil conflict in Colombia and creating a lasting solution. Rivera will be hosted by Professor Diego Rodriguez-Pinzon.
Nad'a Spustová is an attorney at Dr. Ruzicka Law Firm-one of the largest law offices in Slovakia. She provides legal consultation to various companies and state agencies regarding Slovak and European competition law and policy and Slovak and European energy law and regulation. For the past four years she has presented seminars on European and Slovak competition policy and law for the National Bank of Slovakia and private educational agencies. Last June she completed her postgraduate program in advanced community law-competition policy at the College of Europe in Brussels-Bruges, Belgium, with high honors. Spustová intends to use her Humphrey year to gain a comprehensive understanding of antitrust competition principles and their broad economic connections to enhance her ability to teach and advocate for stronger competition policy in Slovakia. Spustova will be co-hosted by Professors Jonathan Baker and David Snyder.
Deborah Thomas-Felix is one of the presiding judges of the Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago. She served as a magistrate judge and then senior magistrate judge for 11 years for the Criminal and Family Court and was the first woman to ascend to the post of deputy chief magistrate in Trinidad and Tobago. She also served as the first president of the Family Court of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. She has been an active member in various community programs including the Credo Foundation for Justice, the Business and Professional Women's Group, and the Family Court Committee, which was mandated to help establish the Family Court of Trinidad and Tobago. Thomas-Felix intends to use her Humphrey year to gain knowledge in the area of environmental health and safety law, identifying current and emerging issues in the field and evaluating management procedures that implement such policy. Thomas-Felix will be hosted by Professor Susan Carle.
