AUWCL’s International Law Student Association Hosts Conference on Reparation to Individuals for Violations of International Human Rights
Nov. 27, 2018
On November 5, the American University Washington College of Law’s (AUWCL) International Law Student Association, along with Dean Emeritus Claudio Grossman, member of the International Law Commission (ILC), hosted distinguished guests from around the world to exchange ideas on the topic of “Reparation to Individuals for Violations of International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law.”
The conference identified the extensive practice of reparations to individuals in these areas, challenges facing comprehensive reparation, as well as the need for further normative development. Professor Grossman gave the keynote address to students, academics, NGO members, and practitioners attending the conference. Throughout the day, attendees participated in discussions on the practice of reparation to individuals for violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in universal, regional, and domestic systems.
Speakers included Patrícia Galvão Teles, professor of law at the Autonomous University of Lisbon and member of the ILC from Portugal; Yacouba Cissé, professor of law at the University of Ottawa and member of the ILC from Côte d'Ivoire; Mario Coriolano, public defender to the Supreme Court of Buenos Aires; Adriana García, professor at CIDE in Mexico and consultant for Open Society Justice Initiative.
The daylong conference featured three panels moderated by AUWCL Professor Claudia Martin, co-director of the Academy of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, and Adrián Alvarez, practitioner-in-residence for the AUWCL Disability Rights Law Clinic.
Panelists included:
- Paulo Abrão, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
- Elizabeth Abi-Mershed, former Deputy Executive Secretary for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
- AUWCL Professor Rebecca Hamilton, former attorney in the ICC Prosecutorial Division
- AUWCL Professor Juan Méndez, Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists
- AUWCL Professor Diane Orentlicher, former UN Independent Expert on Combating Impunity
- AUWCL Professor Diego Rodríguez-Pinzón, co-director of the Academy of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and member of the UN Committee Against Torture
- AUWCL Professor Susana SáCouto, director of the War Crimes Research Office
This was the first conference organized by the newly created International Law Student Association. The group’s future initiatives include providing networking opportunities for students; identifying and addressing other topics of international relevance; further developing educational opportunities in international law, including universal and regional organizations to build on the law school’s expert faculty, and to promote our alumni’s presence in these areas. For more information about the International Law Student Association at AUWCL, please email ilsa.auwcl@gmail.com.