International Human Rights Clinic

Via the Human Rights Program By: Thomas Becker Téofilo Baltazar places flowers on the tomb of his wife, Teodosia, who was shot and killed…

Via The Harvard Gazette  Yee Htun, Myanmar native lawyer who teaches a human rights advocacy course at HLS. Here she works inside 6 Everett…

Via the International Human Rights Law Clinic   Source: Pixabay Countries at an upcoming United Nations disarmament conference, faced with evidence of 30 new incendiary…

Via the Human Rights Program Salma Waheedi, Clinical Instructor and Lecturer on Law at the International Human Rights Clinic and Associate Director of…

Via the International Human Rights Clinic  In October, the Musawah Movement for Equality in the Muslim Family submitted a thematic report to the Convention on the…

Via NwestIowa.com   Source: Flickr.com By: Mark Mahoney N’West Iowa residents who are worried about the future of their respective post offices will have…

Via the Human Rights Program With the semester start, we’d like to extend the warmest welcome to our new staff! We have four new…

The Human Rights Program is pleased to announce its cohort of post-graduate fellowships in human rights. This year, Conor Hartnett, JD’18, and Alejandra Elguero Altner, LLM’17, have been awarded the Henigson Human Rights Fellowship and Jenny B. Domino, LLM’18, and Anna Khalfaoui, LLM’17, have been awarded the Satter Human Rights Fellowship.

As preparations for a US-North Korea summit highlight the ongoing threat posed by nuclear weapons, proponents of nuclear disarmament should increase their support for the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Momentum has been building. In May alone, three more countries ratified the treaty, bringing the total to 10; another 48 have signed. In addition, several countries have initiated national processes that represent an important step toward coming on board. In this context, the Clinic is releasing two papers demonstrating why it is legally possible for even allies of nuclear armed states to join the TPN.

The humanitarian impact of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) depends on both its comprehensive ban on nuclear weapons and its obligations to assist victims and remediate the environment affected by use and testing. The former aims to prevent future harm, while the latter addresses harm that has already occurred. The Clinic is releasing new papers on victim assistance and environmental remediation in order to increase awareness of these elements of the treaty.

In a landmark decision today, a federal jury found the former president of Bolivia and his minister of defense responsible for extrajudicial killings carried out by the Bolivian military in September and October 2003. The decision comes after a ten-year legal battle spearheaded by family members of eight people killed in what is known in Bolivia as the “Gas War.” It marked the first time in U.S. history a former head of state has sat before his accusers in a U.S. human rights trial. The jury awarded a total of $10 million in compensatory damages to the plaintiffs.

From Harvard Law Today—Drawing on their own involvement in creating international law, conference participants reflected on the development of the humanitarian disarmament movement, which strives to end civilian suffering caused by inhumane and indiscriminate weapons, and discussed where the movement should go from here.

From International Human Rights Clinic—Susan, who co-directs our International Human Rights Clinic, is among 25 luminaries celebrated in the Wasserstein Hall exhibit for their “astounding contributions” in the areas of law and policy.

From Miami Herald—The relatives of the slain Bolivians are represented by lawyers from the Center for Constitutional Rights, Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic and several high-powered private law firms.

From International Human Rights Clinic The Initiative aims to reduce the harm caused by armed conflict through targeted advocacy, leadership development, and the generation of innovative solutions.

From International Human Rights Clinic—A federal judge has ruled that the former president of Bolivia and his minister of defense must face trial in the United States in a civil case alleging that the Bolivian military massacred more than 50 of its own citizens during a period of civil unrest in 2003.

From International Human Rights Clinic—The award honors ICAN for having “given the efforts to achieve a world without nuclear weapons a new direction and new vigour.” In particular, the prize recognizes the civil society coalition’s “ground-breaking” work to realize a treaty banning nuclear weapons.

By Salomé Gómez Upegui LL.M. '18—I believe in law as an instrument for social change, and I came to Harvard interested in focusing on that. A year is not much time, and as any LLM student can confirm, we all suffer from “fear of missing out”.  I’m happy to say the International Human Rights Clinic, was perfect to curb this fear.

By Zeineb Bouraoui LL.M. '18—The Clinic constituted an eye-opening experience to me, allowing me to understand firsthand the challenges that human rights lawyers and activists are routinely facing with funding, media outreach and advocacy, or even the simple act of gathering accurate and reliable information.

From International Human Rights Clinic—Countries should respond to reports of new use of incendiary weapons in Syria by working to strengthen the international law governing these exceptionally cruel weapons, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

From International Human Rights Clinic—The report highlights refugees’ experiences in Nairobi with registration and refugee status determination – processes that lead to documentation.