PIHRL News

Professor Edwards hosts International Colloquium on

On 15 August 2008, Professor George E. Edwards hosted representatives of Human Rights Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East for discussions about solving human rights problems globally, and in the participants' specific regions. In a colloquium discussion with law students, faculty, staff, and members of the Indiana community, Professor Edwards focused on commonalities among the human rights problems faced in different countries, rather than differences. He noted that everyone would benefit from learning about the strategies employed in different regions to curb human rights violations. “We can all learn from each other about tackling human rights problems.” He said that “we all benefit from exchanging ideas about our backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and using what we learn to combat violations.” The colloquium was held at the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis.

The International Visitors came from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Honduras, Panama, Namibia, Malaysia, and the West Bank. Participants at the colloquium, including Master of Laws students, also represented many nations and territories, including Cameroon, Southern Cameroon, India, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Bosnia.

The visitors work on a wide range of human rights issues in their home countries, including rights of and related to women, children, indigenous peoples, minorities, development, the environment, and general civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

Professor Edwards congratulated the Delegation, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State International Visitors Program for visits to Indianapolis and to other cities around the country. He noted that everyone present was involved in “citizen diplomacy.” He said that “Condoleeza Rice is in the Republic of Georgia this week involved in official diplomacy. You—private citizens from around the world—are here on a citizen diplomacy mission. You are here to share your cultures, experiences, and other insights with us, as we are to share our cultures, experiences and other insights with you.” Professor Edwards continued, “When you return to your respective homes around the world, you will be able to tell your friends, families and colleagues about what you learned in the United States. And when those of us who live in Indiana leave this room, we will be able to speak about what we learned from our new friends from around the world. International barriers are breaking down. Mutual understanding is being enhanced. Our communities are closer together. We are all citizen diplomats.”

Professor Edwards’ presentation was entitled “Multi-Regional Approaches to Solving International Human Rights Problems.”

Professor Edwards is the Carl M. Gray Professor of Law and the Founding Director of the Law School’s Program in International Human Rights Law. He recently returned from a trip to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia where he met with government officials and others about human rights law issues. He also held discussions about American Legal Education, as the law school is enhancing its Master of Laws (LL.M.) program, most students of whom are from overseas. Furthermore, he engaged in discussions about placing human rights law interns in Kuwait, Bahrain, Laos, Thailand, Japan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Ms. Habiba Akter, Executive Director, Ashar Alo Society (Bangladesh);
Mr. Jimmy Walter Andino Mejia, Executive Director, Guaruma Organization (Honduras);
Ms. Wai Ling Ho, Honorable Secretary, All Women's Action Society, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia);
Mr. Don Muroua, Program Manager, Rural People's Institute for Social Empowerment in Namibia (RISE): Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) (Namibia);
Ms. Safiya Tahir Abdullahi, Coordinator, Adolescent Girls Initiative (Nigeria);
and Ms. Mawakib S. A. Massad, Administrative Director, Health Development Information and Policy Institute (HDIP) (West Bank).
Mr. Leonides Quiroz, Coordinator, Negotiation Commission for the Wounaan Land, Wounaan Tribe Congress (Panama).

One of the International Visitors, Mr. Leonides Quiroz, Coordinator, Negotiation Commission for the Wounaan Land, Wounaan Tribe Congress (Panama), worked with the Program in International Human Rights Law and the International Human Rights Law Society in preparing and submitting a United Nations Shadow Report on Panama's indigenous people, which includes the Wounaan tribe. In March 2008, the law students presented the UN Shadow Report to UN Human Rights Committee experts at UN Headquarters in New York. The experts called the Panamanian government's attention to the human rights concerns bedeviling Panama's indigenous people.

Participants in the International Visitor Colloquium included Mr. William Hotham of the College of Law, United Kingdom, who is also a representative of Bridges Across Borders, an NGO based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, involved in a wide range of community activities. IU-Indianapolis law students Heidi Reed and Jeff Collins worked at Bridges Across Borders during the 2007 summer. Mr. Hotham is a Visiting Fellow at the law school’s Program in International Human Rights Law.

Also participating was Professor Halit Yilmaz, from the Law Faculty at Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey. Professor Yilmaz is a Visiting Scholar at the law school’s Center on Health and Bioethics.

Professor Edwards asked participants how the Program in International Human Rights law might be able to assist their organizations. Several participants expressed an interest in collaborating with the Program on projects (including United Nations Shadow Reports), and receiving IU-Indianapolis international human rights law interns.
Professor Edwards spoke about his recent trip to Saudi Arabia, and how the Saudi government was keen on accepting an IU-Indianapolis intern to intern for the Saudi Arabia Human Rights Commission.

At least one participant— Mr. Leonides Quiroz, Coordinator, Negotiation Commission for the Wounaan Land, Wounaan Tribe Congress (Panama)—also expressed an interest in joining the Master of Laws program at IU School of Law – Indianapolis.

Professor George Edwards Meets International NGO Leaders

Professor George Edwards, Founder and Director of the Program in International Human Rights Law, will meet and share his insights and experiences on international human rights law promotion with leaders of non-governmental organizations from various countries this Friday (Aug. 15), from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Room 267 of the Law School.

One of the visitors, Mr. Leonides Quiroz, Coordinator, Negotiation Commission for the Wounaan Land, Wounaan Tribe Congress (Panama), has worked with the Program and Law students belonging to the International Human Rights Law Society in preparing and submitting the United Nations Shadow Report on Panama's indigenous people, which includes the Wounaan tribe. Last March, the Law students presented the UN Shadow Report to Human Rights Committee experts, who called the government's attention to the human rights concerns bedeviling Panama's indigenous people.

Quiroz, a Wounaan spokesman, earlier sent invitations to Panamanian government officials for them to attend the Wounaan regional congress, but the officials failed to attend the Wounaan congress.

J.D. candidate Megan Alvarez translated Quiroz’ invitations from their original Spanish into English and attached them to the UN Shadow Report as one of the pieces of evidence of the government's violation of the civil and political rights of members of the Wounaan tribe. Alvarez worked this summer as an International Human Rights Law Intern of the Comisión Justicia y Pazin, an NGO based in Panama, after personally meeting Alfredo Castillero Hoyos, who earlier served as an independent expert of the UN Human Rights Committee. Hoyos now leads the Red de Derechos Humanos de Panama - RDH-Panama, an NGO.

A copy of the UN Shadow Report on Panama is accessible at http://indylaw.indiana.edu/humanrights/shadowreports/Panama%20Indigenous%20People.pdf

Besides the UN Shadow Report on Panama, Professor Edwards served as the Director of other United Nations shadow reports on Chile, Zambia, and United States.
Since he started the Overseas Summer International Human Rights Law Internship Scholarship Program in 1997, Professor Edwards has helped facilitate more than 100 internship placements in over 50 countries for 81 J.D. and LL.M. candidates.

PIHRL Students Featured in Indiana Lawyer

Students from the Program in International Human Rights Law were featured in an Indiana Lawyer article on April 30, 2008 for their United Nations advocacy work.

Of the five students in the photograph in front of the UN’s New York Headquarters, three are current or former interns, four are JD students, and one is an LL.M. student.

PIHRL students have researched, written and submitted "Shadow Reports" and made oral human rights presentations to United Nations Committees five times since 2006. They have also participated in other Shadow Reports over the years. Most of the Shadow Reports are posted on the United Nations website.

The following five Shadow Reports were researched, written, and submitted by students since 2006:

(1) UN Human Rights Committee – Violation of Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples of Panama (New York) (2008) (Students gave oral presentation; Students hosted private lunch with Human Rights Committee Experts)

(2) UN Race Committee – Discrimination Against Muslims, Arabs, South Asians Post 9-11 (Geneva) (Report to be supplemented) (2008)

(3) UN Human Rights Committee – Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People in Chile (New York) (2007) (Students gave oral presentation; Students hosted private lunch with Human Rights Committee Experts)

(4) UN Human Rights Committee – Violation of Freedom of Expression in Zambia (Geneva) (2007) (Students gave oral presentation; Students hosted private lunch with Human Rights Committee Experts)

(5) UN Human Rights Committee – Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People in the U.S.A. (Geneva) (2006)

The first Shadow Report students researched, wrote and submitted was in 1999:

(6) UN Race Committee – Discrimination Against Dalits – The "Untouchables" of Nepal (Geneva) (1999)

Students assisted with the following two recent Shadow Reports that were submitted by the PIHRL and the National Bar Association:

(7) UN Race Committee – Race Discrimination Before, During & After Hurricane Katrina (Geneva) (2008)

(8) UN Human Rights Committee – Violation of Civil & Political Rights Before, During & After Hurricane Katrina (Geneva) (2006)

Prof. Edwards Featured in Kuwait's Al Jarida Newspaper

Professor George E. Edwards was featured in an article that appeared in the Arabic-language newspaper Al Jarida, published in Kuwait on 31 March 2008. In the article, he discussed a range of international human rights and other legal issues in Kuwait and the United States. He commented on the U.S. continued detention of Kuwaitis in Guantanamo Bay, an "Article 98 Agreement" by which Kuwait agreed not to surrender any U.S. soldier to the International Criminal Court, the Kuwait government's new legislation banning any person from dressing like a person of the opposite sex, and issues the United States State Department raised in its Annual Human Rights Report on human rights conditions in Kuwait. Read the article.

On 31 March 2008, Profesor George E. Edwards gave a lecture at the University of Kuwait Faculty of Law entitled "International Law and Torture: From the Anti-Terrorism Ticking Bomb Scenario to Abuse of Domestic Helpers in Kuwait." Professor Edwards was also invited to deliver a lecture at Kuwait University in 2003.

Prof. Bravo to Speak at Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law

On April 4^th, Professor Bravo will participate as a panelist in the St. Louis University School of Law Public Law Review’s symposium: The Changing Tide of Trade: The social, political and environmental implications of regional trade agreements (http://law.slu.edu/conf/trade/participants.html#contenttop). Professor Bravo will discuss her work on labor liberalization in the context of regional trade agreements.

Professor Bravo will participate in the American Society of International Law’s 102^nd Annual Meeting (April 9 – 12), during which she will discuss her work on a labor liberalization approach to the modern trafficking in human beings. Professor Bravo was selected from a competitive field as one of the New Voices in International Law for the Society’s 102^nd meeting.