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The International Human Rights Committee is concerned with all matters involving the response to and amelioration of instances of assaults on human dignity through the oppression of civil and political rights, as well as the efforts to create and foster legal, business, and cultural systems and institutions that give meaningful protection to human rights. More specifically, the Committee monitors the drafting and adoption of international covenants; advocates for foreign human rights lawyers who have been persecuted for their work; investigates cases of alleged human rights abuses throughout the world; and educates the bar, policy makers, and the public at large about human rights issues.
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Dear Friend: Welcome to the International Human Rights Committee's web site. The Committee engages in a wide variety of activities. You are welcome to participate in the activities detailed below or to propose initiatives that are consistent with our Mission Statement. Please feel free to contact the Committee's leadership with any questions. Policy: The Committee makes inquiries and drafts reports and recommendations asking the ABA to take a stand on a pending bill or other public matter. The Committee also initiates Rule of Law letters for signature by the President of the ABA. You may suggest an important topic in human rights that may require attention from the President of the ABA. Please contact Vice-Chair Eric Jones for more information. CLE Teleconferences and Webinars: The Committee organizes numerous CLE teleconferences and brown bag teleconferences at little or no cost to participants. These teleconferences educate participants on timely human rights issues and allow interactive dialogue on important human rights topics. If you know an interesting speaker for a teleconference, please notify Vice-Chair Erin Louise Palmer. Programs: The Committee organizes many programs, such as seminars on human rights topics for the annual and mid-year ABA meetings, that educate attendees about current human rights issues. Your attendance at these programs allows you to learn from leading figures in human rights and connect with other Committee and ABA members. Please feel free to contact Vice-Chair Glenn Katon with recommended topics, speakers, and panels. Publications: The Committee collects submissions from our members on important legal developments for an article submitted for publication to The International Lawyer's Year-in-Review. In addition, the Committee plans to propose ABA publication of a book addressing an important international human rights issue or issues. Please contact Vice-Chair Cleveland Ferguson III regarding any proposed submissions for the Year-in-Review or with ideas for a book. Projects: The Committee is involved in numerous activities, including writing about issues and events for a newsletter on human rights, as well as organizing a book drive to donate law books to faculty in Zimbabwe. Please contact Vice-Chair Nancy Stafford with any suggested projects. Communications: The Committee strives to keep its members informed of our internal operations. We type and distribute minutes of our steering group and Committee conference calls. Vice-Chair Vanessa Power manages our communications operations. Investigations: The Committee would like to expand our activities to include investigations of potential human rights abuses. If you know of any matter that should be investigated, please contact Co-Chairs Robert J. Gaudet, Jr., and Ani Ajemian and propose a protocol for conducting an impartial investigation. We will then seek additional advice from the ABA on how to develop this new area of activity. If there are any additional activities consistent with our Mission Statement that interest you, please contact Co-Chairs Robert J. Gaudet, Jr., and Ani Ajemian. We will do our best to start a new activity addressing your particular interest in international human rights. We appreciate your participation and look forward to working with you to educate the bar and public, advocate, and invigorate debate about international human rights. Best regards, Ani Ajemian & Rob Gaudet, Co-Chairs
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Our Committee submits proposals that the ABA president send "Rule of Law" letters to governments accused of harassing human rights lawyers and advocates. It also may propose appointment of neutral observers to witness and report on the fairness of trials involving human rights advocates. The ABA Center for Human Rights reviews our Committee's proposals and submits recommendations to the ABA president. For copies of the guidelines for rule of law letters or trial observations, contact the Center by email or by telephone at (202) 662-1025. The ABA House of Delegates has passed measures pertaining to human rights, thereby creating ABA "policy." Our Committee has the ability to propose new ABA policies in human rights. Please contact our Committee's Co-Chairs, Robert J. Gaudet, Jr., or Ani Ajemian, if you have an idea for a possible ABA policy. For guidelines, please review previous human rights policies passed by the ABA House of Delegates.
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| | Committee Events |
Steering Group Call
November 24, 2009 | | Please join us for our next Steering Group call on Tuesday, November 24, at 2:00 p.m. EST. We will hold these calls on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 2:00 p.m. EST. Call-in information to follow. |
Free Teleconference: How to Litigate Human Rights Cases Using UN Treaties
November 30, 2009 | | Please join us on Monday, November 30, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. EST for our next free teleconference on how to litigate human rights cases using UN treaties. Noted civil liberties attorney, activist, and theorist Ann Fagan Ginger will provide the presentation for this teleconference. To participate in the teleconference, please use the following call-in information: 1-219-509-8111 (dial-in); 153417 (access code). |
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| Section Events |
December 1, 2009
Location: TBD
Format: Multiple Formats
December 16, 2009
Location: TBD
Format: Multiple Formats
April 13, 2010 - April 17, 2010 Grand Hyatt New York
New York,
NY
Format: Live/In-Person |
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Ani Ajemian, Lawrence G. Albrecht, Emily E. Arnold-Fernandez, Benjamin L. Apt, Jennifer Beatty Jeff Bleich, Christa M. Bosch, Robert C. Blitt, Dr. Isabella D. Bunn, Sherri Marie Carr, Patrice Dziire, Chris Engels, Avi Samuel Garbow, Robert Gaudet, Jr., Elizabeth Graybill, Russell Kerr, Faiza Patel King, Dilshad Marolia, Brandi Meredith, Roxane Peyser, Shahrzad Rezvani, JoAnne Richardson, Samantha Pitts-Kiefer, Professor Vasco de Jesus Rodrigues, Sarah Simonson, Gregory L. Smith, Joshua Sondheimer, Vanessa Soriano Power, Nancy Kaymar Stafford, Jonathan Todres, Penny Wakefield, Lisa Laurel Weinberg, Markus Zimmer.
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The ABA Section of International Law presents the International Human Rights Lawyer Awards to distinguished foreign human rights lawyers who have suffered persecution as a result of their professional activities.
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