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The
Archive section contains links to past events and news alerts that
appeared on the center's other pages.
PROJECT: Accountability in War: Political, Legal and Ethical Dimensions
This project will examine the issue of accountability in
situations of armed conflict. The project will explore the new challenges of
accountability that have arisen from several contemporary developments: (i)
the US-led “war on terror” that fuses the discourse of war with that of a
police operation tracking criminals, (ii) a foreign policy strategy of armed
pre-emption to meet anticipated threats, (iii) armed interventions without
collective sanctions, and (iv) the tendency of somewhat longer standing for
belligerents to attack civilians, whether deliberately or as a consequence of
armed operations. To address the question of accountability in this context,
it is important to go beyond the traditional/restrictive perceptions of
accountability, and in particular the overwhelming emphasis on its legal
dimensions. The study argues for a broader understanding that encompasses
political, legal and moral facets. The coordinators of this project are Dr.
Astri Suhrke, Senior Research Fellow at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in
Bergen, Norway; Professor Doug Klusmeyer, American University; and Professor
George Andreopoulos.
The Center for International Human Rights, as part of its
“Policing Across Borders: the Role of Law Enforcement in Global Governance”
Project, is organizing three international workshops involving law enforcement
officers from Greece, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania, and
Turkey, as well as academics and representatives of intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations. The Project is funded by a generous grant by
the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
The first
workshop, Strengthening Cooperation in the Fight against Terrorism:
Legislation, Institutions, and Proposals, took place on December 13 and
14 at John Jay College. It was co-sponsored by the Center for Security
Studies (KE.ME.A.) and the Center and the Institute for Central-Eastern
Europe and the Balkans of the University of Bologna of the University of
Bologna. The goal of the workshop was to explore key challenges confronting
law enforcement in dealing with the transnational threat of terrorism while
upholding international standards. For that purpose, the participants
presented papers and engaged in a stimulating series of exchanges in the
following issue areas: the nature of the terrorist threat, the
international/regional legal framework and institutions, cooperation, rule of
law and human rights issues, and best practices. In addition, the
participants were addressed by H.E. Mike Smith, the Assistant
Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive
Directorate of the United Nations, who delivered a keynote address entitled “The Role of the United Nations in Counter-Terrorism,” and by Roland Tricot, Principal Lawyer, Delegation of the
European Union Commission to the UN, who spoke on the “Cooperation Strategies
to Combat Terrorist Activities while Adhering to International Standards.”
The next
workshop, on human trafficking and migrant smuggling, will take place on May
2 and 3, 2008 at John Jay College.
(1) Keynote address by H.E. Mike Smith,
Assitant Secretary-General, Executive Director, Counter-Terrorism Executive
Directorate, United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee (Dec. 13)
(2) Presentation by Mr. Brian Gorlick,
Senior Politicy Advisor, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, New
York Office, 'The Challange of Refugee Protection in the Post 9/11 World.'
(3) Presentation by Ms. Cristina Gheorghe
Tranca, Chief of mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM),
Romania.
(4) Workshop Director, Prof. George
Andreopoulos, and workshop participants meet with President Jeremy Travis for
a reception on December 14.
Symposium on Guantanamo Bay
The symposium will focus on the legal issues stemming
from the detention of individuals by the United States government in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Guantanamo detainees have had a considerable impact
on American and international jurisprudence. They have sparked a debate in
the wider legal community about the fairness and legality of their detention
and treatment: Do they have a right to seek relief from American courts? If
so, can such a right be affected by Congress? Do they have any status under
international humanitarian law, and if so, what? Should they have protections
against torture and coercion? Should they be tried, and, if so, for what
crimes, and under what procedures? If tried, would they then have a right to
appeal and, if so, to whom? Should they be released and, if so, when? Will
they be tortured by their governments when they are released? What are the
powers and proper roles of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches
of the United States government in dealing with the detainees? What is the
legal status of detainees being held at locations other than Guantanamo Bay
during the "War on Terror?"
The symposium brings together scholars, practitioners, and students of
diverse legal backgrounds and interests to address these issues and
participate in the symposium. The symposium touches upon a variety of fields
including, but not limited to, constitutional law, criminal procedure and
criminal law, international humanitarian and human rights law, and military
law. The symposium will also host a "Litigation in Progress" panel,
which will allow scholars and practitioners to briefly introduce their
current Guantanamo caseload and receive valuable feedback, discussion, and
advice from the symposium audience.
The New York City Law Review will dedicate Volume 10, Issue 2 entirely to
issues covered at the symposium and publish various articles on
Guantanamo-related issues.
The symposium is organized by the New York City Law Review at the City
University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, and sponsored by the Center for
International Human Rights (CUNY-John Jay College of Criminal Justice), and
the Center for Constitutional Rights. The symposium will also commemorate the
Center for Constitutional Rights' 40th year anniversary and honor the
organization's leading role in protecting and promoting constitutional and
human rights. The symposium is free to the public and offers Continuing Legal
Education credits (7) for $25. For registration and information, please visit
www.nyclawreview.org
A Symposium on Guantanamo Bay:
March 23, 2007
(Conference
Program)
(To Register for the Conference)
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Laws
of War Lecture Series: March 15th
"Killing with Distinction: On Categorizing Victims and Targets in the
Laws of War." The Center for International Human Rights in collaboration
with the Office for the Advancement of Research and the Ph.D. Program in
Criminal Justice at John Jay College invites the public to a lecture by DR.
RENÉ PROVOST ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, FACULTY OF LAW and DIRECTOR of the CENTRE
FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND LEGAL PLURALISM at McGILL UNIVERSITY. The lecture will
be held on the John Jay campus in room 630T, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. A
reception will follow the lecture. For further information regarding this event,
contact M. Victoria Pérez-Ríos mvprios@jjay.cuny.edu
Human Rights Seminar Series
FALL 2007
Place: Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), 365
Fifth Ave.
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Room: 9206
Speakers:
“Discrimination? That's So Gay.”
Marty Rouse, National Field Director, Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
"Lobbying Legislatures for Social Reform: The Case of Same-Sex
Marriage in New York State."
Daniel R. Pinello, Prof. of Government, John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Room: 9205
Speakers:
“The Death Penalty in the United States: Why Capital Punishment Should
Be Abolished.”
Steve Nave, State/Regional Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator and National
Steering Committee Vice-Chairperson, Amnesty International.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Room: 9204
Speakers:
“Right to Health Advocacy: Comparative and Critical Perspectives from
the Ground.”
Jeremy Perelman, Skirball Fellow, Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School.
SPRING 2007
Place: Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), 365
Fifth Ave.
Room: DSC Lounge, Room 5414
Time: 5:00 - 6:30 pm
March 12, 2007
“How
Exceptional is New York as an Immigrant City?”
Speakers:
Nancy Foner; Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Hunter College and
the Graduate Center of CUNY
For more information contact paulettes@aol.com. Refreshments
Served and friends are welcome!
FALL 2006
Place: Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), 365
Fifth Ave.
Room: DSC Lounge, Room 5414
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm
October 11, 2006 (6:00-8:00 pm)
“Outsiders, Insiders, and Outsiders Within; Feminist Strategies for
Global Transformation.”
Speakers:
Mary Hawkesworth; Rutgers University, Prof. of Political Science and
Women’s and Gender Studies;
Commentator: Joyce Gelb, Prof. of Political Science, City College and
Graduate Center
November 8, 2006
"Trafficking and Slavery in the 21st Century"
Donna M. Hughes; University of Rhode Island, Prof. Eleanor M. and Oscar
M. Carlson Endowed Chair, Women’s Studies Program;
December 13, 2006
“Palestinian Women and the Hundred Year Struggle for Personal and
National Rights.”
Nadia Hijab; Senior Fellow, Institute for Palestine Studies
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The Center for International Human
Rights Workshop
The Center for International Human Rights recently
sponsored a workshop of human rights experts on the newly created United
Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The workshop took place at John Jay
College on June 12, 2006 and addressed issues relating to the potential, as
well as to the opportunities and the challenges facing this new institution.
The workshop was organized under the direction of Professors George
Andreopoulos of John Jay College , Zehra Arat of SUNY Purchase, and Julie
Mertus of American University. The participants drafted a statement which was
sent to the UNHCR, currently holding its first meeting in Geneva . In
addition, the statement was distributed among UN agencies and professional
associations. To view the statement, click
here
.
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Conference on Human Rights
Thinking and acting
in an emergency: the role of human rights after 9/11
October 27 -28,
2006
Conference
Brochure
Sponsored by:
Center for International Human Rights, John Jay College of Criminal Justice,
City University of New York; College of Continuing Studies, University of
Connecticut; Human Rights Review.
Several critical issues will be raised during this conference, including the
need to address the nature of the human rights discourse, and the importance
of moving beyond identifying the problems posed by 9/11 and its aftermath.
Concerning the first issue, the post-9/11 context has rendered more acute the
ambiguities inherent in the concepts invoked by the language of human rights;
as a result, we have often witnessed contradictory actions taken and
decisions made by those involved in human rights, actions which have been
considered, at one time or another, to be justified or justifiable. The now
familiar, and increasingly frequent condemnation of the human rights
framework as a tool of Western moral and cultural imperialism make a return
to these foundational questions mandatory. Concerning the second issue, our
discussions will not be confined to the nature and extent of normative
erosion resulting from the ongoing “war on terror.” Instead the conference,
by examining domestic and international responses, including the responses of
international institutions, will explore ways in which this trend can be
reversed. In this context, the role of civil society, and in particular the
contribution of social movements, professional associations, religious and
spiritual organizations, academe and public benefit non-governmental organizations
is deemed critical in this effort.
Panel I
Thinking in an emergency: the language of human rights
This panel will concern itself with the foundational concepts necessary for
the global realization of coexistent freedom and the normative basis needed
for engaging in meaningful discourse on terrorism. What must human rights be
to be able to support thinking that resolves rather than complicates or
aggravates the current crisis?
Panel II
Fighting a perpetual war: measures, responses, lessons
This panel will examine some of the key legislative and administrative
measures adopted in the United States and in other countries as part of the
ongoing “war on terror;” analyze and assess supportive and critical responses
to these measures; and set both measures and responses within a wider
historical context by comparing and contrasting the current situation with
previous periods of national emergency.
Panel III
Responding to the challenges: what can/should international institutions do?
This panel will analyze and assess the range of measures that international
and regional organizations have undertaken in response to the global “war on
terror.” In particular it will critically examine initiatives in the United
Nations System (like the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, the 1267
Sanctions Committee), the Organization of American States (Inter-American
Convention Against Terrorism, the Inter-American Committee Against
Terrorism), the African Union, the European Union, and the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations.
Panel IV
Fighting back: the role of civil society
This panel will examine the potential role of civil society in the
development of strategies for defending the relevant human rights and
humanitarian standards, and expanding the political space within which
alternative visions of global order can be sustained.
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CUNY Graduate Center's Human Rights
Seminar Series
The Center for International Human Rights is co-sponsoring the CUNY Graduate
Center's Human Rights Seminar Series. This program is also a collaborative
effort by the PhD/MA Program in Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center
and the Global Studies Collective/Network. The co-chairs of the Seminar
Series are Professor George Andreopoulos (John Jay College of Criminal
Justice and the Graduate Center) and Professor John Wallach (Hunter College
and the Graduate Center. Please contact the administrative coordinator
Paulette Weiss, PauletteS@aol.com for more
information.
Columbia University Seminar on Human
Rights
The University Seminar on Human Rights was founded upon the initiative of the
Center for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia
University. The Seminar is chaired by George Andreopoulos, John Jay College
of Criminal Justice, and Director of the Center for International Human
Rights; and Peter Juviler, Professor, Barnard College, Columbia University,
co-Director of the Center for the Study of Human Rights; and Zehra Arat, SUNY
Purchase.
To sign up for the email list-serve and to receive information about this
seminar, please email kkhelil@gmail.com.
October Conference:
Human Rights after 9/11
UN Reform and Human
Rights
International
Tribunals Update
US State Department Human Rights
Report 2005
Amnesty International Report: Beyond
Abu Ghraib
Archived
News
January
2006
April, 2005
March, 2005
February, 2005
JANUARY, 2006
Intricate Mix of Clans in Somali War
(LAtimes 01/03/07)
Fatah & Hamas Renew Fighting (BBC
01/03/07)
French Confront Worsening Homelessness (BBC
01/03/07)
Iraq Investigates Saddam Execution Video
(BBC 01/03/07)
UN Chief Takes Ambiguous Stance on Death
Penalty (Aljazeera 01/03/07)
India Probes Handling of Rape, Killings (AP
01/03/07)
'16 dead' in Venezuela prison riot
(Aljazeera 01/03/07)
FBI details Guantanamo 'techniques'
(Aljazeera 01/03/07)
Iraq Sets Toll of Civilians at 12,000 for
2006(NYtimes 01/02/07)
Hamas & Israel May Soon Swap Prisoners
(Haaretz 01/01/07)
African Children Face Bleak Future (NYtimes
01/01/07)
Saddam: The death of a dictator (Salon
12/30/06)
APRIL, 2005
Serb
war suspect flies to Hague,
BBC News, (April 25, 2005)
Croatia asks Israel to extradite suspected
supporter of war crimes fugitive,
EU Business, (April 23, 2005)
War crimes apology is welcomed by China, The Times Online,
UK (April 23, 2005)
What due process?, Al-Ahram, Egypt
(April 21, 2005)
Iraq: Leaders Split Over Saddam's Future, Radio Free Europe
(April 20, 2005)
Argentine convicted of 'dirty war' crimes, The Guardian
(April 19, 2005)
Atrocity victims in Uganda Choose to
Forgive,
New York Times (April 18, 2005)
Once
there were killing fields,
International Herald Tribune (April 16, 2005)
'Killing fields' survivors still wait for
justice,
The New Zealand Herald (April 16, 2005)
The price of justice, Telepolis,
Germany (April 16, 2005)
'Scandal' of war crimes suspects, BBC News (April
14, 2005)
B-H
War Crimes Court Inaugurated,
The Bosnian Institute (ICTY Press Release), (April 14, 2005)
Balkan
federation to start talks with EU, International Herald Tribune (April 13,
2005)
Cambodia privatizes "Killing
Fields" genocide site,
Reuters AlertNet, (April 4, 2005)
President rejects outside trials for
Sudanese,
Sudan Tribune, (April 3, 2005)
For
Cambodia's dead, farce heaped on insult, International Herald Tribune, (April 2,
2005)
'Drag Taylor to the Court', AllAfrica.com,
(April 1, 2005)
Serb ex-police chief surrenders, BBC News, (April
1, 2005)
UN Passes Sudan War Crimes Resolution, The Guardian,
(April, 1, 2005)
back
back
MARCH, 2005
ICC probes Colombia on war crimes, BBC News, (March
31, 2005)
Cambodia steps closer to justice, Asia Times
Online, (March 31, 2005)
France sees vote on Sudan war crimes
court at UN Thursday,
Sudan Tribune, (March 31, 2005)
OSCE Urges BiH Courts to Enhance
Capacity for War Crimes Trials , Southeast European Times, (March
31, 2005)
UN war crimes tribunal grants
Bosnian Serb early release,
UN News Centre, (March 31, 2005)
Justice
yet to be done - an investigation, The Bosnian Institute , (March 30, 2005)
Dutch man arrested for war crimes, All Africa.com,
(March 25, 2005)
Russians accused of sheltering war
crimes suspects
, Guardian Unlimited, (March 15, 2005)
UN war crimes tribunal for former
Yugoslavia hands down final indictment , UN News Centre,
(March 15, 2005)
ICC
offers Darfur hope,
The Washington Times (March 15, 2005)
Ex-Khmer Rouge leaders face new
charges,
ABC News, Australia (March 11, 2005)
Kosovo's Ex-PM Gets 37 War Crimes
Charges,
Guardian Unlimited, (March 10, 2005)
Indonesia,
Timor set up atrocities commission , Australian Financial Review,
(March 9, 2005)
Serb General Perisic Pleads Not Guilty at
Hague,
Reuters, (March 9, 2005)
Doubts thrown on Croatia EU talks, BBC News, (March
9, 2005)
African Union still actively seeking
to punish culprits in Darfur: Obasanjo, Relief Web,
(March 8, 2005)
Bosnia's war crimes court to start
work,
Hindustan Times, (March 7, 2005)
Sierra Leone war crimes trial starts, BBC News, (March
7, 2005)
Sharon is a war criminal says
Livingstone,
The Guardian, (March 4, 2005)
ICTY: General Rasim Delic Pleads Not
Guilty,
FENA, Bosnia & Herzegovina (March 3, 2005)
Former Liberian President Taylor
Still a Threat,
Voice of America, (March 3, 2005)
Hungary
wants Australia war crimes suspect arrested, Reuters, (March
3, 2005)
FEBRUARY, 2005
Commentary: The war on law itself , Al-Ahram, Egypt
(February 24, 2005)
War crimes tribunal closes in on
Mladic as aide surrenders,
The Independent, (February 25, 2005)
Nazi Hunters to Take On Other War
Crimes Cases,
Washington Post, (February 24, 2005)
UN Court Hands Over Genocide Cases
To Rwanda,
Allafrica.com, (February 23, 2005)
Prisoners again raise voices over
potential transfer to Rwanda,
BBC News, (February 23, 2005)
Bosnian
Muslims, Serbs divided over war crimes charges, Tribune de
Geneve, (February 23, 2005)
Liberian
ex-rebel leader wants general amnesty , Reuters, South
Africa (February 22, 2005)
Justice
for Timor war criminals?,
BBC News, (February 18, 2005)
UN
war crimes prosecutor blasts Croatia over fugitive general, EUbusiness,
(February 16, 2005)
Rumsfeld safe from German inquiry, BBC News,
(February 16, 2005)
War Crimes Court Needed Say African
Students in US,
AllAfrica.com News, (February 10, 2005)
Where will the Vukovar trials be
held?
, B92 News, Serbia (February 10, 2005)
Trials for members of Saddam's
regime to begin,
Boston Globe, (February 9, 2005)
BiH War Crimes Chamber to Take Cases
This Month
, Southeast European Times, (February 8, 2005)
Timor Bishop opposes war crimes deal, AsiaNews.it
(February 7, 2005)
Serb General Pleads Not Guilty For
Kosovo Exodus
, Reuters, (February 7, 2005)
Sudan Won't Extradite War Crimes
Suspects
, The Guardian, (February 6, 2005)
Human Rights Action Launches
Statement on the Abuse of Captives in US Custody (June 23, 2004)
Conference on Human Rights
Thinking and acting
in an emergency: the role of human rights after 9/11
October 27 -28,
2006
Conference
Brochure
Sponsored by: Center for International
Human Rights, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New
York; College of Continuing Studies, University of Connecticut; Human Rights
Review.
Several critical issues will be raised during this conference, including the
need to address the nature of the human rights discourse, and the importance
of moving beyond identifying the problems posed by 9/11 and its aftermath.
Concerning the first issue, the post-9/11 context has rendered more acute the
ambiguities inherent in the concepts invoked by the language of human rights;
as a result, we have often witnessed contradictory actions taken and
decisions made by those involved in human rights, actions which have been
considered, at one time or another, to be justified or justifiable. The now
familiar, and increasingly frequent condemnation of the human rights
framework as a tool of Western moral and cultural imperialism make a return
to these foundational questions mandatory. Concerning the second issue, our
discussions will not be confined to the nature and extent of normative
erosion resulting from the ongoing “war on terror.” Instead the conference,
by examining domestic and international responses, including the responses of
international institutions, will explore ways in which this trend can be
reversed. In this context, the role of civil society, and in particular the
contribution of social movements, professional associations, religious and
spiritual organizations, academe and public benefit non-governmental
organizations is deemed critical in this effort.
Panel I
Thinking in an emergency: the language of human rights
This panel will concern itself with the foundational concepts necessary for
the global realization of coexistent freedom and the normative basis needed
for engaging in meaningful discourse on terrorism. What must human rights be
to be able to support thinking that resolves rather than complicates or
aggravates the current crisis?
Panel II
Fighting a perpetual war: measures, responses, lessons
This panel will examine some of the key legislative and administrative
measures adopted in the United States and in other countries as part of the
ongoing “war on terror;” analyze and assess supportive and critical responses
to these measures; and set both measures and responses within a wider
historical context by comparing and contrasting the current situation with
previous periods of national emergency.
Panel III
Responding to the challenges: what can/should international institutions do?
This panel will analyze and assess the range of measures that international
and regional organizations have undertaken in response to the global “war on
terror.” In particular it will critically examine initiatives in the United
Nations System (like the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, the 1267
Sanctions Committee), the Organization of American States (Inter-American
Convention Against Terrorism, the Inter-American Committee Against
Terrorism), the African Union, the European Union, and the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations.
Panel IV
Fighting back: the role of civil society
This panel will examine the potential role of civil society in the
development of strategies for defending the relevant human rights and
humanitarian standards, and expanding the political space within which
alternative visions of global order can be sustained.
back
UN Reform And Human Rights
This webpage contains links of interest, important
documents and papers, including relevant sources for obtaining research
pertinent to United Nations Reform and Human Rigths. The news section which
will be updated periodically, contains the latest developments on
international tribunals.
Links of Interest
The ICISS "Responsibility to
Protect" Report
UN Universal Declaration of Human
Rights
UN
Commission on Human Rights
International Human Rights
Instruments
UN Human Rights Agreementshe Special
Panel for Serious Crimes of the Dili District Court
For the Record: The UN Human Rights
System
The University of Minnesota Human
Rights Library
The New York Times: Q&A about UN
Human Rights Reform
back
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