IRISH CENTRE FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS
Promoting human rights through teaching,
research and advocacy
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
War Children by John Reynolds
2
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Contents
Message from the Director of the Centre
4
Profiles6
Structure and Personnel
10
Teaching Programmes
22
Research and Publications
31
Conferences36
Seminars, Lecture Series and Special Events
45
Projects47
Teaching, Advocacy and Other Professional Activities
50
Acknowledgements51
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Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Message from the Interim Director
“The Irish Centre for Human Rights is now in a period of transition and
it is currently in the process of recruiting a new Director. This change
represents an exciting opportunity and we look forward to the involvement
of the prospective Director in the next chapter of the Centre’s history.”
The Irish Centre for Human Rights has
recently welcomed the arrival of three new
faculty members and a new project manager
on the EU China Human Rights Project.
After over ten years as Director of the Centre,
Professor Schabas has stepped down from this
position, but remains affiliated to the Centre
in the role of Honorary Chairman and parttime Professor.
The Centre’s teaching programmes continue
to flourish with the various Masters degree
programmes attracting a high standard of
applicants from diverse backgrounds. The
undergraduate BA Connect in Human Rights
is now an established option in the Bachelor of
Arts courses available at National University
of Ireland, Galway. The PhD programme has
recently witnessed the graduation of a number
of candidates and the arrival of several new
candidates. The majority of doctoral theses
from the Centre continue to be published by
leading international publishers.
4
The Centre has maintained its role in
research and advocacy. Staff, students and
our very valued alumni are involved at
various levels in national and international
organizations, as well as participating in local
and global events. Annual summer schools,
regular conferences and seminars, and
visiting international experts have added to
the dynamic and stimulating atmosphere of
the Centre. The Centre has been responsible
for the publication of a number of significant
monographs and edited volumes with
prestigious international publishers and an
impressive list of journal publications.
As part of the broader mission of National
University of Ireland, Galway and the
School of Law, education and teaching
remain central to the role of the Centre. The
new members of teaching staff include Dr.
Ekaterina Yahyaoui Krivenko, Dr. Noelle
Higgins, Dr. Karen da Costa and Dr. Annyssa
Bellal. Dr. Yahyaoui Krivenko is a former
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Professor Ray Murphy
Interim Director, Irish Centre for Human Rights
member of the Law Faculty at the University
of Montreal and an associate researcher at
the Hans and Tamara Oppenheimer Chair in
International Law at McGill University. Dr.
Noelle Higgins was MA programme Director
in the School of Law and Government,
Dublin City University. Her doctoral research
focused on wars of national liberation,
international humanitarian law and the right
to self-determination. She also has a particular
interest in language rights and international
criminal law. Dr. Karen da Costa, originally
from Brazil, is an expert in the extraterritorial
application of human rights treaties, and is
concurrently Honorary Research Fellow at
the Department of Social Sciences of the
University of Roehampton. Dr. Annyssa Bellal,
from the Graduate Institute of International
and Development Studies in Geneva, joined
the teaching faculty of the Centre for 2012.
Emily Brennan took up the position of
Project Manager with the EU – China Human
Rights Project. Emily received her JD from
the University District of Columbia (US),
studied EU policy systems at the University
College Dublin Summer Institute in European
& International Law (Ireland, Belgium), and
received her LLM in International Human
Rights Law from the National University of
Ireland, Galway (Ireland).
Our best wishes and special thanks go to longterm members of the Centre that have moved
to new pastures – especially Professor Vinodh
Jaichand, Dr. Noam Lubell and Nancie
Prud’homme.
The success of the Centre is attributable to the
leadership of Professor William A. Schabas
and the commitment to academic excellence
in teaching and research combined with the
promotion of human right principles among
its staff and student body. The Centre is now
in a period of transition and it is currently in
the process of recruiting a new Director. This
change represents an exciting opportunity
and we look forward to the involvement of the
prospective Director in the next chapter of the
Centre’s history.
Professor Ray Murphy
Interim Director
5
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Profiles
Since its foundation twelve years ago, the
Irish Centre for Human Rights has attracted
excellent students and visiting scholars who
are truly committed to the philosophy and
practise of human rights law. The Centre’s
staff and research community come from
a range of diverse cultural, educational and
experiential backgrounds.
The Irish Centre for Human Rights is proud
that many of its alumni have gone on to pursue
successful careers in human rights, with
their achievements at the forefront of human
rights scholarship, international criminal law,
international humanitarian law and minority
rights protections. The excellence of the
Centre’s teaching faculty, the stimulating
research environment, the conviviality and
sense of shared pursuit, quietly but surely
encourages a high level of achievement. The
following three profiles: two Bank of Ireland
Fellows and an LLM/PhD programme
graduate, offer an example of our alumni’s
accomplishments.
ACADEMIC STAFF
Dr. Michelle Farrell
Dr. Michelle Farrell
Michelle Farrell holds a PhD in Law and an
LLM in International Human Rights Law
from the National University of Ireland,
Galway, and a BA in European Studies from
Trinity College Dublin. In 2010, Dr. Michelle
Farrell was awarded the National University
of Ireland EJ Phelan Postgraduate Fellowship
in International Law. This fellowship is given
out every two years to NUI graduates who
are pursuing post-graduate work in the field
of international law. For the duration of the
fellowship, Michelle was based here at the
Centre. Following the completion of the
fellowship, she took up a contract position
at the Irish Centre for Human Rights and
delivered an LLM module on Human
Rights and Counterterrorism. Michelle
also contributed to the Introduction to
International Human Rights Law module.
During her fellowship, Michelle secured a
contract for her monograph, The Prohibition
of Torture in Exceptional Circumstances, which
will be published with Cambridge University
Press in 2013. She also conducted research
on states of exception. Michelle’s other
publications include “Ensuring compliance
with decisions by international and regional
human rights bodies: the case of the European
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Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Profiles
Committee for the Prevention of Torture”,
in De Feyter, Koen et al., The Local Relevance
of Human Rights (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2011); “Ireland and the
Declaration against Torture: Principles and
Politics” (4-5) Irish Yearbook of International
law 155 (2009-2010). Currently Michelle
is a Lecturer in Law at the School of Law
and Social Justice, University of Liverpool,
where she teaches Public Law, Law and Social
Justice, Law in Literature and Film, and Legal
Research Methods. The Centre is extremely
proud of Michelle’s achievements and we wish
her continued success in her future career.
Dr. Daniel R. Mekonnen
Dr. Daniel R. Mekonnen
Dr. Mekonnen was a Bank of Ireland Fellow
at the Irish Centre for Human Rights from
1 November 2010 up to 31 January 2012.
Born in Eritrea, he had his citizenship revoked
when the Eritrean government refused to
renew his passport. Daniel obtained his LLM
from the University of Stellenbosch (2003)
and his LLD from the University of the Free
State, South Africa. Before coming to the
Centre, Daniel was a senior visiting researcher
at Tilberg University, a post-doctoral fellow
at Gent University, a visiting researcher at
the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law,
and for several years he was a programme
coordinator at the University of the Free State.
Additionally, in his home country Eritrea,
Daniel served as a provincial court judge.
During his stay at the Centre, Daniel taught
a course on International Security Law
(LAW417). This was a new module based on
a programme he had previously developed. He
also completed a research project analysing
the role of UN Security Council Resolution
1907 (2009) in promoting regional peace
and security in the Horn of Africa. This led
to the development of a full academic paper
entitled “UN Security Council Resolution
1907: Any Relevance to International
Criminal Law?” The paper was first presented
at a traditional lunchtime seminar in the
Centre in September 2011. Currently, it is
under consideration for publication with a
peer-reviewed journal. During his time at the
Centre, Daniel presented (and co-presented)
a total of nine academic papers at different
international conferences. Some of these
works are already in the process of publication
as chapters in edited volumes or journal
articles. In December 2010, Daniel gave
expert legal testimony at the International
Dispute Resolution Centre, London. This was
a follow-up to a series of legal opinions Daniel
wrote for Linklaters LLP, one of the top five
law firms in the UK. His opinion and expert
legal testimony was instrumental in securing
an arbitral award of more than USD 85 million
against the Eritrean Government, awarded by
the ICC International Court of Arbitration
(Case No. 17002-MLK-ARP, dated 17th
May 2011). The litigation was between the
Independent Petroleum Group of Kuwait
(represented by Linklaters LLP) and the
Eritrean Government.
At present, Daniel is an Alexander von
Humboldt Foundation Research Fellow
based at the Felsberg Institute for Education
& Academic Research (FIBW) in Germany,
and is involved in a research project analyzing
the failure of the UN peacekeeping mission
in Eritrea and Ethiopia. We wish him the
very best in his bright career and for all his
academic projects.
Dr. Tariq Mukhimer
Dr. Tariq Mukhimer
Dr. Mukhimer has been working for over
five years as a Human Rights Officer with
the UN Office of High Commissioner for
Human Rights. Previously, in the period from
1998 to 2002, he worked as a researcher in
the democratic transformation unit at the
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, and was
an observer of human rights developments
under the Fatah authority during that period.
In 2005, he published his PhD thesis on
“State Building Process: the Case of Palestine”
covering the period from 1994, when the
Palestinian Authority was set up, to 2004,
when the late President Yasser Arafat died.
Tariq is very experienced in human rights
investigation and reporting. He worked with
the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza
Conflict led by Judge Richard Goldstone in
2009, and with the International Commission
of Inquiry on Libya led by Mr. Cherif
Bassiouni in 2011. His main research areas
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Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Profile
are non-state actors and international human
rights law.
In 2011, the Irish Centre for Human Rights,
in conjunction with the Bank of Ireland,
offered a one-year fellowship to Dr. Mukhimer
and in September of the same year he
joined the Centre on a career-break from
the UN Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights. In February-March
2012, Dr. Mukhimer delivered a series of
seminars on “The Palestinian Question: In
search of a State”. The course engaged issues
related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and
the Palestinian search for a state since the
beginning of the 20th century. Dr. Mukhimer
concluded his stay authoring a book on
“Hamas Rule in Gaza: Human Rights Under
Constraint”. This book is considered to be the
first comprehensive analysis of the human
rights dimension of Hamas rule in Gaza.
It evaluates Hamas governance from the
perspective of international human rights
standards, developing a normative framework
for evaluating non-state actors according to
human rights standards in the absence of
formally binding obligations, by reference
to their degree of influence over the public
8
sphere. Drawing on reports and resolutions
from the United Nations and local and
international human rights organizations,
the author considers four years of Hamas’
uncontested control of the Gaza Strip and
suggests a normative framework for evaluating
Hamas’ conduct according to international
human rights standards in the absence of more
formally binding obligations. The book will be
published by Macmillan in December 2012.
In July 2012, Dr. Mukhimer returned to Gaza
where he reassumed his function as human
rights officer with the UN. We wish Dr.
Mukhimer the very best in his endeavours.
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
9
Structure and Personnel
ACADEMIC STAFF
Professor Ray Murphy
Professor Ray Murphy
Professor Ray Murphy is a Professor at the
Irish Centre for Human Rights, National
University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. He
completed his BA in Political Science and
Legal Science in 1979, and was awarded a
Bachelor in Law (LLB) degree in 1981. He
studied at the Kings Inns in Dublin where
he completed a BL degree and was called
to the Irish bar in 1984. He completed a
Masters degree in International Law (MLitt)
at Trinity College Dublin in 1991. In 2001
he completed his PhD in International Law
at the University of Nottingham, England. In
addition to his position at the Irish Centre
for Human Rights, Professor Murphy is
on the faculty of the International Institute
for Criminal Investigations, Justice Rapid
Response/No Peace Without Justice and the
International Institute of Humanitarian Law
at San Remo, Italy. He also conducts training
on behalf of the International Committee of
the Red Cross and the Pearson Peacekeeping
Center, Canada. He is a member and vice
chair of the Executive Committee of Amnesty
International (Ireland). Professor Murphy
was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in 2006
and worked with Human Rights Watch in
New York as a resident scholar. In 2007 he was
awarded the National University of Ireland,
Galway President’s Award for Teaching
Excellence, and in 2008 he received the
National Award for Excellence in Teaching by
the National Academy for the Integration of
Research & Teaching & Learning (NAIRTL).
Professor Murphy is a former Captain in the
Irish Defence Forces and served as an infantry
officer with the Irish contingent of UNIFIL
in Lebanon in 1981/82 and again in 1989.
He practiced as a barrister for a short period
before taking up his current appointment
at National University of Ireland, Galway.
He was Chairperson of the Broadcasting
Complaints Commission from 1997 to 2000.
He has field experience with the Organisation
for Security and Cooperation in Europe in
Bosnia in 1996 and 1997. He has also worked
on short assignments in west and southern
Africa and in the Middle East for Amnesty
International, the European Union and
the Irish Government. Professor Murphy
currently lectures in International Peace
Operations, International Humanitarian Law
and Criminal Law. He has published widely in
these fields.
Professor William A. Schabas
Professor William A. Schabas
Professor William A. Schabas is the Chairman
of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at
the National University of Ireland, Galway.
He is also an Associate Professor at the
University of Middlesex in London and a
Profesesseur associé at the Université du
Québec à Montréal. He is a “door tenant” at
the chambers of 9 Bedford Row, London.
Professor Schabas holds BA and MA degrees
in history from the University of Toronto
and LLB, LLM and LLD degrees from the
University of Montreal, as well as honorary
doctorates in law from Dalhousie University
and Case Western Reserve University.
Professor Schabas is the author of twentyone books dealing in whole or in part with
international human rights law, including The
International Criminal Court: A Commentary on
the Rome Statute (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2010), Introduction to the International
Criminal Court (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2011, 4th ed.), Genocide in
International Law (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2009, 2nd ed.), The Abolition
of the Death Penalty in International Law
(Cambridge, Cambridge University Press,
2003, 3rd ed.), International Human Rights
and Canadian Law (Toronto, Carswell, 2007,
3rd ed.), The Death Penalty as Cruel Treatment
and Torture (Boston, Northeastern University
Press, 1996) and Précis du Droit International
des Droits de la Personne (Montréal, Éditions
Yvon Blais, 1997). He has also published
some 300 articles in academic journals,
principally in the field of international
human rights law and international criminal
law. His writings have been translated
into several languages, including Russian,
German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese,
Japanese, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Nepali
and Albanian. Professor Schabas is editor-inchief of Criminal Law Forum, the quarterly
journal of the International Society for the
Reform of Criminal Law. He is Chairman
of Board of Trustees of the UN Voluntary
Fund for Technical Assistance in the Field of
Human Rights, President of the International
Association of Genocide Scholars, President
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Structure and Personnel
of the Irish Branch of the International Law
Association and Chair of the International
Institute for Criminal Investigation. In 2009,
he was elected President of the International
Association of Genocide Scholars. Professor
Schabas is an Officer of the Order of Canada
and a Member of the Royal Irish Academy.
Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh
Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh
Kathleen Cavanaugh is currently a Lecturer
of International Law in the Faculty of Law,
Irish Centre for Human Rights, National
University of Ireland, Galway. She holds
a PhD in Comparative Politics from the
London School of Economics & Political
Science (1997) and a LLM (Distinction)
from the Queen’s University of Belfast,
Northern Ireland (1998). She has held several
Visiting Lectureships including: Fellow,
Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University
of Oxford (2006-7), the EIUC Centro
Interuniversitario Europeo per i Diritti Umani
e la Democratizzazione (2002-to date) and
the University of Notre Dame (Indiana USA,
2012). She is currently Graduate Studies
Director, and, since 2002, has been the
director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights
internship programme.
Her publications and current research agenda,
academic interests and specialisation include:
the study of nationalism, ethnic conflict,
political violence, applicable human rights
laws in entrenched/states of emergency,
freedom of religion and militant democracy.
Her forthcoming publication (co-authored
with Joshua Castellino), entitled Minority
Rights in the Middle East, is with Oxford
University Press (forthcoming 2013) and
will engage in case studies from Iran, Iraq,
Syria and Lebanon. She has recently been
awarded a Millennium Fund Grant to
undertake field work on her current research
focus, militant democracy. The project will
legally audit pre-emptive security measures
in the United Kingdom and their effect on
the Muslim community. With regard to
community service and activities outside
the University, she is currently a member
of the Board of Directors for Amnesty
International (USA) and, has served as Chair
of the Executive Committee of Amnesty
International (Ireland) and was a member
of the International Policy Committee of
Amnesty International. As a consultant,
she has undertaken numerous missions on
behalf of Amnesty International including
to Northern Ireland, Israel/Palestine and
Iraq (where she focused on the conduct
of the occupying powers with relation to
detention and security). She has conducted
trainings for governmental as well as nongovernmental organisations throughout the
Middle East (Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco,
Syria, Israel/Occupied Territories, Lebanon,
Iran and Sudan), India, and the Republic of
Ireland.
Dr. Shane Darcy
Dr. Shane Darcy
Shane Darcy is a Lecturer at the Irish Centre
for Human Rights at the National University
of Ireland, Galway and Director of the
Centre’s PhD programme. He holds a BA
in Law and Accounting from the University
of Limerick and completed his PhD in
2005 at the Irish Centre for Human Rights,
National University of Ireland, Galway, from
where he also holds an LLM in international
human rights law. Shane’s main teaching
and research interests lie in the fields of
international humanitarian law, international
criminal law, business and human rights and
transitional justice. He has published widely
in these areas, including the book Collective
Responsibility and Accountability under
International Law (Transnational, 2007) and
the edited collection Judicial Creativity at the
International Criminal Tribunals (Oxford,
2010, w/Joseph Powderly). He is a member of
the Editorial Board of Criminal Law Forum,
the journal of the International Society for
the Reform of Criminal Law. In 2007, he was
awarded the Eda Sagarra Medal for excellence
in the Humanities and Social Sciences by the
Irish Research Council for the Humanities
and Social Sciences, and in 2010 the Journal of
International Criminal Justice Prize.
11
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Structure and Personnel
in international law from the Graduate
Institute of International Studies (Geneva).
Her research interests are: human rights, with
a particular emphasis on the international
protection of women’s rights, the relationship
between Islam and human rights protection,
international refugee and migration law,
comparative law and legal cultures, feminist
analyses of law, and law and the humanities.
12
Dr. Annyssa Bellal
Dr. Ekaterina Yahyaoui Krivenko
Dr. Annyssa Bellal
Dr. Annyssa Bellal is a Lecturer of
International Humanitarian Law and
International Criminal Law at the Irish Centre
for Human Rights, National University of
Ireland, Galway. She holds a PhD in public
international law from the Graduate Institute
of International and Development Studies,
Geneva, and an LLM in Philosophy of Law
and History of Human Rights from the
University of Lyon and Grenoble (France).
Prior to joining the academic staff of the
Centre, Dr. Bellal was a research fellow
at the Geneva Academy of International
Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and
a Hauser Global Law School visiting scholar
at New York University. Dr. Bellal also
acted as a legal adviser for the International
Committee of the Red Cross and for the
Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs within
the Directorate of Public International Law.
Her teaching interests are in the field of
international criminal law and international
humanitarian law. Dr. Bellal is engaged in
research projects related to the negotiation
of a future arms trade treaty, immunities and
international crimes and the international law
obligations of armed non-state actors.
Dr. Ekaterina Yahyaoui Krivenko
Dr. Ekaterina Yahyaoui Krivenko is a Lecturer
at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, School
of Law, National University of Ireland,
Galway, where she teaches International
Human Rights Law, Public International
Law and Women’s Rights. She is also an
Associate Researcher at the Hans and Tamara
Oppenheimer Chair in International Law
at McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Previously, Dr. Yahyaoui Krivenko taught
public international law, women’s rights,
international refugee and migration law, and
human rights and Islam at the Faculty of
Law, University of Montreal. She was also
a post-doctoral researcher at the Centre for
International Studies and Research and the
Canada Chair in International Migration Law
(CERIUM) of the University of Montreal.
Before joining CERIUM she worked, among
other things, as a legal advisor for a project at
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Dr.
Yahyaoui Krivenko is a member of the Quebec
Bar and holds a BA from Geneva University
(Switzerland), an LLM from the University
Albert-Ludwigs (Freiburg i.Br., Germany),
a DES in international relations and a PhD
Dr. Noelle Higgins
Dr. Noelle Higgins
Dr. Noelle Higgins is a Lecturer at the
Irish Centre for Human Rights, National
University of Ireland, Galway. Dr. Higgins
teaches Human Rights on the BA Connect
programme and on the LLM programme. She
also teaches Minority Rights and Procedure
at the International Criminal Court. Dr.
Higgins holds Masters degrees in both Law
and Irish and a Higher Diploma in Education.
She undertook her PhD research on the topic
of wars of national liberation at National
University of Ireland, Galway. Prior to joining
the Irish Centre for Human Rights, she held
a lecturing position in the School of Law and
Government, Dublin City University, where
she lectured on international law and was the
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Structure and Personnel
Director of MA programmes. Dr. Higgins
was a visiting fellow at the British Institute of
International and Comparative Law during
the academic year 2009–10 and a member
of the Department of Foreign Affairs/NonGovernmental Human Rights Committee
2010-2012.
National University of Ireland, Galway and an
Honorary Research Fellow at the Department
of Social Sciences of the University of
Roehampton (London). Her previous work
experience include positions as Visiting
Lecturer at the University of Roehampton,
Legal Consultant for the International
Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies, Human Rights Officer at the United
Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire, and Legal
Officer at the Brazilian Federal Prosecutorial
Office. Her book The Extraterritorial
Application of Selected Human Rights
Treaties is soon to be published by the Brill/
Graduate Institute of International and
Development Studies Series.
Dr. Karen da Costa
Dr. Karen da Costa
Dr. Karen da Costa is a Brazilian lawyer with
a PhD (2011) in International Studies (with
an International Law specialization) from
the Graduate Institute of International and
Development Studies, University of Geneva.
She also holds a European Masters (2003)
in International Humanitarian Assistance,
Network on Humanitarian Assistance
(NOHA) from the Ruhr-University of
Bochum and an LLM (2002) in German Law
from the Ludwig Maximilians University
(Munich). Her research interests relate to
contemporary human rights law issues and her
doctoral thesis addressed the extraterritorial
application of selected human rights treaties.
Dr. da Costa is currently a University Fellow
(Teaching & Research) in Human Rights
at the Irish Centre for Human Rights,
Water Depot by Rachel Stevens
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Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Structure and Personnel
VISITING LECTURERS
Dr. Una Murray
Dr. Una Murray is an international
development consultant who provides
expert and specialised consultancy services
for a range of international development
organisations, including the International
Labour Organisation, Food and Agriculture
Organisation, the UN Development
Programme, Irish Aid and other nongovernmental organisations. Dr. Murray works
in many areas of development ranging from
child labour elimination, policy processes,
policy dissemination, gender analysis,
project monitoring and evaluation and small
enterprise development. Dr. Murray has
worked in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,
Malawi, Ghana, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka, The
Philippines and central Europe. Dr. Murray
also lectures part-time in University College
Cork on several courses such as the MSc in
Rural Development in Ethiopia and the BSc in
International Development and Food Policy.
14
ADJUNCT LECTURERS
Peter Fitzmaurice
Michael D. Higgins
Peter Fitzmaurice
Peter Fitzmaurice lectures on Refugee Law for
the LLM in International Human Rights Law
at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, National
University of Ireland, Galway. From 2004 to
2007, Mr. Fitzmaurice was Project Manager
at the Centre, where he was responsible for
a portfolio of projects that tackled particular
human rights issues, including the Refugee
and Asylum Support Unit and the IrelandChina Academic Exchange. Peter studied
law as an undergraduate at Kings College
in London and Leiden University in the
Netherlands. He holds a Masters degree in
Human Rights Law from Queens University,
Belfast and is currently pursuing a Doctoral
Degree in Human Rights Law at the Irish
Centre for Human Rights. He is a qualified
solicitor and has practiced
President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins
On 11 November 2011, Michael D. Higgins
was inaugurated as the ninth President of
Ireland. He was appointed as an Adjunct
Lecturer at the Irish Centre for Human Rights,
National University of Ireland, Galway in 2006.
A passionate political personality, a poet and
writer, academic and statesman, human rights
advocate, promoter of inclusive citizenship
and champion of creativity within Irish society,
Michael D. Higgins has previously served at
almost every level of public life in Ireland,
including as Ireland’s first Minister for Arts,
Culture and the Gaeltacht. President Higgins
is renowned for his consistent campaigning
on human rights issues. His dedication to the
promotion of human rights was recognized
internationally in 1992 when he became the
first recipient of the Sean MacBride Peace
Prize from the International Peace Bureau in
Helsinki, in recognition of his work for peace
and justice in many parts of the world. He has
published two collections of essays: Causes
for Concern — Irish Politics, Culture and
Society and Renewing the Republic. He has
also published four collections of poetry: The
Betrayal; The Season of Fire; An Arid Season
and New and Selected Poems.
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Structure and Personnel
Professor Vinodh Jaichand
Professor Vinodh Jaichand
Vinodh Jaichand is currently a Professor at the
University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg,
South Africa. Until January 2012, Professor
Jaichand was the Deputy Director of the Irish
Centre for Human Rights, National University
of Ireland, Galway. He directed the PhD
Programme at the Centre from 2003 to 2006
and the LLM Programme from 2006 to 2008.
He is the author of Restitution of Land Rights
and has co-edited 60 Years of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in Europe and
Anti-Discrimination for the Judiciary. He was
formerly an Associate Professor and Dean of
the Faculty of Law at University of DurbanWestville in South Africa. In the years prior
to joining the Centre, he served as National
Executive Director of Lawyers for Human
Rights for more than five years. He completed
his Doctorate in Juridical Science degree
(summa cum) and a LLM degree (magna
cum laude) at Notre Dame Law School at the
Centre for Civil and Human Rights, and his
LLB at the University of Natal. Another LLM
degree was secured from the University of
Miami, and he subsequently completed a BA
degree and a Secondary Teachers’ Diploma at
the University of Durban-Westville. Vinodh
has been involved in the training of police,
lawyers, prosecutors, and judges in China,
South Africa, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia,
Hungary, Ireland, Ethiopia, Nepal and India.
Apart from English he has published in
Chinese, German, Portuguese and Spanish
in numerous journals around the world. He
has presented papers in twenty-five countries.
He is a member of the Editorial Review
Board Human Rights Series of the Republic
of Letters Publishing, the Editorial Review
Board of Human Rights & Human Welfare,
the Advisory Board of the Sur-International
Journal on Human Rights, the International
Advisory Board of Diakonia, Jerusalem.
He was the first Chairman of the Board
of Integrating Ireland. He is a member of
Consulting Editorial Board of the University
of Ghana Law Journal and reader for the
International Journal for Transitional Justice.
Vinodh has taught and examined in the
Mediterranean Masters on Human Rights
and Democratisation in Malta and acted as an
examiner in the European Masters in Human
Rights and Democratisation in Venice. He was
the architect of the LLM in Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights which was launched in
September 2009. He served on the Standards
Generating Body on Legal Education and
Training of the South African Qualifications
Authority and as an Independent Assessor
on the Council on Higher Education:
Department of Education and as the
Ministerial Representative on the Council of
Technikon Pretoria. He is an Advocate of the
High Court of South Africa.
Dr. Noam Lubell
Dr. Noam Lubell
Dr. Noam Lubell is a Reader at the School
of Law, University of Essex, and an Adjunct
Lecturer at the Irish Centre for Human
Rights. Prior to this he spent four years as
a full time Lecturer at the Irish Centre for
Human Rights, National University of Ireland,
Galway. In past years he has also been CoDirector of the International Law Amicus
Curiae Clinic at the Concord Research Centre
in Israel, and a Visiting Research Fellow at
the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for
the Advancement of Peace, at the Hebrew
University, Jerusalem. He holds a PhD in Law
and an LLM, as well as a BA in Philosophy.
He has taught courses on international human
rights law and the laws of armed conflict in a
number of academic institutions, including the
University of Essex, the National University
of Ireland, Galway, the University of Oxford,
and as a Visiting Professor at Case Western
Reserve University in the US. Dr. Lubell is
the Rapporteur of the International Law
Association’s Committee on the Use of Force.
In addition to his academic work, during the
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Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Structure and Personnel
last fourteen years Dr. Lubell has worked for
various organisations including human rights
non-governmental organisations dealing with
the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, as an Outreach
Coordinator, International Law Advisor, and
Director of a Prisoners & Detainees Project.
He has also provided consultancies and
training in human rights law and the laws
of armed conflict, for international bodies
such as Amnesty International, government
bodies, and the BBC. From 2007-2011 he
was a member of the Executive Committee
of Amnesty International (Ireland). He has
taught, researched and published on a variety
of topics in the fields of international human
rights law and the law of armed conflict.
He also served as human rights officer at the
Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United
Nations in Geneva from 2000-2002. Called
to the Irish bar in 1990, Éamonn has since
worked on political, aid, trade and Anglo-Irish
issues with the Department of Foreign Affairs
and has served other diplomatic postings at
the Irish Embassies to the Holy See, South
Africa and Israel. He was appointed to the
Irish Press Council in August 2010 and in
February 2011 became Adjunct Professor
of Human Rights at National University of
Ireland, Galway’s Irish Centre for Human
Rights.
Dr. Aoife Daly
Éamonn Mac Aodha
16
Éamonn Mac Aodha
Mr. Éamonn MacAodha has been Chief
Executive of the Irish Human Rights
Commission since December 2007. Prior
to that he was Director of Human Rights for
the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs from
2004-2007. In this role he was responsible for
reporting by Ireland to the United Nations
on its human rights record and for driving
human rights aspects of Irish foreign policy.
Dr. Aoife Daly
Aoife Daly received a degree in Applied
Psychology from University College Cork in
2002. Her thesis examined the accuracy of
eyewitness testimony of young children. She
then went on to do a Masters in International
Human Rights Law at the Irish Centre
for Human Rights, National University of
Ireland, Galway. After an internship with
the Palestinian Human Rights Organisation
Al-Haq in Ramallah, West Bank, she wrote
her thesis which was entitled “The Right
to Education of Palestinian Children in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories”. Dr. Daly
currently holds the position of Child and
Family Law Lecturer at the University of
Essex. She completed a PhD in human rights
law at the School of Law, Trinity College
Dublin. She has previously held a number
of non-governmental organisations and
academic positions. Dr. Daly has worked for
the Children’s Research Centre in Trinity
College Dublin, Amnesty International, Save
the Children, and the Rehab Group. She has
also taught international law at Dublin City
University and is an Adjunct Lecturer at the
Irish Centre for Human Rights, National
University of Ireland, Galway.
Dr. Nadia Bernaz
Dr. Nadia Bernaz is a Lecturer in Law at
Middlesex University, London, and Adjunct
Lecturer with the Irish Centre for Human
Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway.
She was awarded a PhD for her study on
International Law and the Death Penalty
at the Université Paul Cézanne in Aix-enProvence in 2006. She has worked in the
past at the Irish Centre for Human Rights
(National University of Ireland, Galway) and
at the Université Paul Cézanne (France).
She specializes in public international law,
international criminal law and human
rights. Dr. Bernaz has an extensive teaching
experience in comparative constitutional
law, public international law, international
criminal law and human rights law both at
undergraduate and postgraduate level. In
addition she has facilitated training courses
in Ireland, Belgium and Kyrgyzstan. She is
the author of a book: Le droit international
et la peine de mort (International Law and
the Death Penalty, Paris: La Documentation
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Structure and Personnel
Française, 2008). In addition, Dr. Bernaz has
written and presented papers on a wide range
of subjects in international law and human
rights law.
international law under the supervision of
the late Professor Hilaire McCoubrey at
the University of Hull in 1998. Professor
Castellino is a specialist in minority rights
and has published two books on the subject:
Minority Rights in Asia, co-authored by
Dr. Elvira Dominguez Redondo (Oxford
University Press: 2006); and International
Law & Indigenous Peoples (ed.) (Kluwer Law
International: 2004). He is also the author of
two monographs on public international law
dealing with self-determination and title to
territory.
Professor Joshua Castellino
Professor Joshua Castellino
Joshua Castellino was appointed Professor of
Law and Head of Law Department, Middlesex
University, United Kingdom in September
2007. From 2000 until 2006, Professor
Castellino was a member of the teaching
faculty at the Irish Centre for Human Rights,
National University of Ireland, Galway, where
he played a major role in the development
of the institution. Professor Castellino is the
driving force behind the Centre’s acclaimed
annual Minority Rights Summer School. He
completed his undergraduate education at
Bombay University, where he worked as a
journalist for the Indian Express Group, and
was subsequently awarded the Chevening
Scholarship to undertake a Masters in
International Law and Politics in 19951996. He was awarded a Graduate Teaching
Assistantship and completed his PhD in
Colonel William Nott
Colonel William Nott
Colonel Nott was commissioned into the
Artillery Corps of the Irish Defence Forces
in 1964 and served as an artillery officer in
Cyprus (UNFICYP) in 1967/1968. He was
called to the Irish Bar in 1969 and served as a
legal officer in Cyprus in 1971, Sinai (UNEF
II) in 1973/1974 and Lebanon (UNIFIL)
1979/1980 and 1981/1982. He is a member
of the International Institute of Humanitarian
Law (IIHL), San Remo, Italy and a member
of the teaching staff for the international
military courses on the law of armed conflict
since 1990 as well as being a member of the
Advisory Board of the Institute. In 1995
he served with UNPROFOR in former
Yugoslavia and as Deputy Chief of Mission
of the United Nations Military Observers
Privlaka (UNMOP). During 1998 and 1999
he served as a member of the delegation
of Ireland at the Diplomatic Conference in
Rome which established the International
Criminal Court and was also a delegate at
the Diplomatic Conference on the Second
Protocol to the Hague Convention 1954 for
the Protection of Cultural Property in the
event of Armed Conflict. In 2000 he was
appointed to the Board of Directors of the
International Society for Military Law and the
Law of War (Brussels). Colonel Nott retired
from the Defence Forces as Director of Legal
Service and Director of Military Prosecutions
in 2009.
Dr. Iognaid O’Muircheartaigh
Dr. Iognáid (Iggy) Ó Muircheartaigh, was
President of National University of Ireland,
Galway from August 2000 until March
2008. Dr. O’Muircheartaigh was awarded
a PhD in Statistics by Glasgow University
in Scotland. Dr. Ó Muircheartaigh held a
Fulbright Fellowship at Stanford University
and a U.S. National Academy of Sciences
Senior Research Associateship at the US Naval
Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
He was conferred with honorary Doctorates
by both the University of Connecticut and
the University of Massachusetts. During his
period of office as President of the National
University of Ireland, Galway, the University
conferred honorary doctorates on many
human rights activists, including Nelson
Mandela, Louise Arbour, Sr. Helen Prejean,
17
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Structure and Personnel
Richard Goldstone, Phillip Kirsch, Pius Langa
and Cyril Ramaphosa. As Adjunct Professor
in Human Rights, he continues to undertake
research in statistics, with application to
human rights, economics, and medicine.
Dr. Terry O’Neill
Dr. Terry O’Neill
Dr. Terry O’Neill is a former Colonel of the
Irish Defence Forces. He has experience
with UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon,
Angola and the Congo. He completed his
MPhil in Peace Studies with the Irish School
of Ecumenics in 1992, and he was awarded
a PhD from Trinity College Dublin in 2001.
The title of his thesis was “The Adaptation
of Peacekeeping in the post Cold War
International System”. Dr. O’Neill’s area
of research is peacekeeping, and he has
co-authored a book, Basic United Nations
Peacekeeping in the Post-Cold War Era,
which will be published by Taylor and Francis
(London). Dr. O’Neill co-teaches the course
in International Peace Support Operations
with Professor Ray Murphy.
Dr. Elvira Dominguez Redondo
18
Dr. Elvira Dominguez Redondo is a Senior
Law Lecturer at Middlesex University, London
(UK) and Adjunct Lecturer at the Irish Centre
for Human Rights (National University of
Ireland, Galway, Ireland). She was awarded
a PhD for her study of Special Procedures at
the United Nations, at Universidad Carlos
III de Madrid in 2004. She has worked in
the past at the Transitional Justice Institute
(University of Ulster, Northern Ireland), the
Irish Centre for Human Rights (National
University of Ireland, Galway), and University
Carlos III de Madrid (Spain). She specializes
in public international law and human rights
legal theory and has worked as a consultant
with the Special Rapportuer on Torture at
the Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights, Geneva. Dr. Dominguez
Redondo has extensive teaching experience
in public international law, humanitarian law
and human rights law both at undergraduate
and postgraduate level. In addition she has
participated in training courses in India,
Malta, Spain, Syria, Mexico and China. She is
the author of two books: Los procedimientos
públicos especiales de la Comisión de Derechos
Humanos de Naciones Unidas (Public Special
procedures of the UN Commission on Human
Rights, Valencia: Tirant lo Blanch, 2005), and
Minority Rights in Asia (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2006) with co-author
Professor Joshua Castellino. In addition,
Dr. Dominguez Redondo has written and
presented papers on a wide range of subjects
in international law and human rights law.
Anita Ramasastry
Professor Anita Ramasastry is a faculty
member at the University of Washington
Law School in Seattle, Washington, USA. She
was a recipient of a Fulbright Award, which
she spent at National University of Ireland,
Galway for the period January-June 2008.
She is an expert on the role of businesses in
conflict and weak governance zones.
Professor Ramasastry’s research examined
“emerging movements to hold business
entities morally and legally accountable for
their potential role in aiding human rights
violations committed by others”. Her teaching
provided students with an in-depth look at
current debates over the role of corporations
as transnational actors, their role in foreign
investment, and the role of law in poverty
alleviation and the promotion of economic
and social rights.
The Fulbright Programme worldwide was
established in 1946 immediately after World
War II by legislation sponsored by Senator
J. William Fulbright. The purpose of the
program worldwide is to increase mutual
respect and understanding between peoples of
the United States and those of other countries
through educational and cultural exchanges.
The Fulbright Program celebrated its 50th
Anniversary in Ireland in 2007.
Rick Lines
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Structure and Personnel
Rick Lines
Rick Lines lectures in Human Rights and
Drug Policy for the LLM in International
Human Rights Law at the Irish Centre for
Human Rights, National University of Ireland,
Galway.
Damon Barrett
Mr. Lines is Director of the International
Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy,
based at the Human Rights Centre at the
University of Essex, where he is a Visiting
Fellow. He holds an MA in Sociology
(York University, Toronto) and an LLM
in International Human Rights Law (Irish
Centre for Human Rights, NUIG). He is
currently completing a PhD in Law at the
University of Middlesex. He has held senior
posts with non-governmental organisations
in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom,
and has acted as a technical assistance advisor
on HIV in prisons for several UN agencies. He
currently works as the Executive Director of
Harm Reduction International in London.
Mr. Lines is a past member of the Technical
Advisory Group to the Global Commission
on HIV and the Law and Core Member of the
Reference Group to the United Nations on
HIV and Injecting Drug Use.
Damon is a co-founder and director of the
International Centre on Human Rights and
Drug Policy (HR-DP), based at the Human
Rights Centre at the University of Essex,
where he is a visiting fellow. Damon is a
member of faculty for the summer schools on
human rights and drug policy at the Central
European University in Budapest and Jodhpur
National University, and has lectured on
human rights and drug policy in universities
around the world. He is an editor-in-chief of
Human Rights and Drugs (the official journal
of HR-DP), and the author of ’A Commentary
on the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child: Article 33, Protection from Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic Substances’ (Brill/
Martinus Nijhoff, 2011). He obtained his
LLM from the Irish Centre for Human Rights.
Damon Barrett lectures in Human Rights
and Drug Policy for the LLM in International
Human Rights Law at the Irish Centre for
Human Rights.
Damon was a civil society member of the
UK delegation to the UN Commission on
Narcotic Drugs from 2008-2011, and is
currently Deputy Director at Harm Reduction
International, where he has worked since
2007. He lives in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Damon Barrett
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Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Structure and Personnel
PROJECT STAFF
EU-China Human Rights Network
Emily Brennan is the Project Manager of
the EU – China Human Rights Project. She
joined the EU-China project in February
2012. Emily is a qualified lawyer with over ten
years’ experience representing organizational
visions and contributing to multi-stakeholder
dialogue at both domestic and international
level. Prior to taking on this role, Emily
consulted various multinationals on risks
associated with labour and human rights
issues within their supply chains. Emily
received her JD from the University District
of Columbia (US), she studied EU policy
systems at the University College Dublin
Summer Institute in European & International
Law (Ireland, Belgium), and received her
LLM in International Human Rights Law
from the National University of Ireland,
Galway (Ireland).
Annabel Egan
Annabel Egan is Research Associate with the
EU-China Human Rights Network. She is
also a doctoral candidate at the Irish Centre
for Human Rights, conducting research on
the EU’s human rights policy on China. Prior
to returning to Ireland in 2006, Annabel lived
in China for five years, working as freelance
journalist, an editor with the Beijing Bureau
of the South China Morning Post and as
spokesperson for the European Commission
Delegation to China. From 1997-2000
she worked as a broadcast journalist with
RTE having gained a Masters degree with
distinction in Economics and Politics from the
University of St. Andrews, Scotland in 1996.
Drug Policy Project
Yingxi Bi is the PhD Fellow in Human
Rights and Drug Policy. The Fellowship is
funded through a joint project between the
International Centre on Human Rights and
20
Drug Policy and the Irish Centre for Human
Rights at the National University of Ireland,
Galway.
Yingxi Bi holds an LLB in Law and an LLM in
Criminal Law from Beijing Normal University.
She is currently doing her PhD at the Irish
Centre for Human Rights, where her research
focuses on “Human Rights protection for
Drug Users”.
Administration
The on-going and wide ranging activities
of the Centre place great demands on our
excellent administrative staff, Louise Burke,
Fiona Gardiner and Laura Fleming, who
perform these tasks with great efficiency and
patience, and to whom our appreciation is
due.
Doctoral Research Fellows
The Irish Centre for Human Rights provides
doctoral research fellowships, which enable
doctoral students from all over the world to
finance studies in Galway while pursuing their
research within the collegiate atmosphere
of the Centre itself. These fellowships are
generally for a period of two years. The
recipients of the fellowship engage in teaching,
research and other aspects of academic
work. Some of them are associated with
specific research projects. Over the last
two years this work has been carried out
by the following doctoral candidates: Kim
Turcotte, Josh Curtis, Hadeel Abu Hussein,
Helen McDermott, Rhonda Ferguson, Natia
Kalandarishvili-Mueller, Alexis Bushnell, Peter
Fitzmaurice, and Tanja Florath (the recipient
of the prestigious Hardiman Scholarship).
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
21
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Programmes
UNDERGRADUATE (BA CONNECT, HUMAN RIGHTS)
In 2008 the National
University of Ireland,
Galway College of Arts,
Social Sciences, & Celtic
Studies initiated seven
denominated BA degree
programmes, each offering
students a different
specialisation: Human
Rights, Film Studies,
Childhood Studies, Irish
Studies, Women’s Studies,
Theatre and Performance,
and Creative Writing.
These programmes involve four years of
study and offer students, in addition to their
core subject choices, carefully structured
opportunities to engage with a particular field
of their choice. The programmes respond to
individual student interests and create a smallgroup identity around those interests. The BA
with Human Rights caters for approximately
15 students who benefit from dedicated
contact with an expert programme director
who supports students’ progress, organises
on-campus seminars and facilitates off-campus
learning opportunities. Over the last year the
programme has been directed by Professor Ray
Murphy and facilitated by a dedicated doctoral
fellow, Kim Turcotte. During their third year,
students undertake a placement with human
rights organizations in Montreal, Los Angeles,
Guatemala City, Madrid, Brussels, Paris,
London, Dublin and elsewhere, with a range of
civil society bodies.
22
The Peace Palace, seat of the International Court of Justice,
The Hague
Annual Field Trip to The Hague,
Netherlands
From May 9th to 11th 2012, students
from the Centre’s BA Connect and LLM
programmes embarked on a three-day
trip to The Hague. Accompanied by
Dr. Annyssa Bellal and fellows Natia
Kalandarishvili-Müller and Kim Turcotte,
the students visited several of the
international courts based in The Hague.
At the International Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), on
the first day of visits, students viewed a
sitting of the Stanišić and Simatović trial,
and presentations were given by Stephane
Bourgon (Defence Counsel), Judge
Carmel Agius, and William Tomljanovich,
(Staff member of the ICTY/Office of the
Prosecutor). The International Court of
Justice and the International Criminal
Court were the destinations on the
following day. At the International Court
of Justice, New Zealand’s Judge Kenneth
Keith spoke to the group. He was appointed
in 2005, and gave a great deal of insight into
the functioning of the Court. On the same
day the group went to the International
Criminal Court, where they were given an
introduction to the building and benefited
from talks delivered by Dr. Mohamed M. El
Zeidy, (Legal Officer for Pre-Trial Chamber
II) and Dr. Rod Rastan (Legal Advisor in
the Office of the Prosecutor). Although
brief, the students reported the trip to be a
major success. It was a unique educational
experience. Thanks go out to the organisers
for setting up the contacts, overseeing the
travel and making the trip possible. The
same event took place in 2011. The Irish
Centre for Human Rights looks forward to
continuing its annual trips to The Hague,
giving students a flavour of international law
in practise.
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Programmes
MASTERS (LLM)
The diverse and widely acclaimed Masters
programmes form the traditional core
of the academic life at the Irish Centre
for Human Rights. Students pursuing
these programmes come every year from
a broad range of countries including:
Angola, Australia, Belgium, Brazil,
Canada, China, Germany, Iran, Ireland,
Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan,
Palestine, Rwanda, Russia, South Africa,
Spain, the USA, and Zimbabwe. The
diversity of the group in terms of culture,
nationality, age and experience greatly
adds to the dynamism of the programmes
and the life of the Centre in general. It
also provides great breadth and depth to
the collegial atmosphere of the Centre,
in which knowledge imparted formally
is complemented and fleshed out by the
perspectives, arguments and experiences
of fellow students. This atmosphere is
further fostered by the Centre’s policy
of encouraging applications from those
with non-legal backgrounds, enabling
contributions from students seeking a
qualification in law but with previous
educational qualifications ranging from
sociology and philosophy to economics
and politics. The Irish Centre for Human
Rights offers three distinct LLM courses,
and in addition participates in four interuniversity programmes.
The Masters of Law in International
Human Rights Law, launched a decade
ago, is the Centre’s flagship postgraduate
programme. It aims to prepare graduates
for work in the field of international human
rights, with international organisations,
non-governmental organisations and as
individual advocates. The course work
begins with a general introduction to the
systems and documents of international
human rights law, and proceeds to a series
of specialised courses in such areas as
minority rights law, regional human rights
systems such as the European Convention
on Human Rights, criminal prosecution
by international tribunals of human rights
violations, gender and child rights, refugee
law and international humanitarian law. The
course emphasises the analysis and critique
of international human rights law and legal
regimes. While the emphasis of the course is
legal it accepts suitably qualified candidates
from other backgrounds in the firm belief that
human rights itself is multidisciplinary.
Initiated in 2002, the Masters of Law in
Peace Operations, Humanitarian Law and
Conflict, draws upon the resources of the
LLM in International Human Rights Law, but
adds specialised courses on matters specific to
peace-keeping in the modern age. The course
work begins with a general introduction
to international peace-keeping and peace
support operations, and continues with a
series of specialised courses in such areas
as international relations and international
organizations, international humanitarian
law, refugee law, conflict and post conflict
studies, and international criminal law.
The programme recognizes the experience
of candidates who have participated in
peacekeeping activities in various parts of
the world. Thus, the programme provides
credit for a full semester course in exchange
for submission of a written assignment of
appropriate length, reviewing field experience
and lessons learned. Many of the students
enrolled have worked previously in peace
support operations with the Irish Defence
Forces.
The Masters of Law in International
Criminal Law was launched at the Irish
Centre for Human Rights in September 2008.
Designed and delivered by experts unrivalled
in the field, the LLM in International Criminal
Law provides students with an advanced
understanding of the history and institutional
structures of the various international
criminal tribunals and the International
Criminal Court. Students are equipped with
an in-depth knowledge of the principles of
international criminal law and its component
crimes and procedural issues, developing
a critical approach to the alternatives in
international criminal justice, such as truth
commissions.
Internship Programme
The Centre provides LLM students with
a number of opportunities to conduct
internships with international institutions and
non-governmental organizations in the field
of human rights, including advice, contacts
and some financial help. The internship
programme allows students to engage with
human rights organizations as well as law
firms affiliated with locally based human
rights groups. The project allows students to
put into practice some of the foundational
work provided by the LLM programmes, as
well as to provide much needed assistance to
both local and international groups working
on the pressing human rights issues. The
results of research undertaken by students
have served as the basis for non-governmental
organizations reports and also for minor
dissertations. Students have undertaken
internships with a variety of organizations
including: the International Bar Association in
the Hague, Social Accountability International
in New York, UN Internships in East Timor,
Al Haq in the West Bank, the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
in the Netherlands, Association des Droits
de l’Homme et l’Univers Carceral Congo,
the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, War
Crimes Section in Sarajevo, the Extraordinary
Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the
Formal Sector Service Centre in Nepal, and
Public Interest Lawyers in Birmingham.
23
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Programmes
DOCTORAL (PHD)
Doctoral Students and Staff, Inchgoill Island, Doctoral Seminar 2012
The Irish Centre for Human Rights is at the
forefront of doctoral research in the field
of human rights, with probably the largest
cohort of students in the world. The doctoral
programme is unique not only because of
the exceptional standard of research and
level of publication, but also because of the
environment in which doctoral students
work. Students from a range of academic
backgrounds are engaged in research
on a broad spectrum of issues related to
international human rights law, international
criminal law, international humanitarian
law and international relations. Doctoral
candidates audit seminars that are offered
by the Centre as part of the post-graduate
teaching programmes and contribute to
24
research projects carried out at the Centre.
In addition, opportunities exist for doctoral
candidates to deliver seminars and to gain
valuable teaching experience both on and
off campus. Throughout the academic year,
doctoral candidates also meet regularly
with the Centre’s Director to discuss recent
developments and case-law of mutual interest
as part of their regular study programme.
Dr. Shane Darcy is the Director of the PhD
Programme at the Centre.
Annual Doctoral Seminar 2011
The Irish Centre for Human Rights 2011
Annual Doctoral Seminar took place on 2-8
May 2011. More than thirty doctoral students
attended the event, which included student
presentations, sessions on skills, and
scholarly presentations by international
guest speakers. Among the invited experts
were Patricia Sellers, a Brussels-based
international criminal lawyer who worked
for more than fifteen years as a gender
advisor to the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; and
Professor Iain Scobbie, of the School for
Oriental and African Studies in London.
Throughout the week, PhD candidates
from the Centre and from other institutions
presented on their research and received
valuable feedback and comments. The
breadth of topics covered was enormous.
The week was rounded off with a trip to
Connemara for a guided tour of Kylemore
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Programmes
RECENT GRADUATES
Abbey, a stroll around the Victorian
Walled Garden, and a dinner hosted by
Professor Schabas and his wife Penelope
at their home in Oughterard.
Annual Doctoral Seminar 2012
The Irish Centre for Human Rights held
its 2012 Annual Doctoral Seminar from
April 30th to May 4th 2012. During
this week four visiting experts gave
presentations on a range of topics, from
caste and descent based discrimination to
the reform of the UN treaty body system.
This year’s experts were Professor Michael
O’Flaherty (Human Rights Law Centre,
University of Nottingham), Professor
Suzannah Linton (Bangor University,
Wales), Dr. David Keane (Middlesex
University, London), and Professor
Koen De Feyter (University of Antwerp,
Netherlands). PhD candidates from
the Centre as well as other institutions
presented their research to the experts
and their peers, receiving valuable
feedback and comments. The traditional
mid-week day trip was to Inchgoill Island
on nearby Lough Corrib. Fortunately
the sun shone down on the seminar’s
participants, as they were taken on a
guided walking tour, taking in such sites
as St. Patrick’s 5th century church and
other historic landmarks. Our thanks go
to all the visiting experts and the research
supervisors who met with their students
during the course of the week, as well as
to Helen McDermott and Alexis Bushnell
for organising the event.
Over the years, the achievements of the
Centre’s doctoral graduates have paid a great
tribute to the quality of the PhD programme.
Most graduates have taken up permanent
teaching positions at prestigious institutions
and the vast majority of graduates have
published, or are in the course of publishing,
their doctoral theses. A number of graduates
are working for various inter-governmental
and non-governmental organizations. The
Irish Centre for Human Rights would like
to congratulate its recent PhD programme
graduates on their successful completion of
their degree program:
2010
Joseph Sebarenzi, PhD, Beyond Gacaca
Courts: Restorative Justice in Rwanda, National
University of Ireland, Galway, 2010.
Khadeija Mahgoub, PhD, The Right of the
Child to Survival and Development: Reflections
on Article 6(2) of the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child, National University
of Ireland, Galway, 2010.
Maria Varaki, PhD, The Interests of Justice.
The Quest for Fine Balance at the International
Criminal Court, National University of Ireland,
Galway, 2010.
2011
Nicolaos Strapatsas, PhD, The Supreme
International Crime: Aggression Under the Rome
Statute of the International Criminal Court,
National University of Ireland, Galway, 2011.
Eadaoin O’Brien, PhD, Medico-legal
Investigations of War Crimes, Crimes Against
Humanity & Genocide by the International
Tribunals: Legal framework, practice and
developing norms, National University of
Ireland, Galway, 2011.
Fannie Lafontaine, PhD, Prosecuting
International Crimes in Canadian Courts:
Where International Law Meets Domestic Law,
National University of Ireland, Galway, 2011.
Thesis published: Prosecuting Genocide, Crimes
Against Humanity and War Crimes in Canadian
Courts (Toronto: Carswell, 2012).
Nancie Prud’homme, PhD, International
Humanitarian Law and International Human
Rights Law: From Separation to Complementary
Application, National University of Ireland,
Galway, 2011.
Aimé Karimunda, PhD, The Abolition of the
Death Penalty in Africa, National University of
Ireland, Galway, 2011.
Kjell Anderson, PhD, The Dehumanisation
Dynamic: A Criminology of Genocide, National
University of Ireland, Galway, 2011.
Alfred Mwenedata, PhD, De la promotion et
protection de droits humains dans le contexte du
VIH/SIDA: facteur limitant la propagation de
l’épidémie ?, National University of Ireland,
Galway, 2011.
Brendan Tobin, PhD, Why Customary Law
Matters. Indigenous Peoples’ Customary Laws
and Human Rights, National University of
Ireland, Galway, 2011.
Wibke Timmermann, PhD, Hate Speech and
Incitement in International Criminal Law,
National University of Ireland, Galway, 2011.
Andrea Breslin, PhD The Obligation of the
EU and its Member States to Ensure Respect
for International Humanitarian Law, National
University of Ireland, Galway, 2011.
25
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Programmes
RECENT
GRADUATES
SUMMER SCHOOLS
International Criminal Court Summer
School
Dr. Mario Silva in doctoral dress, alongside Professor Ray Murphy
2012
Mario Silva, PhD, Failed and Failing States: Causes and Conditions, National University of
Ireland, Galway, 2012.
Fidelma Donlon, PhD, The Completion Strategies of the International Criminal Tribunals:
The former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone, National University of Ireland, Galway,
2012.
Harry Rhea, PhD, The United States and the International Criminal Tribunals, National
University of Ireland, Galway, 2012.
26
The eleventh annual Summer School on
the International Criminal Court (ICC)
took place from June 18th to 22nd 2012
at the National University of Ireland,
Galway. The summer school was hosted
by the Irish Centre for Human Rights.
Each year delegates immerse themselves
in the study of this increasingly important
area of international law for five days of
intense lectures delivered by a panel of
experts. In addition to speakers from the
Centre, this year’s panel included the
keynote speaker, Professor William A.
Schabas, Middlesex University; Professor
Siobhan Mullally, University College
Cork; Mr John McManus, Crimes
Against Humanity and War Crimes
Section Department of Justice, Canada;
Ms. Miriam Spittler, International
Criminal Court; and Dr. Mohamed El
Zeidy, International Criminal Court
among others. A total of 53 attendees
came from as far as East Timor, India, and
the United States. Throughout the week
students gained a working knowledge
of the establishment of the Court, its
applicable law and structures. The 2012
programme included topics such as
corporate crimes, the Rome Statute of
the International Criminal Court and the
prosecution of gender crimes. The Irish
Centre for Human Rights looks forward
to hosting the summer school again next
year!
Summer School in Human Rights,
Cinema and Advocacy
Following its successful development
over the last six years, the Summer School
on Cinema, Human Rights and Advocacy
(CHRA) took place at the Huston School
of Film and Digital Media from 6th to
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Programmes
Participants of the 2012 Summer School in Human Rights, Cinema and Advocacy
13th July 2012. The summer school’s unique
and successful programme was originally
launched in 2006 in Venice in co-operation
with the Venice International Film Festival.
In 2010, supported by the Galway University
Foundation, the event transferred to National
University of Ireland, Galway’s Huston School
of Film and Digital Media and the Irish Centre
for Human Rights. This year the school
received the support of the Open Society
Foundations, part of the Soros Foundation,
and links were forged with the Galway Film
Fleadh, Ireland’s leading film festival.
The programme attracted 17 young talented
filmmakers and professionals from across
the world (China, Ukraine, Jordan, Canada,
Israel, France, Australia, Italy, Slovakia,
Spain, Austria and Ireland) who engaged
in an intense week’s training course where
ideas and projects were shared, developed
and challenged by fellow participants and
internationally acclaimed experts in film,
television, photography and human rights.
The programme director Nick Danziger, a
leading practitioner in the field of human
rights documentary making, acted as the
senior facilitator of discussions during the
week. Other facilitators included: Professor
William A. Schabas, Professor of international
law at Middlesex University in London and
Professor of human rights law of the Irish
Centre for Human Rights; Rod Stoneman,
director of the Huston School of Film &
Digital Media; Christopher Hird, a central
figure in independent documentary making
in the UK; Professor Julian Petley, Professor
of Screen Media and Journalism at the
Brunel University; Emma Sandon, Lecturer
of Film and Television Studies at Birkbeck
College in London; Florian Westphal,
Deputy Director of Communication at the
International Committee of the Red Cross in
Geneva; Philippe Meers, Associate Professor
in Communication Studies at Antwerp
University and Kelly Matheson, program
director at Witness, an international human
rights organization that raises awareness of
human rights violations through the use of
27
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Programmes
video and online technologies. As part of
the program, participants were given the
opportunity to assist festival screenings at
the Galway Film Fleadh as well as take part
in a jury for the award of the Best Human
Rights Film in the festival competition. The
jury selected the documentary “Give up
Tomorrow”, directed by Michael Collins for
the award, praising the strong and wellarticulated human rights message on fair trial
rights promulgated in the film.
Minority Rights Summer School
This year’s Minority Rights Summer School
was held at Middlesex University in Hendon,
London from the 22nd to the 24th of
June. The programme attracted a blend of
academics, activists and organisations, with
speakers from institutions such as Middlesex
University and the Irish Centre for Human
Rights, the Forest Peoples’ Programme
and Minority Rights Group, the Office of
the UN Independent Expert on Minority
Issues and the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe. Participants were
treated to a wide range of topics including
conflict resolution, minorities and the media,
litigating minority rights, questions of racial
discrimination and religious intolerance, and
a number of indigenous rights questions.
The evening sessions debated slavery and
its contemporary manifestations, and there
was also a film on Afro-Colombian peoples
and mining with a question and answer
session afterwards. This prompted plenty of
discussion between speakers and participants
in the best traditions of the Summer School,
which continued into the evening dinner
at the nearby Claddagh pub. Next year’s
Minority Rights Summer School will be held
again in Middlesex. The programme will be
released in early 2013, and we look forward to
another equally vibrant event.
New England School of Law
Summer Programme
For the past eleven years the Irish Centre for
Human Rights has hosted a five-week-long
28
summer programme in international human
rights offered by a consortium of universities
in the United States and led by the New
England School of Law, Boston. This year’s
programme took place over June and July and
was attended by 50 students from law schools
and universities throughout America. Courses
delivered by the Centre’s faculty, Professor
Ray Murphy, Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh, Dr.
Shane Darcy and Dr. Annyssa Bellal were
available to be credited towards American
Bar Association approved law degrees.
Classes ranging from human rights law, to
international humanitarian law, to conflict
resolution were met with great enthusiasm
by the students, who also enjoyed a number
of coordinated social events including a trip
to the nearby Aran Islands and a visit to the
Galway County Courthouse to meet with
local judges and lawyers. The Centre is very
glad to continue hosting this enjoyable and
highly educational programme.
Washington Law Summer School
In August 2012 the Irish Centre for Human
Rights together with the Centre of Human
Rights of the University of Washington hosted
an annual programme on the Challenges
of International Justice. Sixteen American
students visited Galway for two weeks and
learned about international criminal justice,
contemporary challenges of peacekeeping,
serious abuses of human rights and legal
remedies to encounter and redress those
violations. Several PhD fellows and members
of the Irish Centre for Human Rights
presented insights into the contemporary
challenges of public international law and
offered expertise in their respective fields.
The seminar took place in cooperation with
the Irish Defence Forces. Lively debates took
place between the US students and former
LLM students of the Irish Centre for Human
Rights, before the visiting students left for
the Netherlands in order to apply their newly
established knowledge and learn more at
several institutions of international justice
in The Hague. The exploration seminar is
part of a regular cooperation between the
Irish Centre for Human Rights and the
Centre of Human Rights at the University
of Washington. The same event took place
in August 2011. We look forward to this
programme’s successful continuation.
Debating the 2011 Sakharov Prize for
Freedom of Thought
In the name of Russian physicist, Andrei
Dmitrievich Sakharov, a Nobel Peace Prize
laureate, the European Parliament makes this
award yearly to honour selected individuals
or organisations for their exceptional work
in defence of human rights and fundamental
freedoms. Since 2010 the Centre has
organised a public debate on the prize
nominees whereby the Centre’s students
from all programmes, BA, LLM and PhD,
briefly present the case for each nominee. An
open discussion is then held and finally the
audience votes on which nominee they believe
most deserves the award.
In 2011, for the second year running the Irish
Centre for Human Rights and the Office for
the European Parliament in Ireland hosted
a debate to celebrate the Sakharov Prize for
Freedom of Thought. The event took place on
Tuesday 18th of October, at Áras Uí Chatháil,
National University of Ireland, Galway. Each
nominee was represented by students from
the Centre, who argued the case for the
award to be given to this nominee. A debate
followed in which the audience voted for
who they thought was the most deserving
candidate. Representatives of the European
Parliament then conveyed the result to the
Parliament’s Human Rights Sub-Committee,
and the winner was announced on the 10th
of December marking the day on which the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights was
signed in 1948. Five representatives of the
Arab Spring movement were the eventual
winners; they received the award and
€50,000 from the President of the European
Parliament on December 14, 2011.
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Programmes
2012 Sakharov Prize
The third annual debate on the Sakharov
Prize for Freedom of Thought was held by the
Irish Centre for Human Rights on October
1, 2012. The event was introduced by Francis
Jacobs, head of the European Parliament
Information Office in Ireland, and was chaired
by Dr. Karen da Costa. Presentations were
given on this year’s nominees including;
Ales Bialiatski, a freedom fighter and human
rights defender currently imprisoned by
the Belarusian regime; Joseph Francis, the
founder and director of the Center for Legal
Aid, Assistance and Settlement in Pakistan;
Victoire Ingabire, Déogratias Mushayidi,
and Bernard Ntaganda, three imprisoned
Rwandan opposition representatives who have
tried to put an end to the cycle of violence by
fostering dialogue and reconciliation; Pussy
Riot represented by Nadezhda Andreyevna,
Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich and
Maria Alyokhina, imprisoned and sentenced
to forced labour in the Russian Federation for
acts of protest; and, Nasrin Sotoudeh and Jafar
Panahi, both persecuted Iranian human rights
advocates.
Following an interesting debate the greatest
share of the audience vote went to Victoire
Ingabire, Déogratias Mushayidi, and Bernard
Ntaganda from Rwanda. These nominees were
presented by Leisha Shiner, Katie O’Riordan,
Lucy Fitzgerald, and Anna Chiapello, all LLM
programme participants. The results of the
debate will be disseminated to the Irish MEPs
and delivered to the European Parliament
Subcommittee on Human Rights to be
factored into the decision made on this year’s
prize in December 2012.
Post-Cast Lead by Daragh Murray
29
Irish Centre For Human Rights
30
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Research and Publications
Staff and students of the Irish Centre for
Human Rights are committed to publishing
high-quality academia. Below is a selection of
publications from the 2010 - 2012 period.
BOOKS & MONOGRAPHS
EDITED VOLUMES
• Lubell, Noam, Extraterritorial Use of Force
Against Non-State Actors (Oxford University
Press, Oxford Monographs in International
Law, paperback version 2011).
• Bernaz, Nadia, Routledge Handbook of
International Criminal Law (Routledge,
2011, co-edited with William A. Schabas).
• Schabas, William A., Unimaginable
Atrocities: Justice, Politics and Rights at the
War Crimes Tribunals (Oxford University
Press, 2012).
• Schabas, William A., Introduction to the
International Criminal Court (Cambridge
University Press, 4th ed., 2011).
• Schabas, William A., The International
Criminal Court: A Commentary on the Rome
Statute (Oxford University Press, 2010).
• Darcy, Shane, Judicial Creativity at the
International Criminal Tribunals (Oxford
University Press, 2010, co-edited with
Joseph Powderly).
• McDermott, Yvonne, The Challenge of
Human Rights: Past, Present and Future
(Cheltenham Edward Elgar, 2012, co-edited
with David Keane).
• McDermott, Yvonne, The Ashgate Research
Companion to International Criminal Law:
Critical Perspectives (Ashgate, forthcoming
in 2013, co-edited with William A. Schabas
and Niamh Hayes).
• Murphy, Raymond, Post Conflict
Peacebuilding and International Law
(Ashgate, 2012).
ARTICLES, CHAPTERS
AND REPORTS
• Bellal, Annyssa, “Evaluating the use of force
during the Arab Spring”, 14 Yearbook of
International Humanitarian Law 3 (2011)
(with Louise Doswald-Beck).
• Bellal, Annyssa, “The 2009 Resolution of the
Institute of International Law on Immunity
and International Crimes”, 9(1) Journal of
International Criminal Justice 227 (2011).
• Bellal, Annyssa, “Enhancing respect for
international law by armed non state actors”,
3(1) Göttingen Journal of international law 175
(2011) (with Stuart Casey-Maslen).
• Bellal, Annyssa, “The International Law
Applicable to Armed Non State Actors
in Afghanistan”, 93(881) International
Review of the Red Cross 1 (2011) (with
Gilles Giacca and Stuart Casey-Maslen)
(winner of the International Geneva Award
2011 delivered by the Swiss Network of
International Studies).
• Bellal, Annyssa, “Towards engagement,
compliance and accountability”, 37 Forced
Migration Review 4 (March 2011) (with
Gilles Giacca and Stuart Casey-Maslen).
• Bernaz, Nadia, “Delivering Justice in the
Caribbean: a Human Rights Assessment of
the Caribbean Court of Justice”, 4 Public Law
703 (October 2012).
• Cavanaugh, Kathleen, “Speaking Law to War”,
17(1) Journal of Conflict & Security Law 3
(Spring 2012).
• Dang, Heping, “State Obligation to Influence
Public opinion under International Law –
Capital Punishment and Public Opinion”, in
Maria Loredana Idomir, Matthias Keuschnigg
and Michael Platzer (eds.), Vienna Conference
on the Abolition of the Death Penalty: Working
Together towards the Universal Abolition of the
Death Penalty, 68-73 (Bundesministerium
für Justiz, Academic Council on the United
Nations System, 2011).
31
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Research and Publications
• Dang, Heping, “A Legal Sociology Analysis
on Liao Tingting Intentional Killing Case”,
in Zhao Bingzhi (ed.), Jurisprudence on
Criminal Cases, 220-246 (Peking University
Press, 2011).
• Darcy, Shane, “An Enduring Occupation:
The Status of the Gaza Strip from the
Perspective of International Humanitarian
Law”, 15(2) Journal of Conflict and Security
Law 211 (Summer 2010) (with John
Reynolds).
• Darcy, Shane, “Prosecuting the War Crime
of Collective Punishment; Is it Time to
Amend the Rome Statute?” 8(1) Journal
of International Criminal Justice 29 (March
2010).
• Darcy, Shane, “The right to a social and
international order for the realisation of
human rights: Article 28 of the Universal
Declaration and international cooperation”,
in David Keane and Yvonne McDermott
(eds.), The Challenge of Human Rights: Past,
Present and Future 9-35 (Edward Elgar
Publishing, 2012) (co-authored with Josh
Curtis).
• Darcy, Shane, “Truth Commissions, the
European Union and Reparations from
Business”, in Faria Medjouba (ed.), Building
Peace in Post-conflict Situations 43-60
(British Institute of International and
Comparative Law, 2012).
• Darcy, Shane, “The Reinvention of War
Crimes by the International Criminal” in
Shane Darcy and Joseph Powderly (eds.),
Judicial Creativity at the International
32
Criminal Tribunals 106-128 (Oxford
University Press, 2010).
• Darcy, Shane, ”Defences to International
Crimes”, in William A. Schabas and Nadia
Bernaz, Handbook of International Criminal
Law 231-245 (Routledge, 2010).
• Darcy, Shane, “Bridging the Gaps in the
Laws of Armed Conflict? International
Criminal Tribunals and the Development
of Humanitarian Law”, in Noelle Quenivet
and Shilan Shah-Davis, International Law
and Armed Conflict; Challenges in the 21st
Century 319-337 (T.M.C. Asser Press,
2010).
• De Ycaza, Carla, “Transitional Justice and
the African Experience”, 13(3) International
Studies Review 554 (September 2011) (with
William A. Schabas).
• De Ycaza, Carla, “Performative
Functions of Genocide Trials in Rwanda:
Reconciliation Through Restorative Justice?
An Examination of the Convergence
of Trauma, Memory and Performance
Through Legal Responses to Genocide in
Rwanda”, 10(3) African Journal on Conflict
Resolution 9 (2010).
• De Ycaza, Carla, “Victor’s Justice in
War Crimes Tribunals: A Study of the
International Criminal Tribunal for
Rwanda”, 23(1) New York International Law
Review 53 (Winter 2010) 53-81.
• Duffy, Aoife, “Detainee as Exile: Theorizing
the Politico-legal Underpinnings of
Executive Detention”, 7 Interdisciplinary
Journal of Human Rights Law (2012-2013).
• Duffy, Aoife, “A Truth Commission for
Northern Ireland?”, 4(1) International
Journal of Transitional Justice 26 (March
2010).
• Farrell, Brian, “Access to Habeas Corpus:
A Human Rights Analysis of US Practices
in the War on Terrorism”, 20 Transnational
Law and Contemporary Problems 3 (2011).
• Jaichand, Vinodh, “Dam and be Damned:
The Adverse Impact of Belo Monte on the
Indigenous Peoples in Brazil”, forthcoming
in Human Rights Quarterly (with Alexandre
de Oliveira Andrade Moraes Sampaio).
• Jaichand, Vinodh, “Bringing it Home:
The Inter-American System and State
Obligations- Using a gender approach
regionally to address women’s rights
violations domestically”, 3 The InterAmerican and European Journal of Human
Rights 49 (2010) (with Ciara O’Connell).
• Jaichand, Vinodh, “Overview of Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights from an
International Perspective”, 3 The Protection
Project Journal of Human Rights and Civil
Society 117 (Fall 2010).
• Kalandarishvili-Mueller, Natia, “Is it a Bird?
Is it an armed conflict? Classification of the
situation in Syria”, forthcoming in Journal of
International Law, Institute of International
Law, Tbilisi State University (with Krisztina
Huszti Orban).
• Lubell, Noam, “What’s in a Name? The
Categorisation of Individuals under the
Law of Armed Conflict”, 86(3-4) Journal
of International Peace and Organization 83
(2011).
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Research and Publications
• Lubell, Noam, “Human Rights during
Military Occupation”, forthcoming in
International Review of the Red Cross.
• McDermott, Yvonne, “Yong Vui Kong v.
Public Prosecutor and the Mandatory Death
Penalty for Drug Offences in Singapore: A
Dead End for Constitutional Challenge?”,
1 International Yearbook of Human Rights
and Drug Policy 35 (2011).
• McDermott, Yvonne, “Human Rights
and the Lisbon Treaty: Consensus or
Conditionality?”, 31(4) Whittier Law
Review 733 (2010).
• McDermott, Yvonne, “International
Criminal Courts”, in George Ritzer (ed.),
The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Globalization
(Oxford, 2012) (with William A. Schabas).
• McDermott, Yvonne, “Rights in Reverse: A
Critical Analysis of Fair Trial Rights under
International Criminal Law”, in William
A. Schabas, Yvonne McDermott and
Niamh Hayes (eds.), The Ashgate Research
Companion to International Criminal Law:
Critical Perspectives (Ashgate, 2012).
• McDermott, Yvonne, “Double Speak and
Double Standards: Does the Jurisprudence
on Retrial following Acquittal under
International Criminal Law Spell the End
of the Double Jeopardy Rule?”, in David
Keane and Yvonne McDermott (eds.), The
Challenge of Human Rights: Past, Present and
Future (Elgar, 2012).
• McDermott, Yvonne, “Joint case
commentary: Prosecutor v. Trbić, Decision
on Trial Chamber’s competence to entertain
motion filed after entry into force of
decision under Rule 11bis’ and Prosecutor
v. Lukić et al., Decision on Milan Lukić’s
appeal regarding referral”, in Andre Klip
and Goran Sluiter (eds), Annotated Leading
Cases of International Criminal Tribunals:
Volume XXXIV, Antwerp, 2011.
• McDermott, Yvonne, “Case commentary:
Prosecutor v. Krajišnik, Decision on
Momčilo Krajišnik’s motion to reschedule
status conference and permit Alan
Dershowitz appear”, in Andre Klip and
Goran Sluiter (eds.), Annotated Leading
Cases of International Criminal Tribunals:
Volume XXXV (Antwerp, 2011).
• Murphy, Raymond, “Report on
International Humanitarian Law and related
developments in Ireland”, 13 Yearbook of
International Humanitarian Law 2010 496
(2011).
(Gill and Macmillan, 2012).
• Murphy, Raymond, “Introduction”, in Post
Conflict Peacebuilding and International
Law, xi-xxxiv (Ashgate, 2012).
• Murphy, Raymond, “Origins and
Development of International
Humanitarian Law”, in Manual for
International Criminal Investigations 1-9
(Institute for International Criminal
Investigations, The Hague (2012).
• Murphy, Raymond, “United Nations
Standby Arrangement System (UNSAS)”,
in R. Wolfrum (ed.), Max Planck
Encyclopaedia of Public International Law
(Oxford, 2008-2011).
• Murphy, Raymond, “War Crimes”, in The
Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Globalization
( John Wiley & Sons, 2010).
• Murphy, Raymond, “Post-UN Withdrawal:
An Assessment of Peacekeeping in Chad”,
The Irish Yearbook of International Law 2010
1 (2011).
• Murphy, Shannonbrooke, “Unique in
International Human Rights Law: Article
20(2) and the Right to Resist in the African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights”, 11
African Human Rights Law Journal 2 (2011).
• Murphy, Raymond, “Report on
International Humanitarian Law and related
developments in Ireland”, 11 Yearbook
of International Humanitarian Law 475
(2010).
• Murphy, Shannonbrooke, “The Right to
Resist Reconsidered” in DP Keane and Y
McDermott (eds.), The Challenge of Human
Rights: Past, Present and Future (Edward
Elgar Publishers, 2012).
• Murphy, Ray, “Forgotten Rights:
Consequences of the Israeli occupation
of the Golan Heights”, in D. Keane and Y.
McDermott (eds.), The Challenges of Human
Rights – Past, Present and Future 138-164
(Edgar Allen, 2012).
• Schabas, William, “Presentation of
the Quinquennial Report on Capital
Punishment and implementation of the
safeguards guaranteeing protection of the
rights of those facing the death penalty,
2010”, Cahiers de Défense Sociale 67 (200910).
• Murphy, Ray, “International Security and
United Nations Peacekeeping: the Irish
Experience”, in Tonra, Kennedy, Doyle and
Dorr (eds.), Irish Foreign Policy, 169-83
33
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Research and Publications
BLOG POSTS, MEDIA
ARTICLES, INTERVIEWS,
AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS
• Azarov, Valentina, “Exploiting A ‘Dynamic’
Interpretation? The Israeli High Court
of Justice Accepts the Legality of Israel’s
Quarrying Activities in the OPT”, European
Journal of International Law: Talk! 7
February 2012, available at http://www.
ejiltalk.org/exploiting-a-dynamicinterpretation-the-israeli-high-court-ofjustice-accepts-the-legality-of-israelsquarrying-activities-in-the-occupiedpalestinian-territory
• Azarov, Valentina, “ICC Jurisdiction in
Palestine: Blurring Law and Politics”,
JURIST - Forum, 9 April 2012, available
at http://jurist.org/forum/2012/04/
valentina-azarov-icc-palestine.php
• Azarov, Valentina, “Disingenuous
Disengagement: Israel’s Occupation
of the Gaza Strip and the Protective
Function of the Law of Occupation”,
Opinio Juris, April 2012, available at
http://opiniojuris.org/2012/04/24/
disingenuous-disengagement-israelsoccupation-of-the-gaza-strip-and-theprotective-function-of-the-law-ofbelligerent-occupation/#comments
• Darcy, Shane, “Putting Human Rights First”,
Sunday Business Post, March 11, 2012.
• De Ycaza, Carla, “Law and Africa: A Portrait
of Fatou Bensouda”, Work Style Magazine
(Spring 2012).
• De Ycaza, Carla, “Women at Work in Africa:
Opportunities and Challenges”, Work Style
Magazine (Winter 2011).
• De Ycaza, Carla, “African Institutions in a
Changing Regional and Global Security
Environment”, International Peace Institute
(September 2010).
• Jaichand, Vinodh, “Responses to racism
research show few have read the actual
34
report”, The Galway Advertiser, January 13,
2011.
• Jaichand, Vinodh, “We must avoid ‘taxi
apartheid’ says human rights centre
director”, The Galway Advertiser, December
16, 2010.
• Lubell, Noam, “Transnational Armed
Conflicts”, N 40 Bruges Colloquium,
College of Europe and the International
Committee of the Red Cross (2010).
• McDermott, Yvonne, Interview (in Irish):
Raidió na Life, “Cuspóirí Fobraíochta na
Mílaoise agus Geallúna na Rialtais” (“The
Millennium Development Goals and
Governmental Obligations”), September 5,
2010.
• McDermott, Yvonne, “Media Standards
and the Stephen Lawrence case”,
Blog post, January 2012, available at:
http://www.humanrights.ie/index.
php/2012/01/16/mcdermott-onmedia-standards-and-the-lawrence-case
• McDermott, Yvonne, “Complementarities
between International Refugee Law,
International Criminal Law and
International Human Rights Law”, ASIL
Accountability, July 2011, available at
http://www.asil.org/accountability/
summer_2011_7.cfm
• McDermott, Yvonne, “Mandatory Death
Penalty in Singapore”, Blog post, May 2011,
available at: http://www.intlawgrrls.
com/2011/05/mandatory-deathpenalty-in-singapore.html
• McDermott, Yvonne, “Abuse of Process
and the ICC Trial in Lubanga”, Case
commentary, July 2010, available at:
http://www.intlawgrrls.com/2010/08/
abuse-of-process-icc-trial-in-lubanga.
html
• Murphy, Raymond, “Irish and UN forces
faced with dilemma in Lebanon”, The Irish
Times, December 20, 2010.
• Murphy, Raymond, “Is it time for a World
Court of Human Rights?”, Sunday Business
Post, January 2, 2011.
• Murphy, Raymond, “Peacekeepers on
Lebanon need support on the ground”, The
Irish Times, June 27, 2011.
• Murphy, Raymond, “Ireland not fulfilling
child soldier obligations”, Sunday Business
Post, January 1, 2012.
• Murphy, Raymond, “Cambodia War
Crimes Tribunal at risk of failure”, The Irish
Times, February 16, 2012.
• Murphy, Raymond, “A milestone for
international court as notorious warlord is
brought to justice”, The Irish Times, March
28, 2012.
• Murphy, Raymond, “Illusory UN peace
plan has failed to stop Syrian horror”, The
Irish Times, May 31, 2012.
• Schabas, William, “Put North Korea on
Trial”, International Herald Tribune, April 26,
2012 (with Sir Geoffrey Nice).
• Schabas, William, “Put North Korea
on Trial”, The New York Times and The
International Herald Tribune, May 25, 2012
(with Sir Geoffrey Nice QC).
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
RESEARCH PROJECTS
COMPLETED
• Curtis, Josh, “Submission to the Irish
Department of Foreign Affairs in Response
to the Review of the White Paper on Irish
Aid”, Irish Centre for Human Rights, April
2012 (with Peter Fitzmaurice).
• Bernaz, Nadia, “Guidance on Business and
Human Rights: A Review”, commissioned
by the British Equality and Human Rights
Commission, 2011 (with Dr Jérémie Gilbert
and Professor Joshua Castellino).
• Bellal, Annyssa, “Rules of Engagement
- Protecting Civilians through Dialogue
with Armed Non-State Actors”, Final
Report, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign
Affairs and Geneva Academy of International
Humanitarian Law and Human Rights,
November 2011 (with Stuart CaseyMaslen).
• Darcy, Shane, et al., “Business and Human
Rights in Ireland”, Irish Centre for Human
Rights, April 2012.
• Jaichand, Vinodh, “Riding along Racism?
Research on the Galway Taxi Industry:
Employment Opportunities, Patterns of
Public Use and User Perceptions”, Irish
Centre for Human Rights, December 2010.
• Murphy, Raymond, “The Assessment
and Update of Customary International
Humanitarian Law in Ireland”, Report
prepared for Irish Red Cross and
International Committee of the Red Cross,
2011.
• Pestova, Natalia, “The Right to Health
In Russia”, research report delivered
under the Monitoring the Right to Health
project coordinated by the University
of Aberdeen School of Law, published
by the International Federation of Health
and Human Rights Organisations, January
2012, available at http://www.ifhhro.org/
information-centre/country-reports.
35
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial
BiennialReport
Report2010-2012
2010-2012
Conference Presentations, Guest Lectures and Symposia
The Irish Centre for Human Rights is dedicated to genuine and personal
engagement with diverse actors, organizations and institutions both nationally
and internationally on a range of human rights issues at all levels of advocacy,
activism and academia. This is evinced by faculty member and students
delivering conference papers and lectures around the world:
William A. Schabas – “Katyn at Nuremberg”,
Conference on Katyn: Justice Delayed
or Justice Denied, Case Western Reserve
University School of Law, Cleveland, 4
February 2011;
“Gaza, Goldstone and the International
Criminal Court”, Wilfred Laurier University,
Waterloo, Ontario, 17 February 2011;
“Truth Commissions and their Contribution
to Transitional Justice”, Kawakibi Democracy
Transition Centre, Tunis, 24 February 2011;
“Article 2 of the European Convention on
Human Rights”, Legal Transformation Centre,
Minsk, 26 February 2011;
“The Next Decade of the International
Criminal Court: Some Concerns”, University
of Salzburg, 18 March 2011;
“Drug Offences and the Death Penalty”,
Middle Summary Conference on Promoting
the Death Penalty Reform in China (Yunnan
Pilot), Research Centre for Criminal Law of
Wuhan University, Beijing, 26 March 2011;
Prosecution at the International Criminal
Tribunals”, Casten Centre for Human Rights,
Monash University, Melbourne, 1 June 2011;
“Ding Dong the Witch is Dead: Dealing
with Tyrants Under International Law”, Sean
Lester Memorial Lecture, Irish Society of
International Law, Dublin, 8 June 2011;
“Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and the
Need for the New Convention”, International
Humanitarian Law Dialogs, Chautauqua, New
York, 29 August 2011;
“The Eichmann Trial and its Contribution
to the Law of Genocide”, Perspectives on
Genocide, The Adolf Eichmann Trial –
Looking Back 50 Years Later, Loyola Law
School, Los Angeles, 16 September 2011;
“The Death Penalty and International Legal
Standards”, Guangzhou, China, 18 September
2011;
“The Death Penalty and International Legal
Standards”, Kunming, China, 20 September
2011;
“International Developments on the Death
Penalty”, National Judges College, Beijing, 28
March 2011;
“Proving Genocidal Intent: Is it Really
So Difficult?”, Aubrey Newman Lecture,
University of Leicester, 21 September 2011;
“Victors’ Justice: Selecting Targets for
“Understanding Genocidal Intent”, University
of Leicester, 22 September 2011;
“Transitional Justice and International Law”,
Autumn Bi-Annual Meeting of the Japanese
Society of International Law, Kwansei Gakuin
University, Osaka, 8 October 2011;
“The Arab Spring and the International
Criminal Court”, Canadian Council for
International Law, Ottawa, 5 November 2011;
“The Status of Capital Punishment”, Academic
Council of the United Nations System,
Vienna, 9 November 2011;
“Human Rights and the Legacy of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia”, Legacy Conference of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia, The Hague, 15 November 2011;
“Unimaginable Atrocities: The Future of
International Criminal Tribunals”, University
College Dublin, 18 November 2011;
“The History of Crimes against Humanity”,
Annual Conference of the Chambers of 9
Bedford Row, London, 19 November 2011;
“The International Criminal Court and the
Protection of Civilians”, Conference on
International Humanitarian Law, International
Committee of the Red Cross and NAM
Centre for Human Rights and Cultural
Diversity, Tehran, 23 November 2011;
“Reforming the Death Penalty in China”,
36
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Nelson Mandela by Anne Pac
China-UN Seminar on Human Rights,
Hangzhou, 2 December 2011;
“The Future of the International Criminal
Court”, Centre for Law, Ethics and
Globalisation Annual Lecture, University
of Southampton School of Law, 2 February
2012;
“The first decade of the International Criminal
Court”, University of New South Wales,
Sydney, 14 February 2012;
“International Criminal Law: Only for the
Winners?”, Human Rights Research and
Education Centre, University of Ottawa, 29
February 2012;
“The Next Utopia and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights”, McMaster
University, Hamilton, 2 March 2012;
“The Arab Spring”, Law Society of Ireland,
Dublin, 12 March 2012;
“Judicial Activism and International
Humanitarian Law”, London School of
Economics, 14 March 2012;
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to the Rwandan
Courts”, Catholic University of Leuven, 22
March 2012;
“The ICTY and Genocide: Clarity and
Confusion”, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, 26 March 2012;
“Victors’ Justice”, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, 27 March 2012;
“International Trends”, Death Penalty
Symposium 2012, Towards Death Penalty
Abolition: European Experience and Asian
Perspectives, European Union, Tokyo, 18
April 2012;
“The International Criminal Court and
International Peace and Security”, Free
University of Amsterdam, 14 May 2012;
“The Distinction between International and
Transnational Crimes”, International Institute
of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences,
Siracusa, Italy, 21 May 2012;
“The Future of the International Criminal
Court”, Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
London, 21 June 2012;
“The Principle of Legality: Fictional
Adherence or Judicial Straitjacket?”, Leiden
University, Hague Institute for Global Justice,
21 March 2012;
“The Advisory Opinion of the International
Court of Justice on the Separation Wall”,
Bethlehem University, Palestine, 9 July 2012;
“Transfer of Cases from the International
“The International Criminal Court at Ten”,
Embassy of France, The Hague, 11 July 2012;
“The Status of the Death Penalty”, Max Planck
Institute for International and Comparative
Criminal Law, Freiburg, 26 July 2012;
“The Eichmann Trial and International Law”,
University of Toronto, 10 September 2012;
“Transitional Justice: Challenges and
Difficulties”, European Society of Criminology
Annual Meeting, Bilbao, 13 September 2012.
Vinodh Jaichand – “Making the Case for
a UN Special Rapporteur on Land Rights”,
Irish Centre for Human Rights, Galway, 23
November 2011;
“Human Rights Protection During Austerity
Cuts”, Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic
Minorities 13th Annual Human Rights and
Equality Conference, Belfast, 1 July 2011;
“Finding Common Ground”, 2nd IrishAmerican Human Rights Exchange, Galway,
17 October 2010;
“Human Rights within Contemporary
Ireland”, presented at the launch of Bridging
the Gap organised by Galway VEC, Campus
Engage and the Community Knowledge
Initiative, National University of Ireland,
Galway, Galway, 13 April 2011;
37
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Conference Presentations, Guest Lectures and Symposia
“Racism in Economically Challenging Timesthe Galway Taxi Industry Example”, presented
to the Members of the UN Committee
on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination at the Stakeholders Meeting,
Geneva, 23 February 2011;
“Racism in Economically Challenging Times:
The Galway Taxi Report”, International
Human Rights Exchange, University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 23 February
2012.
Kathleen Cavanaugh – “Islam and the
Democratic Project”, Gates Public Service
Law Speaker Series, Co-sponsored by: UW
Law School, the UW Law, Societies & Justice
Program, University of Washington, Seattle,
21 October 2010;
“Illiberal Secularism: Islam in the Public
Sphere”, Jointly with the Centre de Recherche
sur les Droits de l’Homme et le Droit
Humanitaire (Universite Panetheon-Assas
Paris II) and the Irish Centre for Human
Rights, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris,
France, 8 February 2011;
“Militant Democracy”, jointly with the
International Political Studies Assoc. & the
Korean Association of International Studies,
Seoul, Korea, 16-17 June 2011;
“A Common Ground? International law and
Islamic Legal Traditions”, Salzburg Global
Forum, Salzburg Global Seminar and the
International Bar Association initiative on
Salzburg Austria, 14-19 November 2011;
“Constructing the Other”, jointly with the
Irish Centre for Human Rights, International
Committee on the Red Cross and the NAM
Center for Human Rights and Cultural
Diversity, Tehran, Iran, 22-26 November
2011;
“Policing the Public Sphere,” Law and Society
38
Association, Honolulu Hawaii, 7 June 2012;
“The Politics of Law,” Johns Hopkins
University and Beirut Arab University
initiative on Harmonization of the Law:
the Hague Conference, Unidroit and
UNCITRAL, Beirut, Lebanon, 10-11
September 2012;
Noam Lubell – “Cyber-war as a form of
Armed Conflict”, 11th Bruges Colloquium,
Conference organised by the College of
Europe and the International Committee of
the Red Cross Bruges, 2010;
“Military Operations against Armed Groups
in Foreign Territory”, Conference on Regional
and Global Security, The International
Security Forum, convened by the Center for
Security Studies, Zurich, 2011;
“Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations
(from the Flotilla to Bin-Laden)”, Guest
speaker at the Public Law Forum, Hebrew
University, Jerusalem 2011;
“Targeted Killings under the Law of Armed
Conflict and the Rules on Resort to Force”,
Meeting of experts and legal practitioners at
Columbia University Law School, New York,
2011;
“Is the Current IHL Armed Conflict
Classification Adequate?” Conference
organised by the College of Europe and the
International Committee of the Red Cross,
Bruges, 2012;
“Military Objectives in Cyber Warfare”,
Conference organised by the US Naval War
College, Newport, 2012;
“The Contemporary Legal Nature of UN
Security Council Ceasefire Resolutions”,
Conference organised by the International
Law Association, British Branch, Nottingham,
2012;
“The Principle of Distinction on Future
Battlefields”, Conference organised by the
International Committee of the Red Cross
and the Minerva Center for Human Rights,
Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 2012.
Raymond Murphy – “The UN Mapping
Exercise in the DRC, where to now?”
INTERPOL Workshop, Arusha, Tanzania,
October 2010;
“Domestic Violence and Human Rights”,
Waterside House Galway and Galway Rape
Crisis Centre, Public Awareness Campaign,
Galway, November 2010;
“The International Criminal Court and US
policy”, College of Law, Qatar University,
Qatar, January 2011;
“International law and Extraordinary
Renditions”, Shannonwatch/Amnesty
International Meeting, Shannon, 18 March
2011;
“When are elections free and fair?” University
of Taraz, Kazakhstan, 30 March 2011;
“The Defence Forces and Human Rights”,
Human Rights Training and Education and
Training Seminar for the Civil and Public
Service, Irish Human Rights Commission,
Dublin, 24 June 2011;
“International Security, the UN and Peace
Operations”, Foreign Policy in the Republic
of Ireland Seminar, Royal Irish Academy, 30
June 2011;
“The Challenges of Investigating War Crimes”,
National University of Ireland, Galway
Amnesty International Society, Galway, 21
November 2011.
“The criminalization of IHL and HRL
violations committed by peace forces: how
does it work in practice?” International
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Committee of the Red Cross/College
of Europe, International Organisations’
Involvement in Peace Operations:
Applicable Legal Framework and the Issue of
Responsibility 12th Bruges Colloquium, 2021 October 2011;
“Humanitarian Aid and International
Humanitarian Law”, Irish Red Cross/Irish
Centre for Human Rights Conference on
Conference on International Humanitarian
Law and Humanitarian Action, Royal Irish
Academy, Dublin, 9 November 2011;
“International humanitarian law and
peacekeeping”, Core Professional Training
on Humanitarian Law and Policy’, Barcelona,
Spain, 28 March 2012;
“The International Humanitarian Law
Framework”, Investigation of Sexual
and Gender Based Violence Workshop,
International Institute of Criminal
Investigators, The Hague, 30 January 2012.
“R2P and the Darfur peacekeeping missions:
lessons learnt?”, R2P and the Arab Spring:
Which Role for the European Union?, Leuven
Centre for Global Governance Studies
Institute for International Law, Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven, 16 and 17 April 2012.
Shane Darcy – “International human rights
law and the death penalty”, Promoting Judicial
Discretion in the Reduction and Application
of the Death Penalty, Lanzhou, China, 18
September 2010, and Xi’an, 21 September
2010;
“A Social and International Order for the
Realisation of Human Rights: The Promise
of Article 28 of the Universal Declaration”,
Forgotten Rights, Forgotten Concepts, Irish
Centre for Human Rights 10th Anniversary
Conference, National University of Ireland,
Galway, 19-20 November 2010;
“Prosecuting War Crimes: Research
Challenges for the 21st Century”, Revitalising
Research in Kurdistan, Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq,
14-16 December 2010;
“Truth and Reconciliation Commissions”,
Building Peace in Post-Conflict Situations,
British Institute of International and
Comparative Law, London, 17 February 2011;
“Introductory Lecture on Human Rights,
International Humanitarian Law and Criminal
Law”, University of Washington Summer
School, Irish Centre for Human Rights,
National University of Ireland, Galway, 22
August 2011;
“Capital Punishment in China”, National
University of Ireland, Galway Law Society,
National University of Ireland, Galway, 19
October 2011;
“Judicial Creativity and the Law of
War Crimes”, Judicial Creativity at the
International Criminal Tribunals, Research
Seminar of the Netherlands School of Human
Rights Research, TMC Asser Institute, The
Hague, 14 November 2011;
“International Criminal Justice”, Moscow
Summer School on Human Rights, Peoples’
Friendship University of Russia, Moscow, 2223 June 2011.
“General Principles of Criminal Law”,
Summer School on the International Criminal
Court, Irish Centre for Human Rights,
National University of Ireland, Galway, 21
June 2012.
“Judges, Law and War: The Judicial
Development of International Humanitarian
Law”, Research Seminar Series, School of Law,
University of Queensland, 2 November 2012.
Annyssa Bellal – “Towards A future Arms
Trade Treaty?” IHL Roundtable, organised
by the Irish Centre for Human Rights and the
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Irish Red Cross, Galway, May 2012;
“Armed Protest and International Law”,
presented for the Interest Group on Peace
and Security in the context of the bi-annual
Conference of the European Society of
International Law, Valencia, Spain, September
2012;
“Human Security, what is at stake today?”
Cycle de conférences de Chêne-Bougeries,
Spain, Geneva, Switzerland, September 2012.
Nadia Bernaz – “Business schools, the
professions and human rights: making the
connections”, Edinburgh, 7 October 2010;
“The International Protection against
Inhuman or degrading Punishment”,
Forgotten Rights - Forgotten Concepts, Irish
Centre for Human Rights, Galway, 19-20
November 2010;
“Responding to Vulnerability: Can State
and Corporation Be Business Partners?”
Vulnerability and the Corporation Workshop,
Emory University School of Law, Atlanta,
United States, 28-29 October 2010;
“Delivering Justice in the Caribbean: a Human
Rights Assessment of the Caribbean Court
of Justice”, SLSA Annual Conference 2011,
Sussex Law School, Brighton, 13 April 2011;
“Extra-territoriality as a way to enhance
corporate accountability for human rights
violations committed abroad”, Ireland and the
United Nations Framework for Business and
Human Rights, National University of Ireland,
Galway, 24 March 2012;
“Sentencing and Penalties in International
Criminal Law”, LLM in International Crime
and Justice, United Nations Interregional
Crime and Justice Research Institute
(UNICRI), Turin, Italy, 18 May 2010;
“International Criminal Law and Iraq”,
39
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Conference Presentations, Guest Lectures and Symposia
University of Duhok, Iraq, 6 February 2012;
Ireland, Galway, 2010-2011;
“Business and Human Rights: the Impossible
Reconciliation?” University of the West Indies,
Kingston, Jamaica, 14 November 2011;
“Unique in International Human Rights Law:
Article 20(2) and the Right to Resist”, African
Commission on Human and Peoples Rights
and the Centre for Human Rights, University
of Pretoria: 30 Years of the African Charter
on Human and Peoples’ Rights: Looking
Forward While Looking Back, Pretoria, July
2011;
“The Historical Evolution of International
Criminal Law”, University of Duhok, Iraq, 31
March 2011;
“Sentencing” and “Corporate Crimes and
the ICC Statute”, ICC Summer School, Irish
Centre for Human Rights, Galway, Ireland,
June 2012;
“Corporate Crimes and the ICC Statute”,
Summer School on Corporate Social
Responsibility, European School of Law and
Governance, Brdo, Slovenia, August 2012.
Shannonbrooke Murphy – “The Right
to Resist Reconsidered”, Irish Centre for
Human Rights, National University of
Ireland, Galway: Forgotten Rights, Forgotten
Concepts, Galway, November 2010;
Guest Lecturer, “Lobbying in the Public
Interest”, MA in Public Advocacy, Huston
School of Film and Digital Media, National
University of Ireland, Galway, 2010-2011;
Guest Lecturer, “Health and Human
Rights”, BA Nursing, School of Nursing and
Midwifery, National University of Ireland,
Galway, 2010-2011;
Guest Lecturer, “The Right to Healthcare
in Ireland”, Human Rights in Health, MSc
Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery,
National University of Ireland, Galway, 20102011;
Guest Lecturer, “Political Rights in
International Human Rights Law”,
International Law of Conflict, LLM
International Human Rights Law, Irish Centre
for Human Rights, National University of
40
“Codifying the Right to Resist in International
Law”, European Society of International
Law (ESIL), Working Group on Peace and
Security: Has International Law Something to
Say About Revolution? Valencia, September
2012.
Yvonne McDermott - “Gender-Based
Persecution under International Refugee Law
and International Criminal Law: Synergies
and Divergences”, Women In and At War,
Aberystwyth Wales, 11 May 2012;
“The End of the Cold War as a Catalyst
for the Growth and Current Character of
International Criminal Justice: Rhetoric
or Reality?” International Political Science
Association Conference: Human Rights, War
and Peace after the Cold War, Seoul, South
Korea, 17 June 2011;
“The Rights and Wrongs of Written Witness
Testimony”, Integrating a Socio-Legal
Approach to Evidence in International
Criminal Tribunals, University College
Dublin, Dublin, 19 November 2011;
“International Criminal Law as a ‘Gentle
Harmoniser’ of Legal Systems”, Law and
Society Annual Conference, Honolulu,
Hawaii, 7 June 2012.
Josh Curtis – “Legal Content of the Term
‘International Cooperation’”, 10th Anniversary
Conference of the Irish Centre for Human
Rights, ‘Forgotten Rights, Forgotten
Concepts’, National University of Ireland,
Galway, Ireland, 20 November 2010;
“International Assistance and Cooperation:
A Call for Conceptual Clarity”, Global
Governance and Transnational Human
Rights Obligations Network (GLOTHRO)
Stocktaking Conference, University of
Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium, 20 May 2011;
“People, Profit and Priority: International
Cooperation and the Principled Regulation
of Foreign Investment”, Global Governance
and Transnational Human Rights Obligations
Network (GLOTHRO) Executive Seminar
and Doctoral School, European University
Institute, Florence, Italy, 2 December 2011;
“Rights as Reply to the Economics of
Necessity”, Law and Boundaries Conference,
Sciences Po Law School, Paris, France, 28
March 2012.
Aoife Duffy – “Deciphering the Nomos of
the Camp”, International Studies Association,
Montreal, 16-19 March 2011;
“Gardens of (In)Justice: Detention without
trial in the British Empire”, Critical Legal
Conference, Stockholm, 14-16 September
2012.
Valentina Azarov – “Palestinian Statehood:
Recent Developments”, Grotius Centre for
International Studies, Leiden University, The
Hague, 27 March 2012.
Carla De Ycaza – “Traditional and Modern
Methods of Conflict Resolution and
Transitional Justice in Africa’s Great Lakes”,
Conflict & Conflict Resolution in Africa:
History, Myths & Realities, Montclair State
University, Society of Research on African
Cultures, Montclair, New Jersey, 7-9 October
2010;
“Whose Memories Count and at What Cost?”
Institute for African Transitional Justice,
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Kitgum, Kitgum, Uganda, 20-27 November
2011;
“The Impact of Global and Local Responses
to Transitional Justice in Africa: Assessing
Key Actors, Institutions and Processes”,
International Relations and Foreign Policy,
New York State Political Science Association,
Wagner College, Staten Island, New York, 2021 April 2012;
“International Criminal Law and Transitional
Justice in Africa”, Human Rights in the
Aftermath Symposium, Human Rights
Initiative, University of California, Davis,
California, 8 March 2012;
“Human Rights, Justice and the Humanities,
Global Perspectives on Justice”, Security and
Human Rights, Tenth Biennial International
Conference, John Jay College of Criminal
Justice, New York, 6-9 June 2012;
“Survival, Sustainable Humanitarian Relief
and Development in East Africa”, Lecture
Series on Human Rights & Social Justice,
Women in Islam, New York, 15 February
2012;
“Violence, Memory, and Human Rights”,
Humanities Institute, University of South
Florida, Tampa, Florida, 30 January – 1
February 2012;
“Truth, Justice & Memory in Africa’s Great
Lakes: Assessing the Impact of Transitional
Justice Mechanisms on Reconciliation
Processes in the Region”, Memory &
Movement After Mass Violence and
Genocide, Eastern Sociological Society, New
York, 23-26 February 2012.
Natalya Pestova – “Freedom of Information
Act in Ireland: history, key features and
practice of realization”, 3rd International
Conference State and Society: Challenges
of Interaction, Vyatka State University of
Humanities, Russia, January 2012;
“Pushing Law Boundaries: Exploring
Application of the International Human
Rights Law at the Level of Local Authorities”,
Conference Beyond the Law: Critical
Reflections on International Human Rights
Law and Policy, Griffith College, Cork,
Ireland, June 7 2012.
Heping Dang – “Capital Punishment and
Public Opinion”, International Symposium:
‘Completing the task: towards the universal
abolition of the death penalty’, organised by
the Academic Council on the United Nations
System and the Criminal Court of Vienna,
2011;
“Capital Punishment and Public Opinion”,
2nd Irish-American Human Rights Exchange,
organised by the University of Notre Dame
Centre for Civil and Human Rights and
Irish Centre for Human Rights, presented
on Capital Punishment and Public Opinion,
Galway, 2010.
Sheila, Narrainen – “The gender perspective
and the right of boys”, Multidisciplinary
Conference, Children and War: Past and
Present, University of Salzburg, Austria, 30
September – 2 October 2010.
Brian Farrell – “Human Rights Under
International Law”, International Law in the
Practice of Law in the United States, Iowa
State Bar Association, Des Moines, Iowa,
September 29, 2010.
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Impact of the National Academy of Sciences
Report, Univ. of Iowa College of Law and
Innocence Project of Iowa, Iowa City, 29
October 2010;
“Poverty Law and Related Work as a Career
Path”, Equal Justice Summit, St. Ambrose
University, Davenport Iowa, 8 April 2011;
“Innocence Projects and International Human
Rights Law”, Equal Justice Summit, St.
Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa, 8 April
2011;
“An Introduction to International Human
Rights”, Hubbard Law School Preparation
Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa,
14 June 2011;
“Electronic Recording of Interrogations
in Iowa”, Public Defenders Criminal Law
Seminar, Public Defenders Association of
Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa, 15 June 2011;
“The NAS Report and Forensic Science in
Iowa”, Iowa Judges Conference, Des Moines,
Iowa, 16 June 2011;
“Access to Justice”, Summer Seminar, Iowa
State Bar Association, Dubuque, Iowa, 16 July
2011;
“No More ‘Reasonable Degree of Scientific
Certainty?”: The Impact of the NAS Forensic
Science Report’, IAJ Criminal Law Seminar,
Iowa Association for Justice, Iowa City, Iowa,
16 September 2011.
“The State of Forensic Science”, From Crime
Scene to Courtroom and Beyond: An
Introduction to DNA and Other Testing of
Biological Evidence, Nebraska Bar Association
and Nebraska Innocence Project, Omaha,
Nebraska, 20 October 2010;
“Overview of the NAS Report on Forensic
Science in the U.S.,” Forensic Science in Iowa:
41
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial
BiennialReport
Report2010-2012
2010-2012
Conferences
The Centre was proud to host a wide variety of
world-class conferences over the past two years. We
express our sincere thanks to our partners in each
of these conferences, and look forward to further
collaborations in the years ahead.
IRELAND AND THE UN FRAMEWORK FOR BUSINESS
AND HUMAN RIGHTS
On March 24th 2012 a one-day conference
was held at the National University of Ireland,
Galway. Organised by the Irish Centre
for Human Rights and the School of Law,
National University of Ireland, Galway, the
conference explored issues of law and policy
pertinent to Ireland arising from the 2011
adoption by the United Nations of Professor
John Ruggie’s framework for business and
human rights. The framework emphasises
a State’s duty to protect human rights, a
corporate responsibility to respect human
rights and the need to provide remedies to
respond to violations of human rights by
business.
The conference looked beyond the voluntary
corporate social responsibility approach
to business and human rights; as Maurice
Manning, President of the Irish Human Rights
Commission has observed, “voluntarism can
never be a substitute for global standards
on businesses’ mandatory compliance with
human rights”.
Contributions addressed legal questions
which arise in relation to the UN framework
42
on business and human rights. Ireland
represents an obvious case study in this
context, given the presence of numerous
multinational corporations, increasing
privatisation of public services and allegations
of corporate involvement in human rights
violations both in and outside of Ireland.
The conference was attended by over 80
delegates, and papers were delivered by legal
academics and practitioners from the US, the
UK, Ireland, Belgium and Italy. Among them
were: Professor Anita Ramasastry (University
of Washington); Dr. Nadia Bernaz (Middlesex
University, London); Dr. Tony Royle
(National University of Ireland, Galway); Mr.
Nicholas McGeehan (European University
Institute, Florence); Mr. Alan Brady (Trinity
College, Dublin); and Dr. Corrine Lewis (Lex
Justi Law Firm, Brussels).
Special thanks go to Ms. Hadeel Abu-Hussein
for organising the event, which was coordinated by Dr. Shane Darcy and Dr. Ciara
Hackett.
A SYMPOSIUM ON IRELAND
AND THE UN CONVENTION ON
THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
Organised and hosted by the Children’s Rights
Working Group of the Irish Centre for Human
Rights, this symposium was held on May 14th
2012 at the National University of Ireland,
Galway.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child is the most widely ratified human
rights treaty. Nevertheless, children
worldwide continue to suffer violations of
their rights without recourse to an effective
remedy. On 19 December 2011, the UN
General Assembly approved a third optional
protocol to the Convention on an individual
communications procedure. Ireland has not
yet ratified the third optional protocol.
The symposium was designed to consider the
relevance of the protocol and opportunities
for Ireland to lead in the ratification process.
A diverse range of speakers included: Dr.
Maria Herczog (UN Committee on the Rights
of the Child); Geoffrey Shannon (Special
Rapporteur to the Irish Government on Child
Protection); Veronica Yates (Director, Child
Rights International Network); Tanya Ward
(Chief Executive, Children’s Rights Alliance);
Colm O’Gorman (Executive Director,
Amnesty International Ireland); Dr. Aoife
Daly (Lecturer, Irish Centre for Human Rights
and the Human Rights Centre, University
of Essex); and Carmen Madrinan (Former
Executive Director, End Child Prostitution,
Child Pornography and the Trafficking of
Children [ECPAT]).
The day was completed by the issuance of an
outcome document in the form of a call to the
Irish government to ratify the protocol and
give meaningful protection to the children in
its jurisdiction, signed by all those present.
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
An international tripartite video-conference between
the National University of Ireland, Galway, Queen’s
University Belfast, and the University of Essex, in
honour of the life and work of Professor Kevin Boyle.
PROFESSOR KEVIN BOYLE
Colony by John Reynolds
INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW AND
HUMANITARIAN ACTION
On 9 November 2011, Irish Society of
International Law, the Irish Red Cross and
the Irish Centre for Human Rights hosted an
event entitled “International Humanitarian
Law and Humanitarian Action” at the Royal
Irish Academy, Dublin. Humanitarian
personnel are increasingly facing risk of
death, injury or kidnapping in the course of
their work in situations of armed conflict.
In particular, there is increasing evidence
of violence against health-care personnel as
well as medical facilities and transport and
all this at a time when there is a growing
number and diversity of actors engaged in
humanitarian action. Never before has it been
more important for humanitarian personnel,
and those responsible for their safety, to
understand the legal protections afforded to
them in situations of armed conflict.
International Humanitarian Law (IHL) or
the law of armed conflict, a part of public
international law, is a set of rules which seek,
for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects
of armed conflict. It protects persons who are
not or are no longer participating in hostilities
including specifically the sick, wounded,
shipwrecked, prisoners and civilians not
taking direct part in the hostilities as well as
medical and religious personnel, civil defence
staff and humanitarian workers.
The conference raised a broader
understanding of the relevance of
International Humanitarian Law to
humanitarian personnel and the significant
work they undertake. Chaired by journalist
and broadcaster Karen Coleman,
approximately 80 participants with a particular
interest in the protection of humanitarian
action heard from the following experts: Mr.
Len Blazeby, Legal Advisor, International
Committee of the Red Cross; Professor Ray
Murphy, Irish Centre for Human Rights,
School of Law, National University of Ireland,
Galway; Lt. Colonel Jerry Lane, Legal Advisor,
Irish Defence Forces.
On June 11, 2011 an international videoconference was held in honour of Kevin
Boyle who passed away on 25 December
2010 at the age of 67. Professor Boyle is
widely regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest
human rights lawyers. Professor Boyle was
active with important international nongovernmental organisations such as Article
19, of which he was the founding director. He
served as a special advisor to Mary Robinson
when she was UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights. He appeared frequently
before the European Court of Human Rights,
winning important cases that dealt with a
broad range of issues, including freedom of
expression, discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation, and torture. He was also a
committed academic and in the words of one
of the speakers at the event: “he left a trail of
institutions behind him.” His life as an activist,
lawyer and academic centred around three
different universities. Professor Boyle began
his career at Queen’s University, Belfast. He
moved to the National University of Ireland,
Galway in the 1970s and the last two decades
of his life were spent at the University of Essex,
where he directed its human rights centre.
The conference was jointly organized by these
three universities where Kevin Boyle spent
his career. It sought to give proper tribute to
his work and focused on the wider themes
in human rights with which he was most
engaged. Several panellists who worked with
and were inspired by Professor Boyle spoke at
the event, including: Tony Fisher, Professor
Tom Hadden, Dr. Corinne Lennox, Dr. Walter
Kirwan, Marie McGonagle, and Darren
Dinsmore.
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Irish Centre For Human Rights
44
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Lecture Series, Special Events and Lunchtime Seminars
The Irish Centre for Human Rights has a strong tradition of attracting
many of the luminaries in the field to Galway, to inform students,
staff and the general public about topics of particular interest. The
lunchtime seminars and guest lectures contribute greatly to learning
both at the Centre and in the larger public sphere, and have often
sparked intense debate. Over the last two years some of the speakers
and their topics have included the following:
The Irish Centre for Human Rights has a
strong tradition of attracting many of the
luminaries in the field to Galway, to inform
students, staff and the general public about
topics of particular interest. The lunchtime
seminars and guest lectures contribute greatly
to learning both at the Centre and in the larger
public sphere, and have often sparked intense
debate. Over the last two years some of the
speakers and their topics have included the
following:
On 19th October 2011 Siobhan Cummiskey
attorney at law (New York) spoke about
“Equal Rights Litigation and Travellers”.
On 24th October 2011 Fiona de Londras
spoke about “Privatised Sovereign
Performance, Counter-Terrorism and
Endangered Rights”.
On 1st November 2011 Edel Hughes, a
Lecturer at the University of East London,
spoke about “Identity and Dissent:
Understanding the Kurdish Conflict in
Turkey”.
On 7th November 2011 Guilia Pinzauti,
assistant legal officer at the Special Tribunal
for Lebanon (Appeals Chamber/Office of
the President), spoke about “The Crime of
Terrorism in International Law”.
On 22nd November 2011 Vinodh Jaichand
gave a farewell lecture: “Making the Case for a
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Land”.
On 28th November 2011 Fanny De Weck,
PhD Candidate and a visiting research student
from Switzerland, spoke on “Protection
against refoulement under the European
Convention on Human Rights and the
United Nations Convention against Torture:
A comparison of the individual complaints
procedures”.
On 7th December 2011 James Kofi Annan
founder of the organization, Challenging
Heights spoke about his experience: “Sold as
a child slave in Ghana at age six”. James Kofi
Annan aged 13 escaped from Volta Lake,
where he worked for seven years and managed
to educate himself by borrowing books from
local school children in his village in Ghana
and eventually secured a job at Barclay’s Bank
of Ghana. Today he campaigns to end child
slavery in Ghana but faces daily threats to his
life from those who make money by exploiting
children.
On 2nd February 2012 the famous
photographer, Nick Danziger, gave a talk
entitled: “War, Lives & Videotape”.
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Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Lecture Series, Special Events and Lunchtime Seminars
Dr. Tariq Mukhimer, a Bank of Ireland Visiting
Scholar, gave a series of lectures over the
second semester: “The Palestinian Question:
In Search of State”. The course was devoted to
the issues related to Israeli-Palestinian conflict
and the Palestinian search for a state since the
beginning of the 20th century to date.
On 21st February 2012 Daragh Murray, LLM
graduate and a doctoral candidate, considered:
“The Principle and Practice of Universal
Jurisdiction: Lessons Learned from PCHR’s
Experience”.
On 29 February 2012 Peter Fitzmaurice, a
doctoral candidate and a fellow at the ICHR,
examined: “The Right to Non-refoulement
from Conflict”.
On 6th March 2012 Tom O’Sullivan, a
graduate of the LLM in Human Rights and
a solicitor in Galway Law Centre, Legal Aid
Board, contributed: “A personal account of
the challenges of working for the UNHCR in
South Sudan”.
On 14th March 2012 Dr. Michelle Farrell
spoke on “Bare life, Precarious Life and the
Possibility of Human Rights”. This seminar
analysed the concept of the “inalienability”
of human rights from the perspectives
of Arendt’s notion of the “right to have
rights”, Agamben’s identification of all life as
potentially “bare” and Butler’s reflections on
the other as “precarious” life.
46
On 23rd March 2012 Dr. Basma
Abdelrahman, a psychiatrist with the El
Nadeem Centre for the Management &
Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture in Cairo,
spoke about: “A Tortured Nation Breaks its
Chains”.
On 4th April 2012 Mark Mullin, a caseworker
with the Refugee Legal Service in Galway
since 2006, discussed: “Representing
Refugees in Galway - the work of the Refugee
Legal Service”.
On 23rd April 2012 Valentina Azarov a PhD
candidate at the Irish Centre for Human
Rights and a Lecturer of international law
and human rights, at Al-Quds Bard College,
Al-Quds University, Palestine argued for:
“Re-formalising the Notion of Statehood in
International Law: Palestinian Statehood
and the Composites of International Legal
Personality”.
On 19th April 2012 Deirdre Duffy, a
barrister, gave us an insight into Ireland and
the Universal Periodic Review process: “So
far so good: Ireland’s Engagement with the
Universal Periodic Review (UPR)”.
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Projects at the Irish Centre for Human Rights
EU China Human Rights Network
The EU-China Human Rights Network
project, funded under the European Initiative
for Human Rights and Democracy, has issued
a grant of €1,500,000 to the Irish Centre for
Human Rights to spearhead the organisation
of the EU-China Human Rights Seminar
process over a four year period from 20092013.
Since 1998, the EU-China Human Rights
Seminars have brought together Chinese
and European academics, non-governmental
organisations and government officials on a
regular basis to analyse human rights practices
and developments in both regions. The 21st
EU-China Human Rights Seminar concluded
on 7 September 2011 in Beijing. The seminar,
the fourth led by the Irish Centre for Human
Rights under the current contract, created
a space for two days of debate on the topics
such as Drug Policy and Human Rights, and
Technology and Human Rights. A group of
more than 50 European and Chinese human
rights experts and civil society organizations
participated in the event.
In the group on drug policy and human
rights, consensus was reached on many issues
including the necessity to apply existing law
and judicial processes to reduce the number
of people sentenced to death for drug offences
and to progress towards the abolition of the
death penalty for drug crimes. In the context
of detention in compulsory drug treatment
centres, it was agreed that due process falls
short of international standards on the right to
freedom from arbitrary detention and needs
to be improved.
In the group on Human Rights and
Technology it was agreed that new
technologies can play a significant role in
realising the right of citizens to be involved in
environmental decision making. The group
used specific examples relating to China and
Europe to highlight both the dangers and
opportunities presented by the development
of new technologies.
In order to ensure wider access to
international scholarship on the issues
discussed at the seminar, following the
conclusion of the event, a series of guestlectures for participating European scholars
was organised at Chinese universities in
Beijing as well as in the city of Nanning,
Guangxi Province.
In addition to leading the seminar process, the
Irish Centre for Human Rights is also called
upon by the External Action Service of the
European Union to regularly provide targeted
research on issues raised within the context
of the official EU-China Human Rights
Dialogue. As a result, four research papers on
various topics have been submitted since June
2011.
International
Human Rights and
Drug Policy
Although it had already been in operation
for one year, the International Centre on
Human Rights and Drug Policy had its official
launch at the Irish Centre for Human Rights
on the 18th of November 2010. The Centre
on Human Rights and Drug Policy is closely
affiliated with the Irish Centre for Human
Rights, having been founded by one current
and one past student. Rick Lines is an alumnus
of the LLM programme at the Centre and
is currently one of its doctoral candidates.
His long standing work in the field of drug
policy and its human rights consequences has
led him to take up the position of Executive
Director of the International Harm Reduction
Association (IHRA), based in London, and
he also recently co-founded the Centre on
Human Rights and Drug Policy.
His co-founder is Damon Barrett who
graduated from the LLM programme in the
same year as Rick. Since 2007 Damon has
established himself as one of the leading
authorities in the small but expanding field
of drug policy and international human
rights law. The organisation is guided by an
international advisory committee, which
includes Professor Manfred Nowak and
Professor Paul Hunt. The Centre is dedicated
to developing and promoting innovative
and high quality legal and human rights
scholarship on issues related to drug laws,
policy and enforcement.
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Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Projects at the Irish Centre for Human Rights
Scholars at Risk
The Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network is an
international network of higher education
institutions which work to defend the
human rights of scholars around the world.
Nine Irish universities are members of the
network. Irish membership is coordinated
by Universities Ireland, the “umbrella”
body which promotes cooperation and
collaboration among universities in Northern
Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. National
University of Ireland, Galway is one of the
participating members of the Scholars at
Risk Network. The Network is dedicated
to raising awareness, understanding of,
and respect for the principles of academic
freedom and its constituent freedoms of
expression, opinion, thought, association and
travel. One of its core activities is organising
temporary academic positions at participating
institutions for scholars whose lives and
careers are threatened in their home countries.
In the last thirteen years, Scholars at Risk has
received thousands of requests for assistance
from individuals in over 100 countries, and
has assisted more than 150 scholars, including
arranging visits to institutions in more
than 18 countries. In conjunction with the
Scholars at Risk project, the Irish Centre for
Human Rights provides a studentship ranging
48
between three months and one year, to
students who are considered by the Scholars
at Risk programme to be at risk. The Centre
has hosted four such scholars from Iran, Iraq,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and
Ethiopia. It was the first institution in Europe
to host a scholar at risk and it is currently the
Chair of the Irish branch of the network.
The previous post under the Bank of Ireland
Fellowship at the Irish Centre for Human
Rights has been merged with the SAR
programme, so that currently the Bank of
Ireland funding goes to supporting a scholar at
risk. The current Bank of Ireland Fellow/SAR
is Dr. Semahagn Gashu.
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Rohingya trip 2009
Irish Centre For Human Rights
49
Irish Centre For Human Rights Biennial Report 2010-2012
Advocacy and Other Professional Activities
During 2012 Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh was
a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Notre
Dame, Faculty of Law, South Bend, Indiana,
USA.
Gave a lecture on “Human Rights and War
Crimes”, National University of Ireland,
Galway Human Rights Society, 21 November
2011;
Professor Ray Murphy gave a number of
seminars and taught on various workshops:
Gave a lecture on “Teaching Humanitarian
Law”, Irish Red Cross, Dublin, 29 September
2011;
“Investigation of Sexual and Gender Based
Violence”, Workshop, International Institute of
Criminal Investigators, The Hague, 30 January
2012;
Delivered several lectures in the United
Nations Training School and the Command
and Staff School, Military College, Defence
Forces Training Centre, Curragh, Co. Kildare;
Taught international humanitarian law and
international criminal law in The Hague
as part of the 16th and 17th International
Investigators Course, held by the Institute
for International Criminal Investigations, the
Hague, October 2011 and May 2012;
Was a guest speaker at the International
Criminal Court Summer Course, Irish Centre
for Human Rights, National University of
Ireland, Galway, June 2012;
Was a trainer in international humanitarian
law, international criminal law and human
rights in Madeira, Portugal as part of the 4th
Certification Workshop hosted by Justice
Rapid Response Course, 10 – 13 September
2011;
50
Visiting Professor, Riga Graduate School of
Law, Riga, Latvia, December 2011;
Made an expert presentation at the New
England School of Law Summer School, Irish
Centre for Human Rights, National University
of Ireland, Galway, June/July 2012;
Was a trainer in international humanitarian
law, international criminal law and human
rights as part of the 4th Rapid Response
Course at the Jakarta Center for Law
Enforcement Cooperation, Semarang,
Indonesia, February 2012;
Speaker at the Humanitarian Law and Policy,
Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and
Protection/Program on Humanitarian Policy
and Conflict Research Harvard University,
Barcelona, Spain, 28 March 2012;
Delivered training in international
humanitarian law, international criminal law
and human rights as part of the Justice Rapid
Response Certification Workshop, Istanbul,
Turkey July 2012.
Biennial Report 2010-2012
Irish Centre For Human Rights
Acknowledgements
The Irish Centre for Human Rights would
like to thank the following organisations for
their support over the past two years:
Bank of Ireland
European Commission
Galway University Foundation
Irish Aid, Irish Department of Foreign Affairs
Open Society Initiative
51
Irish Centre for Human Rights
National University of Ireland, Galway
Telephone:+35391 493948;
Fax:+353 494575
Email: humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Website: www.nuigalway.ie/human_rights/
Boy in Gaza by Andrea Breslin