Volume 6, Issue 2
BULLETIN
Irish Centre for Human Rights
March 2006
Irish Centre for
Human Rights
Coming Events:
International
Conference
The
Slobodan Milosevic
Trial : The Verdict
29-30 April 2006
See page 2 for more details
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
PROFESSOR WILLIAM SCHABAS INDUCTED
AS OFFICER OF THE ORDER OF CANADA
At a ceremony held in Ottawa, on 17
February 2006, the director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, Professor William
Schabas, was inducted into the Officer of
the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour.
The official citation states: ‘A law professor and committed activist, William
Schabas, is one of the foremost international
authorities on genocide and on the death
penalty. A member of several human rights
organisations around the world, he played a
pivotal role in the creation of the International Criminal Court in 1998. Now director
of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, he
serves as an example of Canada’s contribution to international affairs and enhances
our nation’s reputation as a peacemaker’.
Martin Burke, Ireland’s Ambassador to
Canada, attended the ceremony, which was
held at Rideau Hall, official residence of the
Governor-General of Canada. The Governor-General is authorised to appoint a maximum of sixty-four persons each year as Officers in the Order of Canada.
Minority Rights, Indigenous Peoples and
Human Rights Law
10-16 June 2006
8 –13 July 2006
See page 4 for more details
In order to mark this event, the ICHR
hosted a surprise cheese and wine reception
at the Centre. The reception was attended by
Professor Schabas’ friends, colleagues and
students. Michael D. Higgins spoke a few
words to congratulate Professor Schabas
both for this honourable award as well as
for his contribution to the human rights
community.
Michael D. Higgins Appointed Adjunct
Professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights
Summer Schools 2006
International Criminal
Court
Ireland’s Ambassador to Canada, Martin Burke,
with Prof. William Schabas at the presentation
of the Order of Canada.
Prof. Michael D. Higgins
Michael D. Higgins has been appointed
Adjunct Professor affiliated with the Irish
Centre for Human Rights, it was announced
by the President of the university, Iognaid
O’ Muircheartaigh. Speaking about the appointment, Prof. William Schabas remarked
“We are thrilled that such an important and
influential person in the area of human
rights within Ireland will be working with
us so closely”.
Michael D. Higgins is Labour Party
president, Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs
and, currently, T.D. for Galway West. He
was elected to the Dáil in 1981 and was
Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht,
under the Rainbow Coalition, from 1993 to
1997.
A graduate of the National University of
Ireland, Galway, Michael D. Higgins already has a close connection with the university. In 2003, he received the NUI, Galway Alumni AIB Award for Literature,
Communications and the Arts.
continued on page 2
Page 2
Volume 6, Issue 2
continued from page 1
Coming Events
(cont’d)
Conference
Language Law and
Language Rights
Conference
14 –17 June 2006
For further details, see
www.conference.ie
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Book Launch
Chinese Translation
of
‘The International
Criminal Court’
by
Prof. William
Schabas
31 March 2006
Irish Centre for Human Rights
As part of his academic career, Michael
D. Higgins also worked, for many years, as
Statutory Lecturer in Political Science and
Sociology at the university.
In addition to this very successful
political and academic career, he has
contributed to the arts, particularly in the
fields of philosophy and politics.
Deputy Higgins is also renowned for his
consistent campaigning for human rights.
He has written extensively about conflicts in
many parts of the world. This dedication to
human rights issues was recognised internationally when he became the first recipient
of the Séan McBride Peace Prize of the International Peace Bureau in 1992.
International Conference on the Milosević Trial
The Irish Centre for Human Rights will
host an international conference to analyze
the trial of Slobodan Milosević. This conference will bring together leading international experts on the trial itself and on international criminal justice. It will assess the
strengths and weaknesses of the trial and
evaluate its contribution to justice and
peace.
Confirmed speakers include: Stephen
Kay QC and Gillian Higgins (Courtassigned counsel to Slobodan Milosević),
Michael Johnson, former Chief of Prosecutions, International Criminal Tribunal for
the former Yugoslavia, Professor Michael
Scharf, co-author of Slobodan Milosević on
Trial, described by the London Times as
‘the best account’ of the proceedings and
Professor William Schabas, author of The
Slobodan Milosević who died on 11 March 2006
while on trial for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes war crimes at the ICTY.
This important and indeed timely conference will take place over two days from
29-30 April 2006 at the National University
of Ireland, Galway. The conference is now
open for registration at www.conference.ie.
For further information, contact human_rights@nuigalway.ie
Observations from the Palestinian Elections
In January 2006, Dr. Ray Murphy, lecturer at the Irish Centre for Human Rights,
was part of the EU election observation
mission deployed for the 2006 Elections to
the Palestinian Legislative Council.
EU election observation is part of a
broader democracy building process. These
were only the second legislative elections to
the Palestinian Authority, following the
1996 elections, and as such they represented
an important step for Palestinian government. The elections did not take place under
normal circumstances due to the Israeli occupation with large parts of the West Bank
under Israeli military control. There were
considerable restrictions on freedom of
movement, especially in East Jerusalem.
The security situation in the Gaza strip
meant that the EU was able to conduct only
a limited observation mission there. All
observers present (EU, other international
and domestic) were impressed with the conduct of the elections and considered that the
process was free and fair in accordance with
international standards. The result, with
Hamas (officially referred to as the Change
and Reform party) obtaining a majority of
seats, was greeted with shock and dismay
by many in Israel and the US in particular.
The local media, in somewhat typical exaggerated terms, referred to this as the
‘Palestinian tsunami’. With elections in Israel pending, only time will tell how the
results in both elections will impact on political developments in the region as a
whole.
Dr. Murphy described his work as an
election monitor in a special seminar held
at the ICHR on 2 February 2006.
ICHR Staff Lecture at the
University of Aleppo.
Dr. Joshua Castellino,. Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh and Dr. Elvira Dominguez Redondo
with faculty and students at the University
of Aleppo, Syria where they lectured in international human rights law, Jan. 2006.
Page 3
Volume 6, Issue 2
Annual Doctoral Seminar to be held at the ICHR
Annual Doctoral
Seminar
17 –21 April
Irish Centre for Human Rights
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
The Irish Centre for Human Rights is
holding its annual doctoral seminar on 17 –
21 April. PhD students from the Centre, as
well as other students pursuing research in
the field of human rights law, will present
work-in-progress before a distinguished
group of international human rights experts.
Several prominent human rights experts
will participate in the seminar including
Christina Cerna, David Forsythe, Richard
Goldstone and Zoran Pajic.
For further information, please contact
K a t a r i n a
M å n s s o n
a t
k.mansson1@nuigalway.ie.
Class Trip to the Hague
In early March, students, along with
Prof. William Schabas and Peter Fitzmaurice, from the ICHR travelled to The Hague
for an International Criminal Law-themed
field trip.
Their first port of call was the International Criminal Court where they met with
several distinguished speakers, including
President of the Court, Philippe Kirsch,
Irish appointee Judge Maureen Harding
Clark, and French judge Claude Jorda. They
then visited the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, where
Judges Wolfgang Schomburg and Carmel
Agius addressed the students. Later they
had an opportunity to observe proceedings
at the trial of Milan Martic. Students also
met with Deputy Prosecutor David Tolbert
and Jill Higgins from the court-appointed
defence team for Slobodan Milosevic, as
well as previous graduates of the LLM programme who have been working on the
Milosevic trial for several months.
Students gather inside the foyer of the International Court of Justice
On their second day, students visited the
International Court of Justice, where they
spent the morning observing oral pleadings
from Professor Alain Pellet in the genocide
hearings between Serbia & Montenegro and
Bosnia Herzegovina. They also met with
Judge Thomas Buergenthal and Judge Abdul Koroma.
The trip, which is the second of its kind
to be organised at the Centre, was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Book Launched at the Irish Centre for Human Rights
Expert Level Meeting
Ireland China
Academic Exchange
Project
31 March-01 April 2006
Irish Centre for Human Rights
Prof. William Schabas, Dr. Elvira Domínguez
Redondo and Prof. Fernando Mariño Menendez
Dr. Elvira Domínguez Redondo, PostDoctoral Fellow at the ICHR, recently published her book Los Procedimientos Públicos Espeçiales de la Comisión de Derechos
Humanos de Naciones Unidas. The book
was officially launched at a reception held
in the Centre on 10 January 2006.
Prof. Fernando Mariño Menendez, chair
of the UN Committee against Torture, attended the launch to congratulate Dr.
Domínguez Redondo for her achievement.
Developments in Ireland China Academic Exchange Project
On 31 March to 1 April 2006, an expert level meeting will convene at the Irish Centre for Human Rights
in Galway. The meeting will be attended by academic
experts from both Ireland and China and will consist of
presentations on the ICCPR and China and will be
followed by discussions on this topic.
The ICHR would like to welcome Ms. He Hailan
from the Institute of Law, CASS, (pictured opposite),
who is an intern at the Centre. She is working on the
Ireland China Project and will, in particular, be involved in the organisation of this meeting.
Page 4
Volume 6, Issue 2
Doctoral Fellow reflects on her Experience in Kosovo
Recent Visitors to
the Centre
John McCarthy
UN Delegate to Ad-hoc
Committee on Rights of the
Disabled.
Arnold Tsunga
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights
Éamonn MacAodha
DFA Human Rights Unit
Discussions on peace operations often
centre on the lack of human rights accountability and the challenge of rebuilding a rule
of law-based society. All these aspects magnify when the UN assumes executive and
legislative authority as in Kosovo where
UNMIK has acted as de facto sovereign
since 1999.
From the point of view of an external
observer, however, the most striking aspect
in Kosovo is the immense gap between the
UN and Kosovans. It may not be an overstatement to suggest that this may have as
much of an impact on relations between
future public authorities and the people of
Kosovo as efforts to make, for instance, the
Kosovan legislation human rights compliant.
Civilian authority appears beset by a
lack of trust. Even the new Kosovo Police
Service, generally hailed as UNMIK’s succ-
ess story, lacks the public’s conf idence.
Interviews with UN- and KFORpersonnel and Kosovans indicate that it is
still the man with the weapon who enjoys
respect and confidence. This allegiance to
military rather than civilian structures is
probably to the advantage of KFOR. Free
from the governmental responsibilities of
UNMIK, KFOR enjoys an untouchable
status as the ‘Good Samaritan’.
While KFOR’s short-term benefits to
Kosovo may be undisputed, its long-term
impact on the relationship between civilian
authority, military power and the citizenry
may not be insignificant. From a human
rights perspective this may well present the
main challenge as Kosovo eagerly awaits its
long-awaited goal: independence.
Katarina Månsson, doctoral fellow,
spent six weeks undertaking fieldwork in
Kosovo in November 2005.
Lunchtime Seminars Series Continues at ICHR
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
His Excellency Mr. Andreas S. Kakouris, Cypriot
Ambassador to Ireland, and Prof. William Schabas at a seminar in the ICHR on ’Human Rights
and Settlement of the Cyprus Problem’.
David Joyce
Barrister
Saul Lehrfreund and
Parvais Jabbar
Death Penalty Project, Simons
Muirhead & Burton Solicitors
Shanthi Dariam
CEDAW Committee Member
It has been an eventful few months at
the ICHR; seminars have been held on a
diverse range of topics. The series began
with a seminar by John McCarthy on the
complex topic of Mental Health, human
rights and the law. Arnold Tsunga, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, gave a
very insightful lecture entitled: ‘The Systematic Erosion of Separation of Powers in
Zimbabwe. Éamonn MacAodha, Human
Rights Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs,
held a stimulating talk on ‘Human Rights
in Irish Foreign Policy’. David Joyce, barrister and Former Legal Policy Officer for
the Irish Traveller Movement, lectured on
Travellers’ Rights in Ireland. A seminar on
the litigation of capital punishment cases
before international court was given by
Saul Lehrfreund and Parvais Jabber, lawyers with the Death Penalty Project at
Simons Muirhead & Burton Solicitors, who
have become regular visitors at the Centre.
Shanthi Dariam, activist and member of the
CEDAW Committee, presented a public
lecture on the use of the Women’s Convention in securing women’s rights.
Seminars have also been delivered by
staff and students at the Centre. Dr. Adefemi Isumonah presented on the ‘language
of minority rights’, Jeffrey Hockett, visiting lecturer from the University of Tulsa,
provided an insight into his research on
presidential power in the United States, and
an advocacy training session was given by
Shannonbrooke Murphy and Rick Lynes,
students at the Centre.
Irish Centre for Human Rights Summer Schools
Preparations are underway at the ICHR
for the annual summer schools. Registration
has opened for both the ‘Minority Rights,
Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights Law
Summer School’ (10-16 June) and the
‘International Criminal Court Summer
School’ (8-13 July).
Faculty for both schools is composed of
experts in the respective fields who will
deliver lectures on current and pressing
topics. The summer schools are widely
acknowledged as the premier programmes
on these subjects and are always enthusiastically attended by academics, practitioners,
students and interested parties from around
the world
Details on both courses can be found at
www.conference.ie
Page 5
Volume 6, Issue 2
Irish Centre for Human Rights and Amnesty International Publish Report on Irish Institutional Racism
Breaking Down
Barriers:
Tackling Racism in
Ireland at the Level of
the State and its
Institutions
by
Louise Beirne and
Dr. Vinodh Jaichand
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
On 21 March 2006, International Day
against Racism, the Irish Centre for Human
Rights and Amnesty International (Irish
Section) published a report, written by Dr.
Vinodh Jaichand and Louise Beirne, on
institutional racism at the level of the Irish
State.
The report works from the premise that
the right to be free from racial discrimination is a fundamental principle of human
rights law. It aims to clarify the mechanisms
by which racism at the level of the State and
its institutions operates. This in-depth report
examines whether key government departments take adequate account of diversity
and whether such departments have a disproportionate negative impact on persons
from ethnic minority groups.
The report concludes that the Irish government has failed to sufficiently tackle the
existence of racial discrimination in its
laws, policies and practices. Thus, it is recommended that the State undertake a human
rights audit starting with the mainstreaming
of human rights and anti-racism training for
all state and institutional personal.
Speakers at the launch were Colm O’
Cuanacháin, Secretary General, Amnesty
Irish Section, Dr. Vinodh Jaichand, Deputy
Director of the ICHR, Catherine Joyce,
Blanchardstown Traveller Development
Group, Imran Khan, UK human rights solicitor and anti-racism activist and Prof.
Kader Asmal, international human rights
expert.
The report has already succeed insofar
as it has opened up the debate in Irish society on this very contentious issue. The Irish
Times and Irish Examiner quickly responded to the launch with articles published on 22 March, discussing the findings
of the report. In an article carried by the
Irish Examiner, the reaction of the Department of Justice, critically analysed in the
report, was described. Spokesperson for the
Minister condemned the report for
‘obscuring’ the issue and for flying ‘in the
face of objective analysis’.
Key to addressing this problem is the
recognition that a problem exists. This report ensures that the issue of deeply embedded racial discrimination at the highest levels can no longer be swept under the carpet.
Upcoming Viva for ICHR PhD Student
On 17 April 2006, Mr. Michael Kearney, student at the Irish Centre for Human
Rights, will defend his PhD thesis entitled
‘Freedom from Fear: The Prohibition of
Propaganda for War under International
Law’. His thesis defence will take place
before a panel consisting of Prof. Richard
Goldstone, former Justice of the South Afri-
can Constitutional Court who has also
served as Chief Prosecutor of the United
Nations Yugoslav and Rwandan Tribunals,
Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh, thesis supervisor,
and Prof. William Schabas, director of the
ICHR. The Centre would like to wish Mr.
Kearney the best of luck in completing his
viva.
New Staff Member at Irish
Centre for Human Rights
The Irish Centre for Human Rights is
pleased to welcome a new staff member Ms.
Aoife Harrington.
Ms. Harrington began working at the
Centre in January 2006. She is responsible
for providing administrative support for
staff and students at the Centre.
Page 6
Volume 6, Issue 2
PhD Students Participate at Nottingham Conference
Mohamad Elewa Badar presenting his paper on
‘Genocide at the Safe Area of Srebenicia’.
Three of the Irish Centre for Human
Rights’ PhD Students, Mohamad Elewa
Badar, Katarina Månsson and Michelle Far-
rel presented papers at the University of
Nottingham Human Rights Student Conference, ‘The UN Security Council and Human
Rights’, on 18 March 2006. Prof. Nigel
White. Prof. and Bertrand Ramcharan,
were among the expert panellists at the conference from whom the students had the
opportunity to gain valuable feedback.
On 3 March 2006, PhD student Roja
Fazaeli presented a paper at a conference
organised by the Feminist and Legal Theory
Project at the Emory School of Law, Atlanta. Ms. Fazaeli has been a visiting
scholar at the Emory School of Law for the
past 6 months.
Minister Conor Lenihan visits Irish Centre for Human Rights
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
The Minister of State at the Department
of Foreign Affairs with Special Responsibility for Overseas Development and Human Rights, Conor Lenihan, visited the
Irish Centre for Human Rights on 10 January 2006. He was accompanied by Éamonn
MaAodha, director of the Human Rights
Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs and
Frank Flood, Ireland Aid. A coffee reception was held in the Centre, which offered
an opportunity for staff and students to
mingle with the guests. This meeting is an
important step in the strengthening of interaction between the Centre and the government’s human rights unit.
Prof. William Schabas, Aisling O’ Sullivan
(Doctoral Fellow), Melissa Hacking (LLM student and recipient of the NUI, Galway International Student Scholarahip) and Minister Conor
Lenihan at the Irish Centre for Human Rights.
ICHR Director participates in Seminar in Beijing
The director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, Prof. William A. Schabas,
participated in the ‘International Seminar
on Strengthening of Criminal Defence in
Death Penalty Cases'. The seminar was
held in Beijing on 14 and 15 January 2006.
Prof. William Schabas is pictured here with
(from right) Hans-Jörg Albrecht, Chen Xiexian,
Han Jahae, Katie Lee and Roger Hood.
The Irish Centre for Human Rights Bulletin is compiled and edited by Michelle Farrell. If you wish to sign up for any of the above activities or to receive information regarding the
work the Centre carries out, please do not hesitate to
contact us at:
Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway, Ireland.
Phone: +353-(0)91-750464,
Fax: +353-(0)91-750575,
Email: humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Website: www.nuigalway.ie/human_rights