V o lu m e 5 , I s su e 2
BULLETIN
Irish Centre for Human Rights
D e c e m be r 2 0 0 4
Irish Centre for
Human Rights
Coming Events:
10 December 2004
International Food Night to
celebrate International
Human Rights Day
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Summer Schools 2005
CENTRE STUDENTS READ
TRANSLATIONS AT LAUNCH OF
SEAMUS HEANEY’S ANYTHING CAN
HAPPEN
On Wednesday 17 November, Seamus
Heaney, at a ceremony in the Aula Maxima,
launched his new book Anything Can Happen, in collaboration with Amnesty International. Anything Can Happen is Heaney’s
translation of an ode by Horace written over
2,000 years ago, with an accompanying essay on the conflict in today s world, and 23
translations of the poem.
“This work perfectly reflects Amnesty’s
warnings on the threats to human rights in
the world today,” said Director of Amnesty
International’s Irish Section Sean Love. “It
will be a huge boost to our work in Ireland
and around the world, and Anything Can
Happen maintains our long tradition of support from internationally-recognised artists.”
Anything Can Happen was formally
launched by the South African Ambassador,
H.E. Melanie Verwoerd. In a special ceremony, Seamus Heaney presented a unique
copy of the book, signed by Nelson Mandela, to the President of NUI Galway Dr
Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh. Students from
the Irish Centre for Human Rights read extracts from the work in various languages.
Welcoming the guests to the University,
Pictured above are (front row, l-r), Deirdre Montgomery, Vicky Germanajou, Seamus Heaney, Jolanta Aski,
Fiana Gantheret, (back row, l-r), Joanne Williams,
Shawan Jabarin, and Hu Shuhijun at the launch of
Anything Can Happen.
President Ó Muircheartaigh remarked, “it is
a great pleasure to host the launch of this
work by one of the world’s leading poets in
support of Amnesty." The President praised
the work of the Irish Centre for Human
Rights and, in particular, the direction of
Professor William Schabas. Seamus Heaney
spoke of being honoured to launch the book
at NUI Galway, home to the Irish Centre for
Human Rights.
continued on page 3
Minority Rights:
11-18 June 2005
International Criminal
Court
9-16 July 2005
For further details see:
www.nuigalway.ie/human_rights/
summer_schools.html
ICHR celebrates two successful vivas
The Irish Centre for Human Rights is pleased to announce the successful completion of its
first vivas by two of the Centre’s PhD students. Both Alexander Knoops and Jéremie Gilbert
passed their vivas in October. Alexander Knoops’s PhD thesis deals with the prosecution and
defence of international peacekeepers before international and internationalised courts and
was examined externally by Professor Sharon Williams of Osgoode Hall Law School. Alexander is currently professor of international criminal law at the University of Utrecht.
The thesis of Jéremie Gilbert looks at the land rights of indigenous peoples and was examined
externally by Professor Patrick Thornberry of Keele University. Jéremie is currently working
at the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation in Venice,
and is due to take up a post at the University of Ulster next year. The Centre wishes Alexander and Jéremie every success in their future careers.
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V o l u m e 5 , I ss u e 2
William Schabas
appointed Honorary
Professor at Chinese
Academy of Social
Sciences
‘The law Institute of the
Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences is the
premier institution in
China engaged in
research and policy
formulation in all areas
of law...’
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Professor William Schabas, director of the
Irish Centre for Human Rights has been
appointed honorary professor at the Law
Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences, Beijing. According to Professor
Xia Yong, director of the Institute, the appointment is in recognition of Professor
Schabas’s contribution to education and
research in international human rights law.
The appointment was made at a ceremony
held in the embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in The Hague on 6 November
2004. Since 2001, the Irish Centre for Human Rights has coordinated the EU-China
Network on the ratification and implementation of the International Covenants on
Human Rights. Two books by Professor
Schabas, The Abolition of the Death Penalty in International Law and Introduction
to the International Criminal Court, published by Cambridge University Press, are
currently being translated into Chinese.
The Law Institute of the Chinese Academy
of Social Sciences is the premier institution
in China engaged in research and policy
formulation in all areas of law, including
international human rights law, an area for
which it has a distinct Research Centre for
Human Rights.
In 2004, the Law Institute and the Irish
Centre for Human Rights jointly published
an issue of the Global Law Review focussing on human rights issues within both
China and Europe.
Sinéad Beacom to take up new post
Pictured above is Sinéad Beacom, Network Coordinator of the EU-China Human Rights Project.
The seminars have
been hosted by both
Centre staff and
visitors to the Centre.
Pictured with Professor William Schabas, Director,
Irish Centre for Human Rights and Honorary Professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences are (l-r)
Prof. Chen Zexian, Ambassador Xue Hanqin, Chinese
Ambassador to the Netherlands, Prof. Wang Jiafu,
and Prof. Liu Hainian
Sinéad Beacom is to leave the Irish Centre
for Human Rights to take up a new position
as Human Resources Special Projects Officer at NUI Galway. Sinéad joined the Centre in March 2003 as Network Co-Ordinator
of the EU- China Human Rights Project.
The programme of the Network is to undergo a period of evaluation by the European Commission in 2005. The Commission have indicated that the project will revive in 2006. All at the Centre wish Sinéad
every success in her new post.
ICHR continues successful lunchtime seminar series
The past number of months have seen a number of stimulating presentations at the Centre, in
a continuation of the lunchtime seminar series. The series got underway this year with a talk
on the adoption of a set of voluntary guidelines for the implementation of the right to adequate food, by Isabella Rae, graduate of the Centre’s LLM programme and now of the UN
Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome. The seminars have been hosted by both Centre
staff and visitors to the Centre. During this semester, we have been honoured to have seminars presented by Dr. Tal Simmons, Principal Lecturer in Forensic Anthropology at the University of Central Lancashire; John Galvin of the United States International University in
Nairobi; and a screening of two documentaries on the issue of homelessness by Keith Walsh,
Galway-based independent filmmaker. Both William Schabas and Vivienne O’Connor of the
ICHR have also presented seminars. The seminar series will continue in January 2005.
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Vo l u m e 5 , I s s u e 2
Continued from Page 1
The President praised
the work of the Irish
Centre for Human
Rights and, in
particular, the direction
of Professor William
Schabas.
The poem Anything Can Happen is published with an accompanying essay in
which Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney reflects on the relevance of art in the political
context of the twenty-first century. The language translations are presented in an order
that reminds us of the difficult histories between the people who speak them. It is
hoped that sales of the book will raise a
considerable amount of money for Amnesty
Pictured right following the launch of Anything
Can Happen, is Seamus Heaney with students
from the Human Rights Centre, who were in
volved in reading excerpts from the work in
various languages.
Progress of Model Transitional Codes Project
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
Email:
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Publications
A list of publications by
staff and students of the
Irish Centre for Human
Rights can be viewed at:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights/publications.htm
Regional consultations on the Model Codes Project were completed last month with an
Asian Roundtable discussion held from 1-3 November in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting, hosted by the United States Institute of Peace and the Irish Centre for Human Rights,
in cooperation with the Judge Advocate General’s Department of the Thai Military and the
United Nations Association of the USA brought together a team of justice, police and military experts from various Asian countries, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Hong
Kong, China, Bangladesh, Fiji, the Philippines and Malaysia to examine the potential utility of the model codes and their compatibility with Asian legal systems. In addition to regional consultations, a presentation on a “User’s Guide” to the codes was given by Professor William Schabas and Mr. Neil Kritz, United States Institute of Peace, at the Office of
the High Commissioner for Human Rights Rule of Law Tools Workshop on 29th September last. Work continues on refining the codes prior to their final publication in 2005.
Refugee Legal Unit News
The Refugee and Asylum Legal Support Unit is now firmly established within the Irish
Centre for Human Rights. The training of post-graduate and under-graduate law students
began in September 2004. The central aim of the project is to develop skills and human
rights awareness with regard to refugee and asylum law among the student body at undergraduate and postgraduate level at NUI Galway. The model adopted for the Unit is that of
a Legal Aid Support Clinic which is designed to train students in one semester to support
existing legal aid structures. The Unit is currently reaching the end of the training course
which consists of two distinct but interlocking aspects; a student training course and joint
practitioner/student seminars on practical aspects of Irish refugee and asylum law. The provision of mixed classes with practitioners has allowed students to interact with legal practitioners in this area and apply their theoretical knowledge to legal practice.
Many of the legal practitioners who have attended the courses have indicated that they
would consider students of the Unit for apprenticeships or mini-pupillages. Members of
the Unit have also been working closely with NGOs in providing legal training on aspects
of Ireland’s new citizenship laws to asylum seekers and refugees and were able to provide
the specialised legal knowledge and teaching required for this course. This project is to be
extended throughout the West of Ireland and student members of the Unit will be able to
provide teaching.
Pictured right are Dr. Vinodh Jaichand, Deputy Director,
Irish Centre for Human Rights and Professor William
Schabas, Director Irish Centre for Human Rights with graduates of the 2003-4 MA in Human Rights and Democratisation
Programme at the graduation ceremony in Malta on 29
November. Professor Schabas was the orator at the ceremony. Dr Jaichand presented a paper on "Access to Justice:
the Pro Bono Option" at the Conference on Democratisation
in the Southern Mediterranean on 27 November in Malta.
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V o l u m e 5 , I ss u e 2
ICHR Director participates in conference at Washington
University
Pictured left is Professor William Schabas,
Director, Irish Centre for Human Right,
who presented a paper on comparative
criminal procedure at the ad hoc tribunals,
at a conference in the University of Washington, St. Louis, November 12-13.
Also in the photo (l-r) are Professor Leila
Sadat of Washington University, Judge
Christine van den Wyngaert of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia, and Professor Stefan Trechsel,
former President of the European Commission on Human Rights.
Recent Visitors to the
Irish Centre for Human
Rights:
Tal Simmons,
Principal Lecturer in
Forensic Anthropology,
University of Central
Lancashire
John Galvin,
United States International
University, Nairobi
Tree Planted to commemorate
Ingrid Betancourt
ICHR to publish book on
Truth Commissions
Pictured below is William Schabas at the treeplanting in St. Patrick’s Park, Dublin. The tree
was planted to commemorate the 1000th day
since the kidnapping of Colombian Presidential
candidate, Ingrid Betancourt.
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Publications
Staff and students of the Centre have published
widely and given numerous conference presentations in the last number of months. For full details see the Centre website at http://www.
nuigalway.ie/human_rights/publications.htm
The Irish Centre for
Human Rights Bulletin is
compiled and edited by
Edel Hughes.
The Irish Centre for Human Rights is to
publish a book entitled Truth Commissions and Courts: The Tension Between
Criminal Justice and the Search for
Truth. The book, a result of a conference
held at the Centre in October 2002, is a
collection of essays drawing on country
examples such as Guatemala and Sierra
Leone. The work is edited by William
Schabas and Shane Darcy.
If you wish to sign up for any of the above activities or to receive information regarding the
work the Centre carries out, please to 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