V o lu m e 3 , I s su e 2
BULLETIN
Irish Centre for Human Rights
May 2003
Coming Events at
the Irish Centre for
Human Rights:
Conference
June 7 - 10 , 2003
Biennial Meeting of the
International Association
of Genocide Scholars
Please contact: Shane
Darcy:
shane.darcy@nuigalway.ie
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Summer Schools
June 9 - 15, 2003
Minority Rights: Africa
and Human Rights
July 19 - 26, 2003
International Criminal
Court
See page 7 for further details
NELSON MANDELA
Nelson Mandela will visit the National
University of Ireland, Galway, which is
home to the Irish Centre for Human Rights,
on 20 June 2003, to receive an honorary
doctorate.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and first president of democratic South Africa, Nelson
Mandela is the human rights icon of the
twentieth century. After spending most of
his adult life in prison for his activities to
bring an end to the apartheid regime, Mandela’s release in early 1990 unleashed an
irreversible process of reform.
But Mandela is celebrated not only for his
heroism, and the symbolism of being perhaps the world’s most celebrated political
prisoner of all time. His engagement
places him at the centre of modern human
rights law, namely, the struggle against
racism and racial discrimination.
Mandela was sent to Robben Island in
1963, the year the General Assembly
adopted the Declaration on the Elimination
TO
VISIT GALWAY
Nelson Mandela chats with Professor William Schabas, Director ICHR, Johannesburg, December 2000.
of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. It
was followed two years later by the International Convention on the same subject, now
one of the most widely-ratified human rights
instruments.
Prohibition of racial discrimination is at the
core of modern human rights, weaving together historical strands, such as revulsion at
(Continued on page 3)
Vinodh Jaichand joins Irish Centre Faculty
Dr Vinodh Jaichand, a distinguished South African human rights lawyer and academic, has joined the faculty of
the Irish Centre for Human Rights. Vinodh brings with
him a vast range of academic and practical experience in
the field of human rights.
He has served as the National Executive Director of Lawyers for Human Rights for more than five years. Prior to
that he was a law teacher at the University of DurbanWestville. In 1992 he was appointed Associate Professor
of Law in the Department of Private Law and he served
as the Dean of the Faculty of Law from 1992 to 1993.
Vinodh completed his Doctorate in Juridical Science in 1996 at the University of Notre
Dame Law School at the Center for Civil and Human Rights. He also completed the LL.M
(magna cum laude) at the University of Notre Dame and earned the LL.M degree from the
University of Miami. He has a B.A degree from the University of Durban-Westville (1973)
and an LL.B degree from the University of Natal (1980).
He has been the recipient of the Jennings Randolph Peace Scholarship and was the
first holder of the Bradlow Foundation Human Rights Scholarship to Notre Dame. Vinodh is
an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa and has published a book on The Restitution
of Land Rights in South Africa.
Page 2
Participating speakers came
from Peru, the United
States, East Timor,
Ghana, Sierra Leone,
Northern Ireland, Canada,
Guatemala and
South Africa
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
International Conference on Truth Commissions and
Courts, October 2002
In October 2002 the Irish Centre for Human
Rights held a highly successful Conference
on the Inter-relationship between Truth
Commissions and Courts. This two-day
conference featured several panels of leading experts in the field of transitional justice
and provided an excellent forum for discussion and debate of contemporary issues in
this area. Participating speakers came from
Peru, the United States, East Timor, Ghana,
Sierra Leone, Northern Ireland, Canada,
Biennial Meeting of the
International Association of
Genocide Scholars, June 2003
Mr. Gerald Gahima,
the Attorney General
of Rwanda will give
the keynote address at
this year’s conference
From 7 – 10 June 2003 the Irish Centre for
Human Rights will host the Fifth Biennial
Meeting of the International Association of
Genocide Scholars. Over one hundred and
sixty delegates will participate in forty-five
different panels during the course of this
event. Some of themes which will be covered during this four-day event include the
role of the mass media in genocide, the response of international criminal tribunals,
international law and truth commissions and
the after-effects of genocide for victims and
their communities.
The Irish Centre for Human Rights is delighted to welcome to Galway the Attorney
General of Rwanda, Mr. Gerald Gahima,
who will give the keynote address at the
Conference on the Sunday Morning. There
will be a book exhibit running throughout
the conference, displaying recent publications on the issue of genocide.
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Further information on this exciting conference can be found on the Centre’s website
at http://www.nuigalway.ie/human_rights/
conferences.htm.
New Team Member joins the
EU-China Human Rights Project
In March 2003
Sinead Beacom,
who had joined
NUI, Galway in
July 2002, commenced work on
the
EU/China
Human
Rights
Guatemala and South Africa. David Crane,
the Prosecutor for the recently created Special Court for Sierra Leone and Professor
William A. Schabas, a Member of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission addressed these two different forms
of accountability for past human rights violations in post-civil war Sierra Leone. The
papers presented at this conference will be
published in a forthcoming Special Edition
of the Criminal Law Forum.
ICHR Staff Participate in
Peacekeeping Training
Course in Bulgaria
Dr. Ray Murphy and Nancie Prud’Homme
recently travelled to Sofia in Bulgaria as
part of a team of international experts in the
field of international human rights and humanitarian law to deliver a series of lectures and act as course facilitators for the
Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, Canada. The
course on human rights and peacekeeping
operations is part of the wide range of international training courses that the Pearson
Centre provides each year. Participants on
this course were drawn from a range of
countries, including Bulgaria, Romania,
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, India and Canada.
Financed by the Canadian government, the
purpose of this course was to promote
awareness of human rights, and the key role
which the protection of such rights can play
in conflict prevention. Participants included military personnel, police and civil
servants and a number of delgatesfrom the
NGO and IGO communities. Professor
Schabas and Dr. Murphy have previously
lectured there and contributed to the design
of course syllabi.
network at the Irish Centre for Human
Rights. As Project Administrator she is
responsible for all logistical planning and
administration. Previous to joining the
University Sinead worked with the Irish
State airline, Aer Lingus, both in Ireland
and USA, in a Managerial capacity for
fourteen years. Her interests include Industrial Relations, Women's rights, and the
NOW project (New Opportunities for
Women). Sinead is currently studying for
a B.A. in Education and Training.
Page 3
Vo l u m e 3 , I s s u e 2
(Continued from page I)
“Nelson Mandela
constantly reminds
us of the significance
of personal
leadership. Without
his presence, it is
easy to imagine
South Africa plunged
into turmoil”
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Over the past number of
months the Director of
the Irish Centre for
Human Rights,
Prof. William Schabas
has been a visiting
professor at the following
universities:
University of Paris II
(Pantheon-Assas);
Dalhousie University,
Halifax,
the University of
Amsterdam,
the University of Geneva
and
the UN University,
Tokyo
colonialism and the slave trade, as well as
the more modern manifestation, such as
the Holocaust and segregation in the deep
south of the United States. The racist destruction of an entire group, defined by
human rights law as genocide, is called
“the crime of crimes”.
Under Mandela’s guidance, South Africa
is struggling to create an egalitarian, pluralist society, a vision upon which he has
steadfastly insisted since early in his political life. Nelson Mandela constantly reminds us of the significance of personal
leadership. Without his presence, it is
easy to imagine South Africa plunged into
turmoil. Many countries are in almost
constant crisis because they lack men and
women of his stature and judgment.
Post-apartheid South Africa, under ManThe Irish Centre for Human Rights has
been most fortunate to have Dr. Kwadwo
Appiagyei-Atua serve as the 2002-2003
Bank of Ireland Post-doctoral Fellow.
Kwadwo has brought with him a wealth of
knowledge and expertise in particular in
relation to human rights, constitutionalism
and democratic development in Africa.
While at the Centre he has engaged in
many seminars and has taught a class on
the Rights of the Child to the LL.M students. His research focus at the Centre is
on examining the human rights reforms
introduced in the New Economic Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in
contributing to a human rights-centred approach to holistic sustainable development
in Africa.
dela’s stewardship, has explored innovative
methods of addressing impunity, insisting
upon accountability but without criminal
punishment. The country’s famous Truth
and Reconciliation Commission recently
filed its final report, urging that businesses,
including transnational corporations, pay a
special tax whose proceeds would be destined to apartheid victims.
The Constitutional Court that Mandela appointed in early 1995, in one of its first
cases, declared the death penalty abolished.
It is probably the world’s pre-eminent national human rights court, breaking new
ground for others to follow.
Nelson Mandela’s visit honours Galway,
the National University of Ireland, and the
Irish Centre for Human Rights. Welcome
to Galway, Dr. Mandela.
Bank of Ireland Fellow
2002-2003:
Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua
Kwadwo obtained his Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) from McGill University, Montreal, in
Canada in 2000. He is a member of the Ghana Bar and has a number of publications to his
credit, focussing particularly on human rights in Africa. He contributed a chapter to the Legitimate Governance in Africa: International and Domestic Legal Perspectives published by
Kluwer in 1999 and is also involved in that publisher’s International Encyclopaedia of
Laws Project, as a contributor. Kwadwo will remain at the Centre throughout the summer
continuing his research and will participate in the Summer School on Minority Rights in
June of this year.
59th Session of the Commission
on Human Rights, Geneva
The 59th session of the Commission on Human Rights took place between March 17
and April 25. Jérémie Gilbert, a doctoral
student from the Centre went to the Commission to represent the South Asia Human
Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC), a
New-Delhi based NGO. Some members of
the Irish Centre for Human Rights have
been involved in the informative-lobbying
exercise that took place during the Commis-
sion through the publication of Human
Rights Features by the SAHRDC. Professor
William Schabas gave an interview on the
progress of the Truth Commission in Sierra
Leone, Shane Darcy wrote on the ongoing
climate of impunity in the Occupied Territories and Jérémie Gilbert participated as a
member of the editorial team in Geneva.
The Commission is certainly the best place
for the students of the Centre to build cooperation with delegates and NGOs and to put
in practice their legal skill in the political
arena.
Page 4
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
Human Rights Society holds First Conference
Currently the Irish
Centre for Human
Rights is hosting
students from
Palestine, Israel,
Cyprus, Tunisia,
Morocco, Jordan,
Turkey, Egypt,
Lebanon, Albania, Italy
The NUI, Galway Human Rights Society was
founded spring of 2002 and its mission is “to
raise awareness and to promote activism on
issues arising from, or related to, the nonrecognition of fundamental human rights.”
Several students from the Irish Centre for Human Rights, notably Mariyam Cementwala,
Seena Perumal and Anthony Cullen, are key
members of the society.
In March 2003 the Society held its first annual Irish Students for Human Rights Convention, titled “Awareness, Advocacy, and
Activism.” Over 120 people attended the
convention which was aimed at bringing together like-minded students from all across
Ireland and Northern Ireland for an informative and enjoyable weekend of human rights
dialogue. Some of the distinguished panel of
speakers included H.E. Carmel Agius, a
Judge at International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia; William Schabas,
Director of the Irish Centre for Human
Rights; Tom Hadden a member of the
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; Patrick Yu, Director of the Northern
Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities and
Martin Collins, Assistant Director of Pavee
Point. Michael D. Higgins T.D. delivered
the convention’s opening address and former United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights Mary Robinson provided a special video presentation for the
Saturday evening banquet.
All in all, the Convention was a tremendous success and the Human Rights Society have already begun working towards
next year’s event. In April the Human
Rights Society was awarded the Best New
Society Award by the Board of Irish College Societies.
and Malta as part of
the Mediterranean
Master’s Degree in
Mediterranean Master’s Degree
in Human Rights and Democratisation
Human Rights and
Democratisation
The Irish Centre for Human Rights is pleased to announce its participation in the Mediterranean Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation. This one-year programme is
offered by a network of seventeen Euro-Mediterranean Universities and Institutions and is
co-ordinated by the University of Malta. Funded by the European Commission, the Masters
involves one semester in Malta and the second in one of the participating institutions. A
number of students from this programme are currently living and studying in Galway. Students from Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Albania, Italy and Malta compose this year’s master class and the Irish Centre for Human
Rights looks forward to welcoming more students in 2004. Further details about this Masters
are available from Dr. Vinodh Jaichand: vinodh.jaichand@nuigalway.ie
MASTERS PROGRAMMES
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Although the Irish Centre for Human Rights
is relatively young, it now participates in no
less the five different Masters programmes.
This year over 54 students were enrolled in
these Masters at the Centre. The core programmes offers at the Centre are the LL.M
in International Human Rights Law and an
LL.M in Peacekeeping Operations. The
Centre also participates in the Cross-Border
LL.M in Human Rights and the Cross Border MSSc/LL.M in Human Rights and
Criminal Justice with Queen’s University
Belfast. The Irish Centre for Human Rights
is member of the network of participating
institutions of the Mediterranean Masters
Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation and the European Masters Degree in
Human Rights and Democratisation.
Amnesty International Society
Several students from the Irish Centre for
Human Rights have been deeply involved in
the Amnesty International Society here in
the University. The society seeks to raise
awareness of various global human rights
issues. The group collected over 420 signatures in late March urging the President of
the United Nations Security Council to install human rights monitors in Iraq during
the recent conflict.
The Amnesty Society’s most successful
event was held in early March when they
celebrated International Women’s’ Day
with an evening of film and discussions
dedicated to the plight of women worldwide. The society can be contacted at:
amnestynuig@yahoo.co.uk
Page 5
Vo l u m e 3 , I s s u e 2
Annual Socio-Legal Studies Association Conference,
Nottingham 2003
Three members of staff
and eight doctoral
students from the Irish
Centre for Human
Rights participated in
the Annual Conference
of the Socio-Legal
Studies Association
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
A List of Publications
by Staff and Students
of the Irish Centre for
Human Rights has now
been added to the
Centre’s Website and
can be viewed at:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights/publications.htm
A large delegation of doctoral students and
staff from the Irish Centre for Human
Rights travelled to the United Kingdom in
April to participate in the Annual Conference of the Socio-Legal Studies Association. The conference took place at the Law
School of Nottingham Trent University
from 14 – 16 April 2003. The human rights
stream of this conference was co-ordinated
by Dr. Joshua Castellino and Dr. Ray Murphy. Three members of staff and eight doctoral students from the Irish Centre for Hu-
man Rights presented papers on a variety of
contemporary human rights issues.
Student Internships in Palestine
Second Annual
Doctoral Seminar
In September 2002 two doctoral students
from the Centre, Michael Kearney and
Shane Darcy, went to Ramallah, Palestine to
work as interns with a local–based NGO,
Al-Haq, the West Affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists.
Shane
worked on the issue of punitive house demolitions in the Occupied Territories and his
report was published in April. Michael’s
research was on the controversial security
wall being built between the West bank and
Israel and his report is due for publication in
June 2003.
Another doctoral student, Anthony Cullen,
went to work with Al-Haq in January 2003,
researching on the issue of civilian settlements in the Occupied Territories. Several
other students are also due to travel as part
of this ongoing internship programme.
Pictured at the Annual SLSA Conference are,
from left to right, Shane Darcy, Clementine
Olivier and Dr, Ray Murphy, ICHR.
From 22 – 26 April of this year the Irish
Centre for Human Rights held its second
annual doctoral seminar. This week-long
event involved lectures by visiting professors and a series of workshops and roundtables related to the PhD experience. All
doctoral students at the Centre made presentations of their ideas and ongoing work.
The Centre was delighted to have Professor
Raul Pangalangan from the University of
The Phillipines and Dr. Ed Broadbent of the
International Centre for Human Rights and
Democratic Development, Canada in Galway to lend their expertise. Both gave
highly informative presentations on the
highly current issue of multi-national corporations and human rights. Professor
Gerard Quinn from the Department of Law
at NUI Galway gave an interesting insight
into the inter-play of politics and law when
it comes to the rights of the disabled in Ireland. The lectures and student presentations were chaired by Professor William
Schabas and Dr. Vinodh Jaichand of the
Irish Centre for Human Rights. Lively debates involving all of the participants followed each of the presentations. On Thursday, the students and professors relaxed
with a bus-tour around picturesque Connemara.
Refurbishment of Documentation Centre as New Study Room
To accommodate the increasing number of students enrolled in the Centre’s doctoral programme the documentation room has been converted into a permanent study room. This room
will provide students with an area for research and study and his been equipped with a number
of individual workstations and computers.
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V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
K A T HL E E N C AVA NAU G H M IS S IO N
Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh of the Irish Centre
for Human Rights is currently undertaking a
human rights mission with Amnesty International to Iraq. As part of a team of delegates, Kathleen is conducting research on
the current human rights situation in the
country, collecting testimonies and meeting
representatives of the US and UK forces,
and representatives of humanitarian NGO's.
Last year Kathleen was part of an Amnesty
TO
IRAQ
mission that entered the Jenin refugee camp
in the immediate aftermath of Operation
Defensive Shield. In Iraq the mission has
visited the town of Basra where they recorded several instances of revenge killings
of Ba’ath Party members, allegations of
civilians being shot by Coalition forces and
an ongoing history of forced disappearances. Kathleen will spend several weeks
in the region as part of this mission.
EU-China Human Rights Network – 1 year on
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
Since the beginning of 2002, the Irish Centre for Human Rights has been the base for a new
cooperation project between the EU and China on human rights matters. The Centre has had
responsibility for coordinating and directing a partnership of 30 universities spread throughout the EU and China and for running the official EU-China Human Rights Dialogue – that
is, the twice-yearly intergovernmental sessions co-hosted by the European Commission, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Presidency of the European Union. The overall aim of
the project is to assist China in the process of bringing its laws into compliance with international human rights standards. Topics examined in working groups and seminars to date include the prevention of torture; freedom of expression; national human rights institutions;
and mechanisms for implementation of economic, social and cultural rights.
In March of this year Professor William Schabas, Dr. Vinodh Jaichand and Dr. Joshua Castellino of the Centre travelled to Beijing to take part in a seminar on Access to Justice. They
also took part in a human rights training session in Chongqing. This event gave over 60 lawyers, judges and prosecutors from western China their first introduction to human rights law
and its impact on their positions and professional responsibilities. Plans are advancing for a
large number of activities during the second half of 2003, including two sessions of the official Dialogue and a series of internships for Chinese students.
The EU-China Human Rights Network is a cooperation project funded by the European
Commission and run with the full support of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Further information can be found at: http://www.eu-china-humanrights.org
Progress of the Applicable Law Project
The Applicable Law
Project is aimed at
the construction of a
transitional system of
criminal justice
applicable in postconflict situations
In August 2001 the Irish Centre for Human
Rights undertook a project titled Applicable
Law in Complex Peacekeeping Situations.
This project is a component of the United
States Institute of Peace’s Project on Peacekeeping and the Administration of Justice. It
is aimed at the construction of a transitional
system of criminal justice, including ‘quickstart’ packages to be implemented in humanitarian emergencies. In particular, the
report identifies the need for clarity as to the
applicable criminal law in post-conflict
situations and explores the creation of an
‘interim legal code’ for which legal personnel could be trained on standby ahead of the
emergencies. The Irish Centre for Human
Rights is coordinating an international team
of experts drawn from the major legal systems of the world including Professor HansJorg Albrecht, Professor Diane Marie
Amann, Professor William Schabas and
Professor Cherif Bassiouni.
Thus far, a series of draft model codes, including, a ‘Transitional Criminal Code’,
‘Transitional Code of Criminal Procedure’
and a ‘Transitional Detention Act’ have
been been created. The results of the project will be presented at a public conference
organised in cooperation with the Office of
the High Commissioner for Human Rights
scheduled to take place in Geneva in June
2003. Participants in the conference will
consist of rule of law and peacekeeping experts from around the world, who will partake in an inclusive vetting and consultation
process on the model codes. The core panel
will reconvene in August 2003 in Galway to
consider the results of the conference and to
finalise the model codes.
Page 7
Vo l u m e 3 , I s s u e 2
The Truth and
Reconciliation
Commission for Sierra
Leone began its oneyear term on
5 October 2002
with a “statementtaking phase”, that was
followed in April 2003
with hearings in
Freetown and
throughout the country.
The TRC is scheduled
to present its final
report in October 2003.
Professor William Schabas, Director of the Irish Centre of Human Rights, at the Oath-Taking
Ceremony for the Commissioners of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2003.
2003 SUMMER COURSES OFFERED BY THE
IRISH CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Minority Rights:
Special Focus on Africa
Irish Centre for Human Rights:
www.nuigalway.ie/
human_rights
E m a i l :
humanrights@nuigalway.ie
The Irish Centre for Human Rights will hold
its annual Minority Rights Summer School
from 9 – 15 June 2002. The school focuses
on the rights of minorities and indigenous
peoples and how international human rights
law seeks to protect these. This year there
will be a special focus on human rights issues in Africa, such as the right to land, affirmative action policies, and effective political participation of minorities and restitution.
Tuition for the week is €500 and includes
accommodation, breakfast and lunch, an
afternoon trip, document and reading materials. Further details and registration forms
can be found on the Centre’s website at
www.nuigalway.ie/human_rights/
minority_rights.htm
International Criminal Court
The beginning of this year saw the election of
the judges for the International Criminal
Court; another step closer towards the Court
becoming operational. What was once an aspiration has now become a firm reality. For
the past three years the Irish Centre for Human Rights has run a very successful summer
course on the International Criminal Court
and this year the course will be held from 19 –
26 July 2003.
This week-long course looks at issues such as:
the background and creation of the court; jurisdiction; complementarity; subject matter
jurisdiction: crimes against humanity, war
crimes, genocide, aggression; relationship
with the Security Council; procedure before
the Court; the rights of the accused; penalties
and State cooperation. More details and registration forms are available at
www.nuigalway.ie/human_rights/icc.htm
Dr. Vinodh Jaichand invited to speak in Sao Paulo
Vinodh Jaichand has been invited by the Human Rights University Consortium, through a
cooperative agreement among the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo, the University
of Sao Paulo and Columbia University, to participate in the III International Colloquium on
Human Rights to give a lecture on “Utilizing Domestic Systems of Human Rights” on May
28, 2003 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Colloquium , from 26 May to 6 June 2003, will bring together over 100 participants from about 30 countries, primarily in Africa and Latin America.
Page 8
V o l u m e 3 , I ss u e 2
RECENT VISITORS
Coming Visitors:
Professor David Kretzmer,
former member of the UN
Human Rights Committee
David Scheffer,
former United States
Ambassador for War Crimes
to the United Nations
TO THE
IRISH CENTRE FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS
Over the course of the last few months the
Irish Centre for Human Rights has been
proud to have offered several leading academics the opportunity to spend time here
to engage in research and to participate in
activities at the Centre. Professor David
Kretzmer of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem spent several months here last year.
A former Member of the United Nations
Human Rights Committee, David gave several lectures and his door was always open
to students of the Centre eager to tap into
his expertise. Yoram Shachar, also of the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, spent
some time here where he undertook research and made several presentations to
students.
Shorter visits were made to the Centre by
Aisling Reidy of the Irish Council for Civil
Liberties, Professor Alan Miller, Director,
Human Rights Law, UK and Judge H.E.
Carmel Agius of the International Criminal
Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
The Centre looks forward to a return visit
later this year by Professor David Kretzmer
and to the visit of Mr. David Scheffer, former United States ambassador for war
crimes to the United Nations and a firm
supporter of the new International Criminal
Court.
Joshua Castellino’s Title to
Territory published
Title to Territory:
“...essential reading for
anyone interested in
these complex but
vitally important
issues.”
Professor David
Wippman, Cornell
University
The Irish Centre for
Human Rights Bulletin is
compiled and edited by
Shane Darcy,
with the assistance of
Jérémie Gilbert,
Mohamed El Zeidy,
Nicolaos Strapatsas and
Dr. Vinodh Jaichand.
April 2003 saw the publication of Title to
Territory in International Law: A Temporal
Analysis, a book co-authored by Dr. Joshua
Castellino of the Irish Centre for Human
Rights and Steve Allen of Brunel University,
UK. Jérémie Gilbert, a doctoral student at
the Centre, contributed a chapter to this book
on the right to land of indigenous peoples.
Professor David Wippman of Cornell University in reviewing the book said that it
“offers a compelling critique of the use and
misuse of the doctrine of uti possidetis in
modern international law and the inequities
sometime perpetuated by the continuing of
the application of the principle in earlier periods. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in these complex but vitally
important issues”. Joshua is also editing a
collection of essays, with Niamh Walsh, ti-
tled Indigenous Peoples & Human Rights
Law to be published by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and Kluwer in mid-2003.
Chapters have been contributed by several
Irish Centre for Human Rights staff and by
experts such as Martin Scheinin and Patrick Thornberry. The book is based on a
weeklong conference held at the Irish Centre for Human Rights in June 2002.
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