News & Events

Join us for a seminar on 'Israeli Settler Violence as State Violence' with Dr Alice Panepinto. When: Wednesday 20 November 2024, 1-2pm Where: Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room, University of Galway

Join us for Pushbacks through Escort: Readmission Agreements and Human Rights Implications for Maritime Migrants with Dr Aphrodite Papachristodoulou. When: Friday 22 November 2024, 1-2pm Where: Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room, University of Galway Speaker Biography: Dr Aphrodite Papachristodoulou recently completed a two year National University of Ireland (NUI) Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in the Humanities at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, University of Galway. She was a Visting Researcher at Harvard Law School in the Spring semester 2024. She is a member of the ILA Committee on the “Protection of People at Sea” and the Management Committee of COST Action: #BlueRights, as delegate of Cyprus. She is a Research affiliate of the Refugee Law Initiative. Dr Papachristodoulou is a licensed lawyer having been called to the Cyprus Bar in 2016. Her principal research topics include the extraterritorial application of human rights, border technologies, migration by sea as well as philosophical and ethical underpinnings of AI. Dr Papachristodoulou has published on the intersection between technologies of control used at sea borders and the human rights of migrants, including in the Leiden Journal of International Law, and has a forthcoming monograph with Routledge. Dr Papachristodoulou is a graduate (LLM in Maritime Law) of UCL, and holds a PhD from UCD School of Law. Follow us on X: @IrishCentreHR

Join us for Archives of human rights atrocities: A global view on preservation, access and impact with Dagmar Hovestädt, Adjunct Professor, Irish Centre for Human Rights (2024–27) & former Spokesperson for the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records Archive (2011–21). When: Thursday 28 November 2024, 1-2pm Where: Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room, University of Galway Follow us on X: @IrishCentreHR

Join us for the European Ombudsman, Ms Emily O'Reilly, in conversation with Dr Niamh Keady-Tabbal on the Ombudsman's work on EU border and migration control. When: Tuesday 12 November, 3-5pm (tea/coffee from 2:30pm) Where: Deloitte Biz Hub room, 2nd floor, Cairnes Building, North Campus, University of Galway.  

Congratulations to our PhD Researcher Monica Namanya, who has been awarded a Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship for her doctoral research on "Community Citizens on the Move: Exploring the Relevance of Free Movement Frameworks as an Alternative to Addressing Climate and Conflict-Induced Migration Among South Sudanese and Somali Nationals in Uganda and Kenya", supervised by Professor Siobhán Mullally and Dr Maeve O'Rourke. Monica previously received a Fellowship as part of the Ireland Fellows Programme to study our LLM in International Migration and Refugee Law and Policy.  

We are delighted to have Judge Beti Hohler of the International Criminal Court deliver an online guest lecture for staff and students entitled: ICC Jurisprudence and International Humanitarian Law Date & Time: Wednesday 6th November 10am Location: The online lecture can be watched in the Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room or else viewed online. Please email humanrights@universityofgalway.ie for the link to watch the lecture. 

On Monday 28 October 2024, the President of Ireland signed into law groundbreaking records preservation legislation. The Maternity Protection, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Act 2024 makes it a criminal offence to destroy, fail to preserve, remove from the jurisdiction, or fail to give the Director of the National Archives of Ireland an account of, privately held records relating to Ireland’s institutional and family separation system and the religious and other bodies that operated it.  Dr Maeve O’Rourke advocated for and influenced the content of this legislation, which was introduced by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman TD. Dr O’Rourke worked together with Dr Mark Coen, Dr Claire McGettrick and Professor Katherine O’Donnell of University College Dublin and Professor James M Smith of Boston College.  Following the recommendations of the Northern Ireland independent Truth Recovery Design Panel, of which Dr O’Rourke was a member, legislation requiring the preservation of historical institutional records was passed in Northern Ireland in 2022. Dr O’Rourke’s jointly authored report, which drew on the views of more than 100 victim-survivors, emphasised the importance of records preservation as a first step to information access regarding the abuses perpetrated in Magdalene Laundries, Mother and Baby institutions, Workhouses, and the related family separation system.  Further impetus for similar legislation in the Republic of Ireland arose with the publication of A Dublin Magdalene Laundry: Donnybrook and Church-State Power in Ireland (Bloomsbury 2023), which Dr O’Rourke co-edited with Dr Mark Coen and Prof Katherine O’Donnell. In particular, Mark Coen’s discovery in 2018 of several decades’ worth of financial records and correspondence on the site of the former Donnybrook Magdalene Laundry—records which the McAleese Committee to establish the facts of State involvement with the Magdalen Laundries asserted ‘did not survive’—demonstrated the precarious state of these records and archives, which are essential to truth-telling and other pillars of transitional justice in Ireland today.  Dr O’Rourke’s previous work includes extensive academic research and human rights-focused advocacy contributing to the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 and to the Irish Government’s commitment to a future National Centre for Research and Remembrance at the site of the former Magdalene Laundry at Sean McDermott Street in Dublin 1 (discussed in Ireland and the Magdalene Laundries: A Campaign for Justice (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury 2021). Dr O’Rourke has further worked with LLM students in the Human Rights Law Clinic at the Irish Centre for Human Rights to educate the public about, and to assist affected people to access archives held by those involved in, the institutional and family separation system.  See further:  LLM Students Create Website to Help Industrial and Reformatory School Survivors Access their Personal Records LLM students create public education resources concerning Dublin’s Sean McDermott Street Magdalene Laundry site LLM students publish secondary school teaching materials on Ireland’s institutional abuses

We are pleased to announce the publication of Dr Anita Ferrara's latest article in the Memory Studies Journal titled "When the Past Meets the Present: The Role of Memory Sites in Times of Crisis in Chile." It is available in open access here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17506980241283891 Dr Anita Ferrara is the Cluster Leader of the Transitional Justice and Peace Building Research Cluster (TJPR) at University of Galway School of Law.

The Crime Punishment and Rights Film Series* presents 20 Days in Mariupol. This award-winning documentary focuses on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and documents atrocities committed in the besieged city of Mariupol. The documentary will be screened on Thursday 24th October at 6:30pm in Pálás Cinema. The crime and rights issues raised by the movie will be introduced by Professor Shane Darcy (Irish Centre in Human Rights) and Dr. Iuliia Anosova (Huma Rights Centre, Ghent University). Professor Darcy is an expert in international humanitarian and international criminal law and Deputy Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. For recent publications on informants and collaborators in armed conflict see here, and victims of aggression in international law, see here. Dr. Iuliia Anosova is a researcher and human rights lawyer from Ukraine specializing in international law and human rights. Currently she is a postdoctoral fellow under the MSCA4Ukraine fellowship programme at the Faculty of Law and Criminology of Ghent University, Belgium. For recent publications on international criminal justice and Ukraine see here and conflict-related sexual violence see here. Tickets for 20 Days in Mariupol can be purchased here - https://www.palas.ie/film/20-days-in-mariupol Click here to sign up for student loyalty! (For €5 tickets, no booking fee, €4 popcorn, and more...) The Crime Punishment and Rights Film Series is an initiative of the Crime, Punishment and Rights Research Cluster at the University of Galway, supported by the School of Law and Irish Centre for Human Rights in partnership with Pálás Cinema.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights is pleased to highlight recent media appearances by Professor Ray Murphy, where he provided his expert analysis on the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, focusing on the evolving situation in South Lebanon and the role of the United Nations in the region. Professor Murphy was interviewed by Global News Canada where he discussed the developments in South Lebanon and the impact on international peacekeeping efforts. You can watch the interview at this link. In addition, Professor Murphy featured on RTÉ Radio 1's Claire Byrne Show to further comment on the crisis and its broader implications. His interview can be accessed through the following link.

Join us for the book launch of 'The Right to Legal Personhood of Marginalised Groups (Oxford University Press 2024): Applying the findings to the situation of disabled women in Palestine' by Professor Anna Arstein-Kerslake with Professor Anna Arstein-Kerslake, Associate Professor Shreya Atrey (University of Oxford), and Amanie Issa on Wednesday 16th October 2024, from 1pm to 2pm in the Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room, University of Galway.

The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (OSRSG CAAC), Siobhán Mullally, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children (UNSRTIP), and the Permanent Missions of Greece and Panama to the United Nations are hosting a high-level event to discuss the linkages between child trafficking and the six grave violations against children in armed conflict. This occasion will feature findings and recommendations from a study that was developed by the OSRSG CAAC, in collaboration with the UNSRTIP, UN Country Task Forces on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMRs) in select situations on the CAAC agenda, as well as experts working at the intersection of trafficking, child protection and CAAC.  The research presented at this event will aim to strengthen the understanding of the linkages between child trafficking and the six grave violations monitored through the UN’s CAAC Agenda. It will provide Member States, UN entities and civil society organizations the opportunity to discuss prevention, accountability, monitoring and response for the protection of children, fostering further collaboration to prevent these violations in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.  The event will be moderated by Professor Siobhán Mullally Director of our Irish Centre for Human Rights and Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children. Date & Time: 3rd October 2024, 10 – 11:30am EST Location: Conference Room 11 UNHQ, New York  Watch online on UNTV  

Join us for 'Representative data and human rights: whose interests are being served?' with Dr Philippa Duell-Piening next Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024, from 1pm to 2pm in the ICHR Seminar Room. Dr Philippa Duell-Piening is a socio-legal researcher specialising in the human rights of people who are refugees with disability. She has a forthcoming monograph, Refugee Displacement, Disability and Human Rights: The Production, Processing and Power of Data (Routledge, est. early 2025). Before transitioning to academia, Philippa coordinated the Victorian Refugee Health Network at the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture, where she led initiatives in health sector development and government engagement to reduce health inequalities and improve access to healthcare services for people who are refugees. Earlier in her career, she worked as an occupational therapist and case manager in mental health services in Australia and the UK. Philippa has also worked in forced migration contexts, including Timor-Leste in 2002 and the Thai-Myanmar border in 2012. Philippa holds a PhD from Melbourne Law School, a Graduate Diploma in International Law, a Master’s in Community and International Development, and a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. Drawing on her interdisciplinary expertise across international law, community development, and health, Philippa develops innovative socio-legal research methods that challenge traditional power dynamics in research, working collaboratively with communities to better understand the drivers of marginalisation and the levers for change.

Join us for our lunchtime seminar ‘Labour Migration and Racial Exclusions’ with Favour Offia this Thursday, September 26th, 2024, from 1pm to 2pm in the ICHR Seminar Room. Favour Offia is a final year Doctoral Candidate at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, University of Galway. He is also a Junior Technical Officer for the Fair Recruitment Initiative in the Labour Migration Branch of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland, where he conducts research and supports ILO's project and programmatic work on a rights-based approach to labour migration. His doctoral research focuses on the link between labour migration and human trafficking of migrant workers for forced labour along the East Africa and Gulf Cooperation Council migration corridor. His research has been published in Social and Legal Studies, and in ICHR Working Papers on the IRC funded joint project with Refugee Law Project, Makerere University. Favour graduated from the LLM in Peace Operations, Humanitarian Law and Conflict programme at the Irish Centre for Human Rights in 2018.

Irish Centre for Human Rights partners with Art for Human Rights and Human Rights in China and other rights organisations in special tribute Wednesday September 11, 2024: A bronze bust of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo commissioned by Art for Human Rights and Human Rights in China (HRIC) has been donated to the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway. The sculpture was unveiled in the presence of Professor Siobhán Mullally, Director of the Centre, Bill Shipsey Founder and Director of Art for Human Rights and Fengsuo Zhou Director of HRIC - a friend of Liu Xiaobo and a fellow student leader during the Tiananmen Square Protests in 1989 - and several leaders of other international human rights organisations. The special dedication event also included a presentation and discussion with Irish Centre for Human Rights students and staff. The bust, by Czech sculptor Marie Šeborová, is the first bronze bust of the late Nobel Prize Laureate, poet and human rights defender to be placed on a university campus anywhere in the world. It will have a permanent home in the Irish Centre for Human Rights. The project has been realised in partnership with ARTICLE 19, Index on Censorship, Front Line Defenders, International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and Humanitarian China. Professor Siobhán Mullally, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the University of Galway, said: “We are honoured to participate in this project, to honour Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo. Liu Xiaobo’s lifelong commitment to the pursuit of human rights and democracy, and his remarkable courage in the face of adversity, exemplify the values and purpose of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. As a human rights defender, Liu Xiaobo devoted his life to the struggle for freedom and equality, challenging the everyday denials of justice, and abuses of state power. It is fitting that we honour him here today, where students, alumni and staff, commit daily to the pursuit of a more just world.” Interim President of University of Galway, Professor Peter McHugh, said: “The dedication of the bust of Liu Xiaobo on our University of Galway campus is in keeping with the value which our community places on the pursuit of human rights. It is also symbolic of our efforts to recognise those who have gone before us in this endeavour and I hope it acts as a constant source of inspiration to all those who are engaged with the Irish Centre for Human Rights and our wider student, staff, research and alumni community.” Fengsuo Zhou of Human Rights in China said: “I had the honour of standing alongside Liu Xiaobo on Tiananmen Square and later sharing prison time with him in high security Qincheng Prison. He passed away while still in incarceration, without ever receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. From the Tiananmen protests to Charter 08, and ultimately to his martyrdom in 2017, he symbolised the peaceful struggle for freedom and democracy in China. We honour his memory by erecting a statue in his name. His legacy continues to inspire us all.” Bill Shipsey of Art for Human Rights, said: “The Chinese Communist Party has tried to erase Liu Xiaobo’s memory since his death in a military hospital in China in 2017. But his words will outlast those of any autocratic leader and will be remembered and cherished by freedom loving and human rights respecting people everywhere. Say his name ‘Liu Xiaobo’. Art outlasts tyranny.” Ends Media queries to pressoffice@universityofgalway.ie Photos: Credit – Aengus McMahon.

Priya Gopalan, UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and International Criminal Lawyer Guest lecture “Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Kosovo: Gendering Justice Through Transformative Reparations” Tuesday 10 September Aula Maxima, 12.00h – 13.30h

Art for Human Rights and Human Rights in China (HRIC) are delighted to announce that a bronze bust of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo which they have commissioned will be donated to the Irish Centre for Human Rights (ICHR) at the University of Galway and unveiled on the 11th September, 2024 in the presence of Professor Siobhán Mullally, Director of the Centre, Bill Shipsey Founder and Director of Art for Human Rights and Fengsuo Zhou Director of HRIC - a friend of Liu Xiaobo and a fellow student leader during the Tiananmen Square Protests in 1989 - and several leaders of other international human rights organisations. The unveiling will take place on September 11th, at 11:00 AM at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway, University Road, Galway. It will be followed by a presentation and discussion with ICHR students and staff at the Aula Maxima (the Quadrangle) at 11:45 AM. The bust, by Czech sculptor Marie Šeborová, is the first bronze bust of the late Nobel Prize Laureate, poet and human rights defender to be placed on a university campus anywhere in the world. The project has been realised in partnership with ARTICLE 19, Index on Censorship, Front Line Defenders, International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and Humanitarian China. Welcoming the gift of the bust, Siobhán Mullally, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the University of Galway said: “We are honoured to participate in this project, to honour Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo. Liu Xiaobo’s lifelong commitment to the pursuit of human rights and democracy, and his remarkable courage in the face of adversity, exemplify the values and purpose of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. As a human rights defender, Liu Xiaobo devoted his life to the struggle for freedom and equality, challenging the everyday denials of justice, and abuses of state power. It is fitting that we honour him here today, where students, alumni and staff, commit daily to the pursuit of a more just world.” Fengsuo Zhou of Human Rights in China said: “I had the honour of standing alongside Liu Xiaobo on Tiananmen Square and later sharing prison time with him in high security Qincheng Prison. He passed away while still in incarceration, without ever receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. From the Tiananmen protests to Charter 08, and ultimately to his martyrdom in 2017, he symbolised the peaceful struggle for freedom and democracy in China. We honour his memory by erecting a statue in his name. His legacy continues to inspire us all.” Speaking about the forthcoming event, Bill Shipsey of Art for Human Rights said: “The Chinese Communist Party has tried to erase Liu Xiaobo’s memory since his death in a military hospital in China in 2017. But his words will outlast those of any autocratic leader and will be remembered and cherished by freedom loving and human rights respecting people everywhere. Say his name ‘Liu Xiaobo’. Art outlasts tyranny.” President of University of Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, said: University of Galway has a long history of recognising the contributions of those whose life’s work and focus is on human rights – from Nelson Mandela being awarded an honorary degree from the National University of Ireland at our campus; to our university bestowing an honorary degree on John Hume. Our graduates include Michael D Higgins, Shawan Jabarin and many other extraordinary and ordinary people who make a difference every day for human rights.  It is powerful symbol that Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo is recognised at the Irish Centre for Human Rights as a constant inspiration to our students, our researchers and academics, our staff and alumni. For further information please contact: Ruby at ruby@artforhumanrights.org or Lucie at humanrights@universityofgalway .ie

On 13 June 2024, the Historical Studies Committee of the Royal Irish Academy held a one-day conference, Archives, Access and Human Rights, to explore questions of access to and preservation of Irish historical records and archives. Dr Maeve O’Rourke, a member of the Royal Irish Academy’s Young Academy Ireland, was one of the conference organising committee. The event was supported by the Irish Centre for Human Rights as well as by Boston College, the ARINS Project, Justice for Magdalenes Research, the Irish Committee for Historical Sciences, and the Archives and Records Association. Speakers included archivists, historians, civil servants from Ireland and Northern Ireland, and human rights experts. One half of the day focused on access to the publicly and privately held records and archives of Ireland’s institutional and family separation abuses. The conference proceedings can now be viewed here. A post-event report will be published later this year.  Dr Maeve O’Rourke gave an invited lecture entitled ‘Institutional archives and human rights implications of lack of access to them’. Her presentation not only addressed current barriers to information access; it also explored the international and European human rights law, and EU GDPR, norms that should underpin the ongoing management of historical abuse information and the future operations of the National Centre for Research and Remembrance at Sean McDermott Street in Dublin 1. Dr O’Rourke’s lecture was covered by Fintan O’Toole, ‘Failure to prevent destruction of records is a further insult to those whose identities were stolen’ The Irish Times (18 June 2024).

This one-month course, jointly organized by Ghent University, University of Galway’s Irish Centre for Human Rights, and the Elena Bonner School of Human Rights and co-funded by the European Commission project ‘EU Public Diplomacy – Russia’, focuses on major human rights issues from two perspectives: the deteriorating state of human rights in Russia and the challenges to fundamental rights in Europe. With the long tradition of annual human rights schools by the Elena Bonner School of Human Rights and the academic rigor of Ghent and Galway Universities, the course will examine the philosophical, political, and legal aspects of human rights in both Russian and European contexts. Although Russia is currently far from adopting a democratic trajectory, it is crucial to assess the present state of human rights in the country and explore potential avenues for improvement when the unprovoked war against Ukraine comes to an end. The course will last from September 3 to October 10 and will offer 10 interactive lectures divided into two clusters: Programme Cluster 1: Human Rights in Russia: New Heights of Repressions Lecture 1: Modern Russia: A Reversal from Human Rights to Traditional Values Lecture 2: Prosecution of Russia’s War of Aggression Against Ukraine and the Limits of International Law Lecture 3: The geo-politics of gender and sexuality in an era of EU-Russia competition Lecture 4: Human Rights and Russian Society (Sociological Explorations)  Lecture 5: Russia’s Other War: The Fight over Freedom of Expression Cluster 2: Human Rights from the European Perspective: A Beacon of Hope? Lecture 1: Human Rights in Europe and Its Institutions: Between Powers and Obligations Lecture 2: Human Rights Restoration in Europe: Retrospective from Post-Dictatorship Spain and Portugal Lecture 3: The Nexus Between Democracy, Human Rights, and Peace Lecture 4: Climate Change and Human Rights Lecture 5: Human Rights Aspects of International Migration Flows to Europe   During the course, participants will conduct research and present a project on a specific dimension of one of the topics discussed during the School or a comparative perspective of human rights in Europe and Russia. The speakers will be confirmed soon. Registration: To apply for the School, please submit an application via the registration form. All applicants must submit their CV (max. 2 pages) and a motivation letter (max. 1 page) explaining their motivation to take part in the School and their background in human rights. Participation in the Online School on Human Rights 2024 is free of charge. Application deadline is August 15, 2024. APPLY NOW! For more information, please contact: iana.ovsiannikova@ugent.be                                                                     dzhanruslan.sc@gmail.com

University of Galway's Irish Centre for Human Rights is delighted to announce the Inaugural lecture 'Ireland and the World - Appealing to International Law in Times of Conflict' by Professor Shane Darcy. This is a free public lecture but spaces are limited. Register now: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/universityofgalwayschooloflaw1/1322931 Please note: By booking a ticket you also agree to being contacted by email in relation to this event. Location Aula Maxima, Quadrangle, University of Galway

The Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, University of Galway, is pleased to offer one doctoral scholarship in the field of Islamic Law and Gender (More information about the research area can be found below). The selected candidate will be supervised by Professor Roja Fazaeli and supported by a Graduate Research Committee, comprising staff members from the Irish Centre for Human Rights. Funding The scholarship is tenable for a maximum of four years, renewable each year, subject to satisfactory progress and recommendation by the Graduate Research Committee. It will cover full fees for the successful candidate, in addition to a stipend of €22,000 per annum. Condition of Funding It is anticipated that the successful candidate would be in a position to join the PhD Programme by September 2024. The successful candidate must register on a full-time basis. The Research Project The candidate will work closely with the research team working on the European Research Council funded project ‘Building Conceptual and Methodological Expertise for the Study of Gender, Agency and Authority in Islam (BILQIS)’ BILQIS emerges from a critical concern around Muslim women’s access to justice in Europe and is driven by methodological advances in Islamic feminism and is primarily distinguished by its systematic and rigorous inquiries into questions of gender in relation to Islamic family laws (IFL) and IFL-related socio-religious and socio-legal power structures. The project will engage in a comparative study how Muslim women in Europe have navigated agency and authority over time from the long 19th century to the present day across diverse European peripheries, specifically the Ottoman Balkans, the post-Ottoman Balkans, and the territorial spaces that are currently governed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. The doctoral fellow will work closely with the PI and the Postdoctoral fellow on Work Package 3 (WP3) “IFL (Islamic Family Laws), Gender Equality and Equal Access to Justice in the Nordic-Atlantic.”  WP3 in parts engages in socio-religious and socio-legal analysis driven by the question on what sources are used to justify authoritative standing on Islamic Family Laws in Norway, Sweden and asks how such sources relate to ideas of women’s agentic equality against positions of gender complementarity in Islamic law. WP3 also seeks to understand how and why IFL-related court cases and informal community mediation structures in the Nordic-Atlantic offer different or similar outcomes for Muslim women with regards to access to justice. WP3 will employ comparative textual and contextual methodologies, as well as sets of qualitative interviews. The initial portion of WP3 will conduct gender-based textual analysis of court judgements and socio-legal policy documents related to Islamic Family Laws in each national context. In the second potion of WP3, the doctoral fellow will work with the Post-Doctoral fellow to conduct interviews with muftis, women religious and civil activists, religious leaders, civil society actors, academics, as well as legal and state actors. A successful candidate will be able to engage with Islamic legal discourses, in particular Islamic family laws and their application within Norway and Sweden.  They should also be able to employ textual and qualitative methodologies. A linguistic knowledge of Arabic and/or Norwegian or Swedish is desirable. As part of the scholarship award, recipients are required to seek external scholarship funding from the Irish Research Council (IRC) or other funding bodies, as instructed by their PhD supervisor. In the event that an external scholarship is granted, the scholarship funding under this award will be terminated starting from the date of the external award’s commencement. How to Apply Interested candidates should submit the following: Curriculum vitae (maximum three pages) An academic writing sample (e.g., published article, policy report, NGO report, or graduate writing sample) In addition to the above, you must submit the following documents: PhD proposal (setting out the project’s aims in relation to BILQIS, objectives, research questions, and a research schedule) (max three pages). An outline of the proposed research methodology (how the applicant intends to carry out the proposed research), max two pages. Two academic references: Please note that the applicant must contact his/her referees to ensure that references are received before the closing date/time for this scholarship. All academic transcripts. Applicants whose first language is not English must submit satisfactory evidence of competence in written and spoken English, i.e., overall IELTS 6.5 (including a minimum of 6.5 in the reading and writing parts and no part below 6.0) or 90 in the TOEFL iBT (with a minimum of 22 (reading) and 24 (writing) and no part below 20.) Fluency in Arabic and/or Norwegian or Swedish is highly desirable. Deadline The required documentation, including letters of reference, should be emailed to bilqis@universityofgalway.ie no later than 5 pm July 26th 2024.

University of Galway School of Law and the Irish Centre for Human Rights are pleased to announce that Professor Siobhán Mullally will present a significant report to the UN Human Rights Council this Wednesday afternoon in Geneva. Professor Mullally serves as the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and her report addresses some of the most pressing issues in the fight against human trafficking. The report, 'Trafficking in persons, mixed migration and protection at sea', can be accessed in full here. The presentation of two Country Reports on Colombia and the Central African Republic, have also been published and can be viewed here.

This event 'The New EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and Emerging Issues in Immigration and Asylum Law in Ireland' is hosted by Immigration, Asylum and Citizenship Bar Association and University of Galway’s Irish Centre for Human Rights. Location: MRA201 The Ryan Institute, University of Galway Date & Time: 5th July at 2pm CPD Points: 3 Register Now and View the Programme Chair   The Hon. Ms. Justice Siobhán Phelan Ms Justice Siobhán Phelan graduated from Trinity College Dublin with an LL.B in 1992 before studying for her LL.M at McGill University, Montreal. She was called to the Bar in 1995 and took silk in 2015. Ms Justice Phelan was Chairperson of FLAC from 1995 until 2004. In practice, her areas of specialization included public and human rights law. Ms Justice Phelan was appointed to the High Court in December, 2021. Speakers   Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway, University of London Professor Steve Peers is a professor of EU and human rights law at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is a renowned commentator on the immigration and asylum aspects of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice and on Brexit, among other topics. His EU Law Analysis blog supplies critical analysis of EU law and policy developments as they are unfolding. His scholarly works are too numerous to list but include EU Justice and Home Affairs Law(5th edition, 2023), European Union Law (2020) (with Catherine Barnard) and The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, A Commentary (2014) (with Tamara Hervey, Jeff Kenner and Angela Ward) Andrew Munro, Assistant Secretary, Civil Justice - Legislation and Policy, Department of Justice Andrew Munro is Head of the Legislation and Policy Functions for the Civil Justice Pillar of the Department of Justice, which deal with a wide range of policies and legislation concerning Family Law, Access to Justice, Courts, Judiciary, Legal Services, Coroners, Data Protection, Immigration, International Protection, Sale of Alcohol, Gambling, Personal Insolvency, Defamation and other matters.  He previously served as Assistant Secretary to the Government in the Department of the Taoiseach. Professor Bernard Ryan, University of Leicester Bernard Ryan is Professor of Migration Law at the University of Leicester, and was previously Professor of Law at the University of Kent. His current research covers British nationality law, the lived history of migration law, and links between employment law and migration. He has published extensively on the Common Travel Area. He chairs the University of Leicester’s Migration and Citizenship Network, which develops interdisciplinary research on migration. Noeleen Healy, BL Noeleen is a practising barrister working the areas of immigration, international protection, family law and general civil law. In 2020, she was awarded the Catherine McGuinness Fellowship, working for one year with the Children’s Rights Alliance, whilst practising full-time at the Bar. Prior to commencing practice at the Bar, Noeleen worked as a caseworker with the Refugee Legal Service and, before that, as a judicial assistant, assigned to the asylum, immigration and citizenship list at the High Court. She has also worked as a legal researcher for a public body. Noeleen has volunteered with a number of migrant-rights and civil society organisations. Noeleen was educated at University of Galway, obtaining a commerce degree followed by a postgraduate degree in law. She then obtained an LLM in Peace Operations, Humanitarian Law and Conflict from the Irish Centre for Human Rights. Niamh Keady-Tabbal, Irish Centre for Human Rights Niamh Keady-Tabbal holds a PhD from the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway. Her research focuses on EU migration policy, access to asylum, and border violence at the EU's external borders, particularly at Greece's maritime border. Niamh engages in legal advocacy, including litigation before the European Court of Human Rights challenging systematic pushbacks of asylum seekers in the Aegean Sea. Her work has been published in such journals and blogs as the Leiden Journal of International Law and EJIL:talk!, and has been featured in various media outlets, including the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and France 24. She has lectured on human rights, refugee, and migration law at the University of Galway and Trinity College Dublin.  

Congratulations to our PhD researchers Judit Villena Rodo, Maëlle Noir, and Poonam Shokar, who graduated last Thursday. They are pictured with their supervisors, celebrating this significant achievement. Go n-éirí an bóthar libh!

LLM students from University of Galway's Irish Centre for Human Rights participated in the prestigious International Criminal Court (ICC) moot court competition held in The Hague. Under the guidance of their coach, Dr. Paul Bradfield, the students showcased their advocacy skills and legal knowledge on an international platform, competing against teams from around the world. The ICC moot court competition is a significant event that brings together aspiring legal professionals to simulate proceedings of the International Criminal Court. It provides a unique opportunity for students to engage with international criminal law, practice their litigation skills, and gain invaluable experience in a real-world context. The event was not just an academic exercise but also a chance for students to network with peers, legal practitioners, and academics from different parts of the globe. The competition fostered a spirit of camaraderie and intellectual exchange among the participants.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway is pleased to announce an upcoming seminar titled "Digital Rights in Occupied Palestine: From Infrastructural Harm to Data Violence", presented by Dr. Mais Qandeel, Senior Lecturer at Örebro University. Date and Time:Tuesday, 18th June, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Location:Irish Centre for Human Rights, Seminar Room This seminar will provide an insightful exploration into the status of digital rights in Palestine amidst ongoing belligerent occupation. Dr. Qandeel will delve into how digital rights are protected or threatened within a complex framework of digital control. Key topics include the collection of personal and biometric data, the use of AI-enhanced surveillance such as facial recognition technology and surveillance drones in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and the role of social media platforms in digital oppression. The legal discussion will be grounded in the principles of the law of belligerent occupation. This seminar is part of the project "The Protection of Digital Rights in Palestine," funded by the Swedish Research Council (2022-2024). All are welcome to attend this seminar. A light lunch with vegan and vegetarian options will be provided after the seminar. For further details, please contact the Irish Centre for Human Rights by emailing humanrights@universityofgalway.ie

On Tuesday, 4th June, 2024, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will hear a pivotal case concerning the treatment of asylum seekers by Greek officials. The case, filed by G.R.J., an unaccompanied Afghan minor, challenges the practice of "drift-backs" – the abandonment of asylum seekers at sea in inflatable rafts – a method first reported in 2020. Irish Centre for Human Rights researcher, Dr Niamh Keady-Tabbal will represent G.R.J. alongside Flip Schüller of Prakken d’Oliveira and Sadhia Rafi of the Dutch Council for Refugees. The case highlights the alleged abduction and summary expulsion of G.R.J. from the Greek island of Samos in 2020. This significant legal challenge, supported by de:border // migration justice collective and the Global Legal Action Network, marks the first time the European Court will examine Greece's controversial "drift-back" practice. In September 2020, G.R.J. arrived on Samos with 17 other asylum seekers. Despite seeking refuge at the Vathy camp, he and another unaccompanied minor were reportedly abducted by Greek officials, who confiscated their belongings and forced them onto a vessel. Abandoned in a motorless raft at sea, the minors paddled with their hands until rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard. Following their rescue, they faced detention in Turkey without any support. The case, filed in March 2021, argues that Greece's actions violated multiple rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to life, the prohibition of torture, and the right to an effective remedy.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway is pleased to announce the publication of a new book by Dr Maeve O'Rourke. 'Human Rights and the Care of Older People', published open access by Oxford University Press, explores the potential for the rule against torture and ill-treatment in international human rights law to better protect older people from care-related mistreatment. The book can be ordered in hardback or read for free as an Open Access title here. Dr O'Rourke also discusses the key arguments of her book in her recent blog post.

We are pleased to announce that our colleague, Professor Roja Fazaeli, has been appointed as Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Directors at Frontline Defenders, (the international human rights organisation). For more information, please visit Frontline Defenders Board of Directors.

University of Galway Irish Centre for Human Rights will host a public event titled ‘Advocating for Justice and Freedom for Palestine’ with Shawan Jabarin, the Director-General of Al-Haq, a leading Palestinian human rights organisation based in Ramallah and one of the oldest human rights organisations in the Middle East. Shawan is a graduate of the LLM in International Human Rights at the Irish Centre for Human Rights and is the 2024 Alumni Award Winner for Law, Public Policy and Society - Sponsored by RDJ.  Date and Time: Friday 10th May at 1pm Location: AC201, Concourse at University of Galway. No registration is required.  Biography: Shawan Jabarin is a Palestinian human rights defender, General Director of the Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq, and a member of Human Rights Watch Middle East Advisory Board. He was Amnesty International's first Palestinian Prisoner of Conscience, and he has worked for years promoting human rights in the face of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. From 2005 to 2009, Shawan was a member of the Board of Directors of Défense for Children International - Palestine, the national section of the Geneva-based Défense for Children International, and was elected vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights in May 2013. He is the recipient of many honours and awards for his human rights advocacy work, and leadership of Al-Haq.    

University of Galway's Irish Centre for Human Rights (ICHR) successfully hosted its 23rd annual doctoral seminar this week, bringing together PhD students and distinguished experts in the field of human rights. The seminar, a cornerstone event for the ICHR, featured presentations from the Centre's doctoral candidates, who shared their ongoing research and received valuable feedback. This year, the event was enhanced by the participation of several renowned external experts, including Professor Cathryn Costello from University College Dublin, Professor Ardi Imseis from Queen’s University Canada, and Dr. Hasret Cetinkaya, an alumnus of the ICHR PhD programme and current faculty member at Manchester Metropolitan University. The seminar offered a platform for students to engage in intellectual exchange and refine their research approaches through discussions with these experienced scholars. The attendees also had the opportunity to hear research presentations from the visiting experts, further enriching the academic environment. The Irish Centre for Human Rights expressed its gratitude to all participants and contributors, whose collaborative efforts made the seminar a success. The Centre looks forward to continuing its tradition of fostering rigorous academic inquiry and dialogue in the field of human rights.

University of Galway's School of Law and the Irish Centre for Human Rights are proud to announce that Tom O’Connor, a final-year Law (BCL) and Human Rights student, achieved remarkable success at the recent National Student Media Awards. O'Connor, who has been an active voice on the university’s radio station FlirtFM, was recognised for his outstanding contributions to student media. O'Connor's show, 'Panoramica', which explores critical global issues, has been a staple of FlirtFM programming since 2020. His compelling documentary on Uganda clinched the 'Documentary of the Year' award, demonstrating his ability to engage with complex topics in a thoughtful and provocative manner. This year's accolades bring his total to five SMEDIAs, with previous recognitions including last year's 'Podcast of the Year' for a piece on Kevin Boyle, a former head of the School of Law and co-founder of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. The celebrated student shared the spotlight with his uncle Conor McMahon and RTÉ newsreader Sharon Tobin, as he received the awards for Radio Journalist of the Year, Radio Documentary of the Year, and Radio Production of the Year in News & Current Affairs. These achievements underscore his versatile skills in both the creation and production of influential media content.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway, is seeking expressions of interest from enthusiastic and talented postdoctoral researchers who wish to apply for a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships   In order to secure funding, the experienced researcher must develop a proposal with the host institution for the September 11th 2024 deadline. We welcome expressions of interest from eligible researchers. Our research office is ready to support researchers through the application process. If you are interested in applying for a MSCA-IF with the Irish Centre for Human Rights, please contact a staff member, or email our Human Rights office: humanrights@universityofgalway.ie  or our Director: siobhan.mullally@universityofgalway.ie Information on areas of research interest, staff profiles and email contacts are at the link:  https://www.universityofgalway.ie/irish-centre-human-rights/staff/ MSCA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS Funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme, MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are designed to enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral mobility. Candidates must apply together with a mentor based in an eligible host institution. The Irish Centre for Human Rights The Irish Centre for Human Rights has developed a global reputation for excellence in the field of human rights teaching, research and policy impact. The Centre has an excellent track record of securing major research grants from prestigious national and international funding agencies, including the European Research Council, the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, Horizon Europe, the Irish Research Council, UN agencies and others. The Centre has a thriving research community, bringing together doctoral and post-doctoral researchers from across the globe. We host regular research workshops, seminars and conferences. The Centre has a global network of alumni and research collaborations with partners at international organisations, civil society and UN bodies. TYPES OF FELLOWSHIPS European Fellowships: Open to researchers of any nationality moving to Ireland from abroad. Global Fellowships: Open to nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to engage in research outside Europe before completing a final year at the Irish Centre for Human Rights. (Note: The UK is now considered an Associated Country.) WHO CAN APPLY? MARIE-CURIE POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP ELIGIBILITY Experienced Researchers:  Researchers must have a PhD at the call deadline and have max. 8 years’ research experience post-PhD.  Years of experience outside research and career breaks (e.g. parental leave) can extend the timeline. Mobility Rule: Applicants cannot apply for a fellowship in a country where they have lived or carried out their main activity for >12 months (>365 days) in the 3 years before the call deadline (14/09/2024). Value of a MARIE-CURIE POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP? Fellowships are to the value of €5,080 per month gross (depending on the host country), plus €600 mobility allowance and (if applicable) a €660 family allowance, as well as management and indirect costs (overheads). Indicative timeline 23 April 2024: Launch of the call for proposals 11 September 2024: Deadline for submitting proposals February 2025: Notification of call results to applicants (TBC) April 2025: Grant agreement signature for successful projects (TBC) April 2025: First EU-funded projects start (TBC) Indicative budget EUR 417.18 million How to apply See: How to apply | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (europa.eu)

Watch Dr Ciara Smyth's remarkable contribution to RTÉ's Upfront With Katie Hannon show, where she discussed the questions surrounding the plans for Government-owned accommodation centres. https://www.rte.ie/player/series/upfront-with-katie-hannon/10001371-00-0000?epguid=IH10003116-24-0011

We regret to announce the cancellation of today's talk in Galway with Tala Nasir from Addameer. Due to the ongoing escalation in Palestine and the recent closure of Jordan's airspace, our guest speaker's flights were affected, leaving her unable to travel to Ireland in time. Despite our best efforts, we have no choice but to cancel today's talk. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused and hope you can hear Tala at one of her other speaking events in Ireland over the coming week. The Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway is honoured to host an enlightening event titled "Palestinian Political Prisoners in a Time of Genocide with Tala Nasir of Addameer" on 15th April 2024 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at the O'Donoghue Theatre (The Bank of Ireland Theatre). The event will feature Tala Nasir, a distinguished human rights lawyer from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. Come along to hear first-hand from Tala about her own experiences, the work of Addameer, and the Israeli prison system's role as a central plank of the architecture of Apartheid – especially since October 7th when Israel began a renewed campaign of mass arrests in the West Bank. There are now almost 10,000 Palestinians, including 200 children, in Israel's prisons – more than double the figure this time last year. Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967, it has maintained a mass detention policy targeting, among others, human rights and political activists, children, and elected politicians. Some 800,000 Palestinians have been detained by the Israeli military. Israel's torture, ill-treatment, and other violations of human rights and international law in regards to political prisoners is widespread and systematic. As of March 2024, some 9,400 Palestinian political detainees are being held in Israeli prisons, 200 of which are children; almost 3,700 are administrative detainees, indefinitely interned without charge or trial. The issue of prisoners is one that is often overlooked in discussions around the Palestine-Israel issue. Yet the prisoners issue goes to the very heart of Israel's Apartheid policies – the decapitation of political movements, the criminalisation and 'securitisation' of young people who resist occupation, not to mention the psychological and traumatic effects detention and abuse has on young people who go through the prison system. The treatment of prisoners has worsened significantly since the beginning of Israel's genocidal war on the people of Gaza, with Israel instituting a policy of enforced hunger and medical negligence against detainees. At least 11 people have died in detention since October. Even NGOs who work with prisoners are targets of Israeli repression; in October 2021 the Israeli government declared Addameer, along with several other Palestinian civil society organisations, to be 'terrorist entities' – a designation rejected by the Irish government and other European Union countries."

The Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway is excited to announce the upcoming book launch of Dr. Andrew Forde's latest publication, "European Human Rights Grey Zones - The Council of Europe and Areas of Conflict". This significant work explores the complex and often overlooked role of the Council of Europe in conflict-ridden areas. Dr. Andrew Forde, an Adjunct Lecturer at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, brings his profound insights into the challenges and intricacies of human rights within the European context. Event Details: Date: 20 MayTime: 5:30 PM to 7:00 PMLocation: Royal Irish Academy, Dublin Interested attendees are required to register in advance to secure a place at this enlightening event.  To learn more about this event and to register, please visit the registration page.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway is proud to announce that our esteemed colleague, Dr. Ray Murphy, was recently featured in an insightful interview on Al Jazeera. During the brief segment, Dr. Murphy shared his expert opinions regarding Nicaragua’s request for provisional measures against Germany over its support for Israel’s war on Gaza at the International Court of Justice. The interview aired yesterday morning and is now available on various platforms. For those interested, the full interview can be accessed here. Dr Murphy appears approximately 5 minutes and 20 seconds into the clip. We commend Dr Murphy for his ongoing commitment to human rights advocacy and for representing University of Galway internationally.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights is delighted to announce an engaging lecture and book launch event featuring Professor Ardi Imseis of Queen's University, Canada. This noteworthy event, 'The United Nations and the Question of Palestine,' will occur on Wednesday, 24th April, at 4:30 PM in THB-G011, Hardiman Building, University of Galway. Professor Imseis will present for approximately 30-40 minutes, followed by a question and answer session. This format promises a deep dive into the subjects addressed in his latest publication, fostering a rich dialogue on the complex interplay between the United Nations and the Palestinian question. The event is public, encouraging attendance from anyone interested in international human rights, the United Nations' roles, and the broader implications of the Palestine issue on global politics. No registration is required for this event, making it an easily accessible opportunity for students, academics, and the general public interested in human rights and international law. The Irish Centre for Human Rights looks forward to welcoming attendees to this enriching experience.

In an exemplary demonstration of academic engagement with global human rights issues, students from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway have had the distinct honour of assisting Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, in her vital research. This collaboration contributed to the preparation of Albanese's fourth report, titled "Anatomy of Genocide," which was presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council on 26th March 2024. The report illuminates the ongoing human rights challenges in Palestinian territories and is crucial for international human rights advocacy and policy-making. It explores the systemic structures affecting the human rights situation in the region and proposes actionable recommendations for the global community. The team of students from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway who assisted the Special Rapporteur is comprised of Debora Lacerda (LLM International Human Rights Law), Domenica Altamirano (LLM International Human Rights Law), Nadeen Yousef ( LLM International Human Rights Law), Kevin Clarke (LLM Peace Operations Humanitarian Law and Conflict), and Ramez Hayek (LLM Peace Operations Humanitarian Law and Conflict). The involvement of our LLM students in this significant project underscores the Centre's commitment to hands-on learning and direct engagement in international human rights work. The Special Rapporteur invited the students specialising in International Human Rights Law and Peace Operations, Humanitarian Law, and Conflict to attend the report's presentation at the United Nations in Geneva. This unique opportunity extended beyond the presentation, allowing them to participate in meetings with civil society organisations and events with universities in Geneva, fostering a deeper understanding of international human rights advocacy. This collaboration reflects the Centre's dedication to impactful human rights education and highlights the critical role academic institutions can play in addressing global challenges. The Centre is proud of its students' contributions to this landmark report and remains committed to supporting their development as future human rights leaders. For more details on the "Anatomy of Genocide" report, click here.

Update: Please note that both events on Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th March have been cancelled.We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience. Professor Alejandro del Valle Gálvez and Dr Inmaculada González García, from the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence 'Immigration and Human Rights at Europe's External Borders' at the University of Cádiz, Spain, will visit the ICHR on an academic visit. Their 'Geopolitics in the Strait of Gibraltar Region' talk will take place on Wednesday 27 March, from 1-2 PM in the ICHR Seminar Room. Their 'Migrations and European Values in the Strait of Gibraltar Region' talk will take place on Thursday 28 March, from 1-2 PM in the ICHR Seminar Room.

Distinguished speakers are coming to the University of Galway during Nelson Mandela Anti-Racism Week. Two high-level events on Palestine will feature Dr Mads Gilbert speaking on ‘Health Apartheid in Palestine’ (19 March), and Francesca Albanese and Maha Abdallah highlighting the situation in Gaza and the ‘Implications of South Africa’s Genocide Case at the International Court of Justice’ (22 March). On Tuesday, 19 March 2024, at 17:15, we are honoured to host a guest lecture with Dr Mads Gilbert, a specialist in anaesthesiology and senior consultant at the University Hospital of North Norway and professor emeritus at UiT the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø. Dr Gilbert has worked in solidarity medicine in Lebanon and occupied Palestine since 1981 and has been outspoken against Israel’s attacks on Palestinian healthcare in Gaza. Taking place at the Institute for Lifecourse and Society, the lecture will highlight the detrimental impacts of Israel’s occupation and blockade on Palestinian health, rooted in a deep structural racism described by experts as ‘health apartheid.’ On Friday, 22 March 2024, at 18:15, we are honoured to host the Irish Centre for Human Rights’ 2024 Annual Distinguished Lecture at the Human Biology Building, with expert speakers Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Palestine, and Maha Abdallah, Palestinian PhD Scholar at the University of Antwerp, researching the legal framework of genocide in relation to Zionism, settler colonialism, and the Palestinian people. The distinguished speakers will discuss South Africa’s ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The two high-level events are taking place during Nelson Mandela Anti-Racism Week (19-22 March), as part of the University of Galway’s commitment to anti-racism and anti-apartheid. At Nelson Mandela’s historic conferring here in 2003, the former South African President expressed his people’s gratitude for ‘the solidarity of the Irish people with the suffering masses of South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle,’ and insisted that ‘We cannot allow the world to again degenerate into a place where the will of the powerful dominates over all other considerations.’ In February 2024, the University of Galway became the first university in Ireland to call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for a review of relationships with Israeli institutions. The statement by University President, Prof Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, recalled the ICJ’s provisional measures order for Israel to comply with the 1948 Genocide Convention and to prevent genocide in Gaza, where Palestinians continue to be subjected to indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes and are now dying from starvation and dehydration under Israel’s suffocating siege. The events on Palestine during the Nelson Mandela Anti-Racism Week are organised by the Palestine Solidarity Society at the University of Galway with the support and sponsorship of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Project Fund as well as the Irish Centre for Human Rights. The events will also feature stalls of the Galway Palestine Solidarity Campaign for those interested in getting involved. Both events are in person and open to the public. Registration is required: Guest Lecture with Dr Mads Gilbert, 19 March 2024: http://tinyurl.com/2uarj2ys. Distinguished Lecture with Francesca Albanese and Maha Abdallah, 22 March 2024: http://tinyurl.com/3xuzwj3k.

Our next seminar as part of our Queer Human Rights Seminar Series will feature guest speaker Dr Omi Salas-SantaCruz. Omi is currently serving as the President's Postdoctoral Fellow in Transgender Studies at Penn State University.   The seminar topic 'Decolonial Trans Analytics: Engaging with Gender Complexity' will delve into decolonial trans analytics as an innovative approach to understanding gender complexity within, beyond, and despite binary classifications, especially in light of resistance to the ongoing violence perpetuated by global systems of power. By critically examining how colonial legacies shape transgender narratives and the co-production of gender realities, this talk aims to illuminate paths of resistance and validation for gender fluidity and non-conformity amidst systemic oppression. Date and Time: Thursday 7th March at 1pm Location: ICHR Seminar Room  

Professor Ray Murphy from our Irish Centre for Human Rights and Programme Director of our , featured on Al Jazeera News last week regarding Ireland's reaction and stance to war on Gaza.  

Lunchtime seminar 'In conversation with Priya Gopalan, Chair-Rapporteur of UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention'  Date & Time: Tuesday 5th March at 1pm  Location: Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room or join online via Zoom, email humanrights@universityofgalway.ie for the Zoom link Speaker Biography Ms. Priya Gopalan is the Chair- Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which is part of the UN Special Procedures.  She is a Malaysian lawyer specialising in international criminal law, human rights law, and gender. Her expertise is in international criminal prosecutions, strategic litigation, advocacy and human rights investigations in conflict and post-conflict settings, as well as other transitional justice processes. Her work has included operationalising reparations for survivors of sexual violence, developing technical guidance and policy on issues such as access to justice and, best practices for working with survivors of grave crimes. Her experiences cover Kosovo, Bosnia, Croatia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Syria, and The Gambia. She provides expert advice to international and national bodies, UN agencies, states, and civil society organisations. Ms Gopalan has held a variety of positions in the field of transitional justice and accountability. She was a prosecutor and appeals counsel at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, where she played a leading role in cases that developed progressive legal precedents on conflict-related sexual violence. Ms Gopalan served as the first Legal Advisor for sexual and gender-based crimes at the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic (the IIIM Syria). She has held several roles in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), including Gender Advisor for the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka. Ms Gopalan also served as Senior Advisor to the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission of The Gambia. Ms Gopalan qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2002. She holds a LL.M in Public International Law (Distinction) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a B.A. Jurisprudence (Hons) from the University of Oxford, where she was a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Chevening Scholar from Malaysia.

Professor Siobhán Mullally, Director of University of Galway Irish Centre for Human Rights, was elected as the first Chairperson of the newly established Platform of Independent Experts on Refugee Rights. The Platform brings together United Nations Special Procedures, Treaty bodies, and regional human rights mechanisms to advocate for protection of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers globally. Commenting on the launch of the Platform, Professor Siobhán Mullally said: "The Platform is being launched at a time when persecution, conflict, violence, and human rights violations, have resulted in record numbers of people displaced and forced to seek protection. At the same time, the rights of refugees and asylum seekers are increasingly threatened by a denial of the right to seek asylum. We are witnessing increasingly punitive measures adopted by states, collective expulsions, deprivation of liberty, limited access to asylum procedures, as well as hostility and xenophobia worldwide. Against this background, it is urgent that we work together across international and regional human rights bodies, to mobilise the full potential of international law and the promised universality of human rights protections. I hope that this global platform will be an effective advocate for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, recognising the fundamental right to seek asylum, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and a foundation of our shared responsibility to provide a place of refuge." The Platform is currently composed of the mandates of the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on trafficking in persons, especially women and children (Professor Siobhán Mullally), and on the human rights of migrants, the Working Group on arbitrary detention, the UN Committee against torture, the Special Rapporteur on refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and migrants in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Rapporteurship on the rights of migrants of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The Platform is supported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

Professor Siobhán Mullally, UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, has submitted an Amicus Brief to the Inter American Commission on Human Rights in a case concerning migrant domestic workers and diplomatic immunity, Siti Aisah and others v. United States of America. Read the Amicus Submission  Professor Mullally worked with the legal teams at Hogan Lovells LLP and Doughty Street Chambers on the Amicus Brief, read more. 

Our PhD Researcher and IRC Scholar Beatrice Canossi recently concluded her professional visit at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Costa Rica).  During her three months as ‘professional visitor’ at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Beatrice worked alongside practitioners expanding her knowledge on the jurisprudence and functioning of this key regional human rights body. She had the chance to participate in the court’s hearings, deepening her understanding of the Inter-American system and working on court cases. She is grateful for this excellent opportunity and to all the staff of the Court which have welcomed her with professionalism, creating an exciting and fulfilling work environment. During her time at the Court Beatrice had the possibility to witness the pivotal role played by the Court at a regional and international level. She was particularly impressed by its work interpreting the American Convention on Human Rights as a living instrument to fulfil the Court’s important role in protecting human rights within the region. Watch this video of Beatrice talking about her experience

'Submission on Protection of Persons with Disabilities in Gaza’ to the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities Ms. Heba Hagrass, and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 Ms. Francesca Albanese.  Submission from Keelin Barry, Irish Research Council Government of Ireland PhD scholar, Irish Centre for Human Rights (ICHR) and Centre for Disability Law and Policy (CDLP), School of Law, University of Galway, Ireland.  The statement aims to respectfully request urgent attention to the current catastrophic situation faced by persons with disabilities in Gaza. Read Now

Dr Ciara Smyth, Programme Director of our was recently in the media discussing the facts and misinformation of international protection applicants. Click on the links below to listen to the interviews.  RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Upfront with Katie Hannon Before joining University of Galway Ciara worked for a number of non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations in Ireland and abroad, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

A Conversation with Richard Bennett and Dorothy Estrada-Tanck Date and Time: Tuesday 30th of January, 1pm to 2pm (Irish Time). A light lunch will be provided Location: Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room and Online via Zoom, email humanrights@universityofgalway.ie for the Zoom link Speakers: Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and Dorothy Estrada-Tanck, Chair of the United Nations Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls (UN WGDAWG).    War, Rights, and Narcotics: Lessons from Years of Research on the Taliban's Strategic Edge Date and Time: Friday 9th of February, 1pm to 2pm (Irish Time). A light lunch will be provided Location: Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room Speaker: Qayoom Suroush, Former Senior Researcher with Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit/ based in University of Galway (graduate student)    “Sufis as Civil Society? Afghanistan from the ground up”   Date and Time: Friday 16th February, 1pm to 2pm (Irish Time). A light lunch will be provided from 12.15pm.  Location: Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room Speaker: Dr. Annika Schmeding, Cultural anthropologist, Senior Researcher at NIOD    Front Line Defenders Annual Lecture: Horia Mosadiq  Date and Time: Tuesday 12th March, 6pm to 7pm, reception to follow Location: To be confirmed Speaker: Horia Mosadiq Afghan human rights activist, political analyst, and journalist. Founder of the NGO Safety and Risk Mitigation Organization 

Prior to the twentieth century, international law was predominantly written by and for the 'civilised nations' of the white Global North. It justified doctrines of racial inequality and effectively drew a colour line that excluded citizens of the Global South and persons of African descent from participating in international law-making while subjecting them to colonialism and the slave trade. Professor William Schabas’ new book The International Legal Order's Colour Line (Oxford University Press, 2022) narrates this divide and charts the development of regulation on racism and racial discrimination at the international level, principally within the United Nations. Most notably, it outlines how these themes gained traction once the Global South gained more participation in international law-making after the First World War. It challenges the narrative that human rights are a creation of the Global North by focussing on the decisive contributions that countries of the Global South and people of colour made to anchor anti-racism in international law.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights is delighted to host a guest seminar with Graham Blewitt, titled 'Justice and War Crimes: Reflections of an International Prosecutor'. Graham is a former Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (1994 - 2004) and author of the leading book 'Justice and War Crimes'.  Date & Time: Wednesday 8th November, 9.30am Location: Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room via Zoom 

Our LLM students recently visited the Irish Defence Forces. The Field Trip involved a lecture on operating in a multi-dimensional UN peacekeeping mission, and another on contemporary challenges to applying principles of international humanitarian law. There was also a demonstration and informal discussion by members of the Defence Forces on the types of weapons that may be encountered when working in the field.

Join our seminar on 'European Human Rights Grey Zones: The Legacy of Nagorno-Karabakh'. Date and Time: Tuesday 7th November 12.30pm-1.30pm (followed by a light lunch)Location: Seminar Room at Irish Centre for Human RightsSpeaker: Dr Andrew FordeChair: Prof Siobhán Mullally Nagorno-Karabakh is a contested region in Azerbaijan which has been a de facto independent state since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It is one of a number of regions in Europe where Europe's human rights protection architecture has been unable to function effectively for more than three decades. In September 2023, following an extensive military operation by Azerbaijan which resulted in 100,000 people being permanently exiled, the President of Nagorno-Karabakh formally dissolved the state. This session will consider the legacy of the human rights situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and some reflections on possible consequences of the failure to resolve the conflict peacefully. About the speaker Dr Andrew Forde is a Visiting Fellow at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the University of Galway. His research focuses on the effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights in areas of conflict and his monograph on this topic will be published by Cambridge University Press in May 2024. Dr Forde worked for more than 10 years with the Council of Europe and the OSCE, much of which was spent focused on human rights protection in conflict and post-conflict contexts. He is also a Commissioner on the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The opinions expressed are entirely his own. Previous writing on this topic has been published on the international law blog, Opinio Juris.  

As part of our sixth Queer Human Rights Seminar Series at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, we will host a talk by Professor Alexander Kondakov. Professor Kondakov's research encompasses the study of law and queer sexualities, in particular anti-queer violence and hate crime legislation as a response to it. Professor Alexander Kondakov will give a talk on queerer criminology, a research approach to the studies of anti-queer violence and other crime.  Date and Time: Friday 10th November 12.30pm to 13.30pm (Irish Time)  Location: In person in the Seminar Room at the Irish Centre for Human Rights or join the seminar online via Zoom, email humanrights@universityofgalway.ie for the Zoom link.

Professor Shane Darcy from University of Galway's Irish Centre for Human Rights has an insightful piece featured in the online blog 'Justice of Conflict' titled 'The World Court and the Spectre of Genocide: The ICC is not the only Hague court with jurisdiction over Gaza'. The blog discusses the International Court of Justice and its role in Gaza. Read Now

Professor Ray Murphy from University of Galway's Irish Centre for Human Rights, and former Irish UN peacekeeper who was based in South Lebanon discusses the Israel-Palestine conflict in media interviews. To listen to the interviews click on the links below: Today with Claire Byrne The Pat Kenny Show Ireland AM (see clip at 11.57)

Check out this new blog "Faith No More: Azerbaijan’s Abdication of Duty Towards the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh" by our Visiting Fellow Dr Andrew Forde co-written with Sheila Paylan. Dr Andrew Forde worked for more than 10 years with the Council of Europe and the OSCE. 

As part of our Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding Seminar Series we are pleased to host a seminar on: The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill Speakers: Professors Louise Mallinder and Kieran McEvoy, School of Law and The Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, Queen’s University Belfast Date & Time: Oct 9, 2023 01:00 – 2pm Irish Time via Zoom (Email humanrights@universityofgalway.ie for the Zoom link)

The Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway is pleased to host the lunchtime seminar:  ‘Building obligations to enable participation under human rights law’ Date, Time & Location: 1pm, Friday, 6th October 2023, Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights Speaker: Nicholas McMurry is Programme Director for the Faculty of Law in Griffith College Cork and the author of Participation and Democratic Innovation under Human Rights Law (Routledge 2023). He graduated with a PhD from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the University of Galway in 2017.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights welcomed Professor Elin Skaar to present a two volume books Beyond Words: Implementing Truth Commission Recommendations in Latin America Vol I and II, co-authored with Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm and Jemima García-Godos and published by Internsentia/Cambridge University Press. Beyond Words Vol. I examines the variations in truth commission recommendations across 13 Latin American cases. Insights are provided regarding how the internal dynamics of truth commissions, as well as the political, social and economic context in which they operate, influence how recommendations are formulated. The authors then explore how the nature of these recommendations themselves, along with the aforementioned factors, influence which recommendations are actually implemented. The conclusion considers the findings' relevance for the crafting of future truth commission recommendations and reflects upon how the formulation and implementation of these recommendations shape the impact of truth commissions on societies emerging from periods of violence and repression. Beyond Words Vol. II is a unique collection of 11 Latin American country studies covering all 13 formal truth commissions established in this region that submitted their final reports between 1984 and 2014. Based on qualitative original data and a common analytical framework, the main focus of each of the country chapters is threefold: (1) to provide a brief background to the truth commission(s); (2) to provide a detailed account of the formulation of the truth commission's recommendations; and (3) to analyze the implementation record of the recommendations, taking into account the actors and factors that have aided – or obstructed – the implementation process. ELIN SKAAR (Research Professor, Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), Bergen, Norway) works in the intersection between law and politics and has published widely on transitional justice, human rights, and courts.ERIC WIEBELHAUS-BRAHM (Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Arkansas at Little Rock) is the author of three books and over two dozen articles and book chapters on transitional justice, human rights, and peacebuilding.JEMIMA GARCÍA-GODOS (Professor, Dept. Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo) is a human geographer working and publishing on transitional justice, human rights, victims’ rights, and state-society relations.

We have an exciting line up of seminars this week as part of our Introduction Week for LLM students.  The influence of anti-gender mobilisations on domestic and international human rights law Speaker: Dr Sandra Duffy, School of Law, Bristol UniversityDate & Time: Tuesday 5th September at 1.30pmLocation: Aula Maxima Building Conceptual and Methodological Expertise for the Study of Gender, Agency and Authority in Islam Speaker: Professor Roja Fazaeli, Established Professor of Law and Islamic Studies, Irish Centre for Human RightsDate & Time: Tuesday 5th September at 3pmLocation: Aula Maxima Right Now I Want to Scream: Police and Army Killings in Rio – the Brazil Haiti Connection (Film screening and presentation) Speaker: Professor Siobhan Wills, Director, Transitional Justice Institute, University of UlsterDate & Time: Wednesday 6th September at 10.15amLocation: Hardiman Building

Displacement, internally or across borders, and statelessness heighten risks of trafficking in persons, a UN expert said today, urging States to prevent trafficking and ensure effective protection of victims.    “Limiting access to asylum and other forms of international protection is likely to increase the risks of trafficking in persons, by forcing people into risky, precarious situations,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Professor Siobhán Mullally, in a report presented to the Human Right Council today.    Professor Mullally was particularly concerned about the adoption of legislation and policy by States to prevent trafficking in persons, which fail to comply with international law.    “The increasing use of accelerated refugee status determination procedures, transfer of refugee status determination procedures to third countries, and the phenomenon of ‘push-backs’ following interceptions at sea or land borders, undermine States’ ability to comply with their obligations to identify, assist and protect victims of trafficking, and to respect the principle of non-refoulement,” Professor Mullally said.    She recalled that States have obligations to identify and protect victims of trafficking or persons at risk of trafficking also in the context of interceptions at sea, and in the context of duties to rescue persons in distress at sea.   “Expanding safe, regular migration opportunities, and providing resettlement opportunities and other complementary pathways for the admission of persons with international protection needs, as well as effective access to asylum and international protection, are essential to prevent trafficking and ensure protection of victims,” she said.    Professor Mullally noted that States hosting the highest numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons have limited capacity to assist and protect trafficked persons or to prevent trafficking: “Where the rights of refugees to freedom of movement, to decent work and to access education or training are limited, the risks of exploitation increase.   “Stateless persons are exposed to increased risks of trafficking linked to their precarious legal status as persons deprived of their right to a nationality, and consequential violations resulting from limited access to civil documentation, education, employment, social protection, and restrictions on freedom of movement.”    Professor Mullally also raised the risks of trafficking faced by unaccompanied and separated children: “I am concerned that adolescent refugee children are often not given equal protection by States. States have an obligation to respect and ensure the rights of all children without discrimination.”    The full report is available here.   Ends

We are delighted to welcome Professor Roja Fazaeli, to the Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law. Professor Fazaeli will take up the post of Established Professor of Law and Islamic Studies, commencing July 1 2023, and leading the ERC Consolidator award: BILQIS: Building Conceptual and Methodological Expertise for the Study of Gender, Agency and Authority in Islam. Professor Fazaeli is currently Professor In Islamic Civilisation, Near & Middle Eastern Studies, Trinity College Dublin.  She is the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including winner of Trinity Research Excellence Award for 2020 in the category 'Cherish academic freedom, diversity of scholarship, and pursuit of truth'. She is a Global Affiliate of the Vulnerability and the Human Condition project, Emory University, School of Law, USA. Professor Fazaeli has always combined engagement with public policy and human rights advocacy with her academic scholarship and teaching. She is currently the Chairperson of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, and is a member of the Board of Frontline Defenders and of Scholars at Risk, Europe. Professor Fazaeli has published extensively on Religion and Human Rights, Islam and Human Rights, Islamic Feminisms and Gender and Human Rights. Professor Fazaeli is also PI of the European Commission funded project: Preaching Hate: A Contextual Discourse Analysis of Charismatic Socio-Religious Speech. Professor Fazaeli gained her BA and MPhil. from Trinity College Dublin and PhD in International Human Rights Law from the University of Galway, where she was also the recipient of an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland PhD scholarship. Professor Fazaeli is a former member of the Board of Directors of Azadi Andisheh (Association for Freedom of Thought) and of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Religions and Human Rights.   Prior to commencing her academic career, Professor Fazaeli, worked for Amnesty International, Irish Section and a number of other Non-Governmental Organisations, and served on the executive boards of the Irish Refugee Council and UNIFEM Ireland.

End of Project Webinar: Human Trafficking, Forced Migration and Gender Equality in Uganda Since 2019, researchers from the Irish Centre for Human Rights and the Refugee Law Project have worked together on an Irish Research COALESCE funded project entitled ‘Human Trafficking, Forced Migration and Gender Equality in Uganda’. In this end of project webinar, our researchers will reflect on the main findings of the project, and discuss directions for future research on the important questions raised in this project. This online event will take place on Friday 9 June at 2pm. To register, please use the following registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/human-trafficking-forced-migration-and-gender-equality-in-uganda-tickets-643661457747

Book Launch: Irregular Migrants and the Right to Health, by Stefano Angeleri  Please join us for the launch of Dr Stefano Angeleri's book “Irregular Migrants and the Right to Health” (Cambridge University Press, 2022), based on his PhD thesis conducted at the ICHR, University of Galway. The event twill take place at 2:30pm on 16 May 2023 in the ICHR Seminar Room and online.    Dr Angeleri will be in conversation with Prof Felipe González Morales (United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants & International Law professor at the Diego Portales University, Santiago de Chile), Dr Claire Lougarre (health and human rights scholar, lecturer at Ulster University) and Dr Sarah Craig (expert in international and EU Refugee Law, Ulster University). 

We are delighted to announce that Dr Maeve O’Rourke, Assistant Professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, has today been appointed to the Young Academy of Ireland, established by the Royal Irish Academy. This prestigious appointment reflects Dr O’Rourke’s standing as an internationally renowned scholar, teacher and legal practitioner, and her leadership in human rights law research and public policy engagement, through initiatives such as the award winning Human Rights Law LLM clinic at University of Galway, the CLANN project and the Justice for Magdalenes Research campaign. The YAI consists of forty members from Ireland and Northern Ireland, who were selected after a competitive recruitment process launched by the Royal Irish Academy in 2022. The successful candidates include researchers, academics, scientists, innovators, clinicians, economists, and professionals who have each made a significant contribution to their field and beyond their individual disciplines. Speaking about her appointment, Dr O’Rourke said: ‘I am thrilled to be included in this first group of Young Academy scholars. I can’t wait to meet the other members and to work with them over the next four years to propose new approaches to pressing national and international problems.’

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'Migration Policy: What’s the Connection Between Nation-Centered Justice and Human Rights?' by Hiroshi Motomura, UCLA School of Law, LA. The seminar takes place at 1pm, Monday, 3rd April 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights or via Zoom. Prof Motomura will also give a workshop on 'Why National Borders, and When Are They Ethical?' from 2.30pm-4pm. All are welcome to attend. Please contact humanrights@universityofgalway.ie for the Zoom link.  Many critics of migration policies around the world voice their objections as a matter of human rights. This framework stands in some contrast to much of prevailing discourse in the United States, where justice for immigrants is largely approached as a matter of nation-centered justice, especially in the language of civil rights. This seminar will explore the connection between nation-centered justice and human rights by looking at the emergence of a civil rights framework for immigration law and immigrants’ rights in the United States, and by assessing the potential and perils of this approach. Hiroshi Motomura is a teacher and scholar of immigration and citizenship, with influence across a range of academic disciplines and in federal, state, and local policymaking. His book, Americans in Waiting: The Lost Story of Immigration and Citizenship in the United States (Oxford 2006) won the Professional and Scholarly Publishing (PROSE) Award from the Association of American Publishers as the year’s best book in Law and Legal Studies, and was chosen by the U.S. Department of State for its Suggested Reading List for Foreign Service Officers. He is a co-author of two immigration-related casebooks: Immigration and Citizenship: Process and Policy (9th ed. West 2021), and Forced Migration: Law and Policy (2d ed. West 2013), and he has published many widely cited articles on immigration and citizenship. His most recent book, Immigration Outside the Law (Oxford 2014), won the Association of American Publishers' Law and Legal Studies 2015 PROSE Award and was chosen by the Association of College and Research Libraries as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title.

The fifth seminar in the new Queer Human Rights Seminar Series at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, on 'Queering AI: the effects of artificial intelligence on the LGBTQ+ community' by guest speaker Masuma Shahid, will take place on Thursday, 20th April 2023 at 12.30pm in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. Lunch and tea/coffee will be provided. Masuma Shahid is a lecturer in European Union law, a PhD candidate in the field of LGBTQ+ rights and one of the co-coordinators of the LGBTQI Working Group of the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law. Her PhD research focuses on Queer Legal Theory and how various courts approach the topic of equal marriage rights, specifically same-sex marriage. Besides publishing in various journals, Shahid is the co-author of the bookseries 'Cases and Materials' (on European Union law, Public International Law, International and European Union Law) at Eleven Publishing and the author of 'Europees recht begrepen' at Boom Juridische Uitgevers. Her latest research can be found in the chapter 'Artificial Intelligence and LGBTQ+ rights' in A. Quintavalla & J.D. Temperman, Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Oxford University Press (forthcoming in June 2023). 

The Annual Front Line Defenders Lecture was established in 2013 to provoke discussion and debate about the range of issues affecting human rights defenders as they work tirelessly to bring about changes and build robust civil societies. Held in partnership with universities in Dublin, Belfast and Galway, the lecture is broadly accessible to a general audience with an interest in philosophy, law, human rights or politics. The Galway lecture will be hosted in the Dillon Theatre, Arts/Science Building, University of Galway on Friday, 31st March from 2.00pm - 3.30pm. See more details and register below: Dublin: https://bit.ly/42aUmzx Galway: https://bit.ly/3TdoTZt Belfast: https://bit.ly/400eVNc Speaker: Parvin Ardalan Parvin Ardalan is a feminist activist, journalist, and writer with a background in the grassroots feminist movement in Iran. She is currently a board member of Swedish PEN and a member of the network Feminists for Jina. She currently works at the Unit for Documentation and Freedom of Expression at Malmö City Archives. Her interest in gender, social movements, and migration led her to launch a process in a joint effort with civil society and numerous cultural institutions to create Women Making HERstory – a project committed to the unveiling, visualising, and rewriting the life and work of women with migration backgrounds in Sweden. Her next process was launching Migration Memory Encounters, where the knowledge, experiences, and memories of migrants in various cultural fields have been rediscovered through live performances and installations in Sweden. She was a co-founder of the Women’s Cultural Center and The One Million Signature Campaign in Iran – a grassroots movement aimed at repealing discriminatory laws against women in Iran. She was awarded the Olof Palme Prize In 2007 and has lived in exile since 2009. She was the first guest writer of Malmö City (2010-2012) in Sweden under the ICORN (The International Cities of Refuge Network) programme. Lecture description: The government’s murder of Jina Amini in September 2022 rocketed Iranian society into a revolutionary moment where women emerged as a symbol of resistance at the intersection of all forms of discrimination. In this paradigm shift, the past and current protest movements are linked together through the celebrated slogan of “Jin Jian Azadi”. In her lecture, Parvin will unpack the current revolutionary moment in Iran. How and why did the government’s murder of Jina take us to this particular point? Join us as Parvin discusses the radical potential and meaning of ''Jin, Jian, Azadi'' (Woman, Life, Freedom). She will insist on the entangled relation of the three elements of this slogan and as such will argue that this slogan by linking the everyday and material necessities of life to the abstract notion of ‘rights’ opens a new horizon of feminist politics for Iran, in specific and the human rights discourse in general.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'Penality in the Underground: The IRA’s Pursuit of Informers' by Dr Ron Dudai, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ben Gurion University. The seminar takes place at 12.30pm, Friday, 31st March 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. All are welcome to attend. Secret informers are often the biggest threat faced by underground rebel groups, which must respond to this challenge in order to survive. Using the IRA as a case-study, Ron Dudai’s book Penality in the Underground offers a systematic, in-depth analysis of this phenomenon, providing an empirical and theoretical account of the causes, forms, functions, and effects of the underground response to informers. While superficial media images tend to depict only ruthless killings, the book argues - using the lens of 'Punishment and Society' and drawing on rich interviews with IRA members and on archival sources - that groups such as the IRA develop complex systems of punishment and social control in their pursuit of informers. Dr Ron Dudai is a senior lecturer at the department of sociology & anthropology, Ben Gurion University, Israel. His work has been published in leading journals including British Journal of Sociology, British Journal of Criminology, Law & Social Inquiry, and Punishment & Society. He was, among others, a member of the Martin Buber Society of Fellows at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and visiting scholar at the Mitchell Institute, Queen's University Belfast. He was awarded the Brian Williams Prize by the British Society of Criminology, and served as co-editor of the Journal of Human Rights Practice.

On 22 February 2023 the voluntary advocacy group, Care Champions, along with the Human Rights Law Clinic at the Irish Centre for Human Rights (ICHR) and numerous other concerned organisations, made a submission - Care Champions letter to IHREC 22-2-23- to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) regarding the need for a human rights-based public inquiry into the experiences of people in residential care and their relatives and staff carers during the Covid-19 pandemic.  The joint submission - Care Champions letter to IHREC 22-2-23- requests that IHREC use its discretionary power under section 35 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 to initiate a human rights-based public inquiry. The joint submission contends that the statutory criteria for such inquiry are satisfied, in that: there is clear evidence of serious and systematic human rights violations of people living in residential care and their relatives and staff carers during the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting from (among other things) deficient state regulatory structures, resource provision, strategic planning and intervention;  there are ever-mounting expressions of grave public concern regarding the experiences of people living in residential care settings and their families, and staff, during the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for an accounting and for institutional reforms to guarantee non-recurrence; and  it is necessary and appropriate for IHREC to hold a dedicated public inquiry into the experiences of people in residential care, bearing in mind (i) the entitlements of the people affected to individualised investigations and to be centrally included in the design and proceedings of an inquiry, (ii) the breadth of the Constitutional and human rights issues involved and the established expertise and mandate of IHREC, and (iii) the potential for a dedicated IHREC-led inquiry to support the broader, general state inquiry into Covid-19 responses that the Government has promised. The submission makes detailed reference to IHREC’s statutory powers to include affected people in its information disclosure and other investigation processes.  The joint submission highlights the State’s legal obligation to protect the right to life by taking practical steps to guard against reasonably anticipated risks to life in social care settings; relatedly, it notes Ireland’s duty under Article 11 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to take ‘all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including…humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters.’ Additionally, among other legal obligations, the joint submission draws attention to the State’s absolute duty to prevent inhuman or degrading treatment, and its obligation to have in place an effective framework to prevent arbitrary detention and ensure respect for private and family life.   The joint submission notes that the very first recommendation in the Final Report of the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 Response was: ‘That a public inquiry be established to investigate and report on all circumstances relating to each individual death from Covid-19 in nursing homes.’ The submission also highlights the Covid-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel’s concerns and HIQA’s receipt of thousands of communications regarding the impact of visiting prohibitions, communication vacuums and safeguarding lacunae on people’s treatment in residential care settings and families’ experiences. The submission refers to IHREC’s previous reports on the lack of effective human rights protections for people experiencing and working in residential care during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the submission highlights IHREC’s particular expertise regarding human rights-based care provision.  The joint submission relies in part on research carried out by ICHR Human Rights Law Clinic postgraduate students, Erin Nic an Bhaird, Freya Middleton, Quinn O’Mahar and Charlotte Brouxel, supervised by Dr Maeve O’Rourke, Judit Villena-Rodo and Muriel Moore. The ICHR students gathered testimonies of bereaved relatives and analysed these from a human rights law perspective; they similarly analysed interview excerpts provided with families’ consent by postgraduate student of Applied Psychology at University College Cork, Graham Gillespie.  Co-signatories to the joint submission include the Irish Dementia Working Group, the Dementia Carers Campaign Network, Age Action Ireland, the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland, the Irish Association of Social Workers, faculty members of the School of Applied Psychology at University College Cork, and Dublin City University, and members of CareVisions Project (University College Cork), the Nursing Home Quality Initiative and Psychologists for Social Change. Previous related interventions by ICHR faculty and postgraduate students include:  Submission to Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Nursing Homes and Other Institutional Care Settings: A Framework for Examining the State’s Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic (May 2020) ICHR Submission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee for the List of Issues Prior to Reporting in respect of Ireland (August 2020) C Brouxel, T Herbert, F Middleton, E Nic an Bhaird, Q O’Mahar and M O’Rourke, ‘Human Rights Norms Relevant to the Treatment of Care Home Residents during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Ireland: A Preliminary Research Report for Care Champions (Irish Centre for Human Rights, January 2023) In January 2023 the United Nations Human Rights Committee published its Concluding Observations on Ireland’s fifth periodic report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in which it stated: 29. The Committee notes the information provided by the State party with regard to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in institutional care settings, including in nursing homes, and welcomes the ongoing review of its response and regulatory framework. The Committee, however, is concerned about the rate of deaths related to COVID-19 in nursing homes throughout the course of the pandemic, exacerbated by the collective living arrangements in long-term institutional care. The Committee is also concerned by reports of younger persons with disabilities being accommodated in nursing homes (arts. 6–7).   30. The State party should continue its efforts to carry out a comprehensive review of the regulatory and protection framework for social care services to ensure that older and structurally vulnerable communities have adequate protection and support. It should also put measures in place to guarantee that the inspection mechanisms are adequate, independent, supported by a human rights framework, and incorporate all public, voluntary and private health and social care providers. The State party should also continue to take targeted measures to protect older persons from COVID-19 and/or other major public health emergencies. 

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'A reflection on the effectiveness of Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations on reparations for victims of sexual and gender-based violence' by Yah Vallah Parwo. The seminar takes place at 1pm, Wednesday, 22nd March 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights and online via Zoom. All are welcome to attend. Please contact humanrights@universityofgalway.ie for Zoom details. Yah Vallah Parwon is an African feminist and Women Human Rights Professional. She is an Attorney with a background in social work, gender, conflict, and human rights. Yah currently serves as the Country Director for Medica Liberia - a feminist organization providing legal, psychosocial, sexual reproductive health and advocacy services and support for survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Liberia. She is also the Co-Founder of the Rising Youth Mentorship Initiative (RYMI), a feminist community-based initiative advancing adolescent girls and young people's sexual and reproductive health and rights. In 2019 she co-authored a submission to Northern Ireland's government titled ''A New Legal Framework for Abortion Services in Northern Ireland.'' In 2020, as a Chevening scholar, she was a recipient of the Transitional Justice Institute /Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission 2020 Dissertation Prize for her research titled ''Can the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice advance women's rights through its interpretation of gender-discrimination? A Critical analysis of Women's Rights Jurisprudence in the African Human Rights System." She recently published an article in the Liberia’s Daily Observer on ‘Reconciliation and Reparation: The Future of War Survivors of Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Liberia’.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'A Human Rights Basis for Claims of Innocence' by Dr Brian Farrell, Associate Professor of Instruction; Director, Citizen Lawyer Program; Associate Director, Centre for Human Rights; University of Iowa College of Law. The seminar takes place at 1pm, Monday, 20th March 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. All are welcome to attend. In the past few years, legal scholars have begun to identify what is described as the “innocence gap” in international law: the absence of clear substantive and procedural rights to exonerate the wrongfully convicted. The seminar will provide a brief overview of the phenomenon of wrongful convictions, a survey of emerging efforts to develop a human rights-based claim, and open to a discussion on next steps. Professor Brian Farrell is an Associate Professor of Instruction in Law and Human Rights, Associate Director of the UI Center for Human Rights, and directs the undergraduate Human Rights Certificate program. He teaches international law, criminal law, and human rights courses. He is the director of the Citizen Lawyer Program and was a co-founder of the Innocence Project of Iowa. Professor Farrell also serves as an adjunct lecturer at the National University of Ireland Galway and is a member of the Iowa Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission. Professor Farrell received his JD from the University of Iowa and his LLM and PhD from the National University of Ireland Galway. Before joining Iowa Law, he practiced law in Iowa and Georgia. In 2012 he was selected as a Fulbright Senior Lecturer and taught at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski in Bulgaria. His book, Habeas Corpus in International Law, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017.

On Friday 21 April 2023, the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the School of Law at the University of Galway will host a one-day conference exploring the Irish Civil War 1922-23 within the framework of the laws of war and against the backdrop of developments concerning international regulation of internal conflicts. The laws of war were frequently invoked during the Irish Civil War 1922-23, often in the condemnation of the execution of prisoners or other reprisal measures, notwithstanding that contemporary international law was not considered formally applicable to internal conflicts at that time. Nascent attempts were being made at the international level to expand the scope of the laws of war, with the Tenth International Conference of the Red Cross in 1921 adopting a resolution urging a greater role for humanitarian organisations during civil wars, as well as a call for political prisoners to be afforded treatment similar to that of prisoners of war in such conflicts. *** Registration now open ***  This is an in-person event and while there is no fee to register, places are limited. Please register on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-irish-civil-war-1922-1923-and-the-evolving-laws-of-war-tickets-579256460667 The conference will explore legal, political and judicial debates concerning the application of the laws of war during the Civil War and the role of various individuals, groups and organisations in this context. Topics covered will include the question of prisoner of war status for captured anti-Treaty forces, the relevance of the doctrine of reprisals in wartime, and the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross during the Irish Civil War. For more information, download the programme here: The Irish Civil War and the Laws of War Conference Programme Speakers include: Dr John O’Callaghan, Atlantic Technological University Dr Mary McAuliffe, University College Dublin Dr Anthony Cullen, University of Middlesex Rémi Fuhrmann, University of Glasgow Dr Lia Brazil, University of Oxford Professor Kimberly Lowe, Lesley University Professor Shane Darcy, University of Galway

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'N.D. and N.T. v. Spain - from the exception to the rule?' by Clara Bosch March. The seminar takes place at 1pm, Friday, 10th March 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights and on Zoom. All are welcome to attend. A link to take part online can be requested from humanrights@universityofgalway.ie. Clara Bosch March is a PhD student and Hardiman scholar at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway, where she also completed an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law in 2020. She won the First Prize of the Third Postgraduate Dissertation Prize organised by the Journal of Immigration Asylum and Nationality Law (with Hart Publishing and Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association) with her master's theses, which she conducted under the supervision of Dr Ciara Smyth. Her current doctoral research, also under the supervision of Dr Ciara Smyth, focuses on the judicial dialogue around the collective expulsion of aliens between the European Court of Human Rights and two selected case-study jurisdictions (Spain and Italy). She has published a couple of research papers, the first in the Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality (2021) and the second in Les Cahiers de l'EDEM (2022).

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'The Right to Protest' by Prof Illan Wall. The seminar takes place at 1pm, Wednesday, 8th March 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights and on Zoom. All are welcome to attend. A link to take part online can be requested from humanrights@universityofgalway.ie. Illan Rua Wall is Professor of Law at the Warwick Law School. He is currently the Co-Director of the Centre for Critical Legal Studies, founding editor of the blog criticallegalthinking.com, and a managing director of the open access publisher Counterpress. He is author of Law and Disorder (Routledge 2021), Human Rights and Constituent Power (Routledge 2012) and editor of The Critical Legal Pocketbook (Counterpress 2021). The slogan 'defend the right to protest' has proved powerful in recent years, connecting a wide variety of organisations, activists and writers. But if we dig a little deeper, we find a significant difference of views over the meaning of this right. On the surface, we might bemoan the lack of an enumerated 'right to protest'. But the issue here is actually much more thorny. This paper traces the way in which human rights jurisprudence tends to reduce protest to speech. In this, it tends to miss the materiality of protest. The paper proposes a turn to critical legal geography as a way of remedying the human rights analysis of protest.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights is delighted to host a seminar by Professor Roja Fazaeli, Trinity College Dublin, celebrating International Women’s Day 2023, on "Woman, Life, Freedom: a Historical and Contextual Analysis of the Recent Protests in Iran." This will take place on March 6th at 1pm in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights, and will be followed by light refreshments. A link to take part online can be requested from humanrights@universityofgalway.ie. About the speaker Dr. Roja Fazaeli is Professor in Islamic Civilisations and a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin. Roja has published widely on the subjects of Islamic feminisms, human rights, women religious authorities, women’s rights in Iran, and the relationship between human rights and religion. She is the recipient of a European Research Council Consolidator grant to lead a five-year project (2023-2028) on Building Conceptual and Methodological Expertise for the Study of Gender, Agency, and Authority in Islam (BILQIS). Roja is also a principal investigator on a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions funded project investigating the nature of hate in society (NETHATE). Roja is currently the chairperson of the board of directors of Immigrant Council of Ireland, and a member of the board of directors of Azadi Andisheh (Association for Freedom of Thought). Roja has also been the Scholars at Risk representative in Trinity College Dublin since 2009, and was previously on the boards of the Irish Refugee Council and Amnesty International Ireland. Professor Fazaeli is the recipient of the Trinity Research Excellence Award for 2020 in the category 'Cherish academic freedom, diversity of scholarship, and pursuit of truth.' She is a graduate of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway.

The fourth seminar in the new Queer Human Rights Seminar Series at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, on 'Queering Tyrannicide' by guest speaker Professor Aoife O'Donoghue, will take place on Friday, 3 March 2023 at 12pm online only via Zoom. Please contact humanrights@universityofgalway.ie for admission details. This is the fourth seminar in the new Queer Human Rights Seminar Series at the Irish Centre for Human Rights. Prof Aoife O'Donoghue's research encompasses feminism, utopia, tyranny, law and literature as well as constitutionalism and international law. She joined QUB in May having previously worked at Durham University, and University of Galway. Her paper builds on her work on her monograph Tyranny and the Global Legal Order (CUP, 2021) by considering first the realms of feminist tyrannicide and builds on that to consider what could be gained by queering tyrannicide and asking if it offers something emancipatory beyond the normal expectations of simply ending tyranny. 

On 14 February 2023, the Irish Centre for Human Rights and the Centre for Disability Law and Policy made a Joint Submission to the Committee of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) ‘Draft General Comment on Persons with Disabilities in Situations of Risk and Humanitarian Emergencies (Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)’. During armed conflict, natural disasters, and humanitarian emergencies persons with disabilities face a heightened risk of exclusion from access to humanitarian protection on an equal basis with others. In particular, this submission calls for urgent clarity on forced displacement and forced migration in the context of Article 11 of the CRPD. The full submission, authored by Keelin Barry, Irish Research Council Government of Ireland PhD Scholar, can be accessed here: Joint ICHR/CDLP submission to the General Discussion on Article 11 of the CRPD.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with 'A Pipe Dream? Ending Direct Provision' by Dr Liam Thornton. The seminar takes place at 1pm, Tuesday, 28th February 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. All are welcome to attend.  The system of direct provision for persons seeking protection in Ireland has been in existence for almost twenty three years. In February 2021, the White Paper on Ending Direct Provision was published, acknowledging direct provision as a rights violating system and providing a road map to its end. Fast-forward two years, with such a changed socio-political landscape due to Russia’s war on Ukraine, has the White Paper become nothing more than a pipe-dream?  In this presentation, Dr Liam Thornton will consider some key issues relating to the implementation, or lack thereof, of the White Paper to date in the areas of right to shelter and right to social assistance. Adopting a lens which argues for the centrality of socio-economic rights protection for asylum seekers in Ireland, Dr Thornton argues - based on extensive freedom of information requests - that the potentials for White Paper implementation have diminished significantly. This is due to the arrival of significant numbers of persons entitled to Temporary Protection from the Ukraine, as well as an increase in numbers seeking international protection. However, these are not the only reasons, further contextualization, in particular highlighting continued civil servant/bureaucratic resistance to implementation of affirmed government policy, as well as public resistance to rights protection for asylum seekers, may result in the continued existence of the system of direct provision. Biography Dr Liam Thornton is an associate professor in the School of Law, University College Dublin. His research interests encompass aspects of asylum and refugee law, human rights law, legal systems and socio-economic rights. His recent report on the implementation of the White Paper, with Dr Abayomi Ogunsanya, conducted for Nasc  was published in February 2023. This report was funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) under the IHREC Grant Scheme.

Elizabeth Coppin has today published her personal response to the recent Decision of a majority of the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) in her Individual Communication against Ireland: Coppin v Ireland. The majority Decision finds in favour of Ireland under articles 12, 13, 14 and 16 of the Convention Against Torture.  Three Committee members issued dissenting Opinions. The dissenting Opinions highlight the inconsistency between the majority’s Decision and the CAT’s previous Concluding Observations concerning Ireland in 2011 and 2017, as well as the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s Concluding Observations concerning Ireland in 2022.  These developments follow a landmark Admissibility Decision in 2020, finding that the CAT had full jurisdiction to consider the merits of Mrs Coppin’s Complaint notwithstanding Ireland’s claims that the matters raised were historical and that Mrs Coppin had waived her rights in exchange for ‘ex gratia’ payments.     Also today, Mrs Coppin published key documents from her case in the public interest: Coppin v Ireland, Witness Statement of Elizabeth Coppin Coppin v Ireland, Expert Psychological Report of Professor Nimisha Patel Coppin v Ireland, Complaint Coppin v Ireland, State Defence on Admissibility Coppin v Ireland, Elizabeth Coppin Reply to State Defence on Admissibility Coppin v Ireland, State Defence on Merits Coppin v Ireland, Elizabeth Coppin Reply to State Defence on Merits Coppin v Ireland, State Observations on Elizabeth Coppin Reply Coppin v Ireland, Elizabeth Coppin Reply to State Observations On 13 February 2023 Mrs Coppin visited the Irish Centre for Human Rights to discuss her Individual Complaint and to share with staff and students her response to the CAT’s final Decision.  Elizabeth Coppin’s full case file is being prepared for permanent preservation and access at the University of Galway Library and Archives. Dr Maeve O’Rourke has worked as a member of Mrs Coppin’s legal team since 2018, and students of the Human Rights Law Clinic have partnered with Mrs Coppin in research and preparation for the permanent deposit of her personal archive at the University of Galway.  Click here and here for analysis of the CAT’s final Decision and dissenting Opinions by Professor Máiréad Enright and Professor Natasa Mavronicola of Birmingham Law School.    Picture: Elizabeth and Peter Coppin at the Irish Centre for Human Rights on 13 February 2023, with Mary Harney, PhD scholar, Dr Maeve O’Rourke, and students of the Law (BCL) and Human Rights undergraduate degree. 

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'I want to talk about home– Syria and the forgotten detainees' by Ghufran Khoulani. The seminar takes place at 1pm, Wednesday, 22nd February 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. All are welcome to attend.  Ghufran and her family are originally from the town of Daraya, close to Damascus. Ghufran was forced to leave Syria due the conflict and has been in Ireland since 2015. Ghufran advocates on behalf of the Caesar Families Association for the creation of an independent, international mechanism to determine the fate of Syria's disappeared. The Caesar Families Association is a group of families that have lost loved ones, victims of forced disappearance and torture in Saydnaya military prison and other detention centres. 'We identified our loved ones in the Caesar photos which were leaked from the Syrian regime by a military defector codenamed Caesar. Tens of thousands of civilians have been arbitrarily detained, subjected to torture and sexual violence, and more than 100,000 people remain missing or disappeared. As Syrian refugees get deported from Lebanon and Turkey and some EU countries now declare that Syria is safe for returnees, Saydnaya is a key reminder of the harrowing reality of Syria today. The forcible disappearance of Syrians continues daily. This key issue of Syrian detainees has been forgotten though it impacts almost every Syrian family. My three brothers did not get the chance to tell the world. They died there. I would like to tell their story.'

The Irish Centre for Human Rights runs the first in its Spring seminar series with a seminar on 'A critical assessment of the protection of Minority Rights and the role of the UN system' with UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Professor Fernand de Varennes. This seminar will address the thematic focus of the Special Rapporteur’s next report to the UN Human Rights Council, to be presented in March 2023. Further information on the topics to be addressed is at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2022/thematic-report-52nd-session-human-rights-council-march-2023 The seminar takes place at 9.15am, Tuesday, 31st January 2023, on Zoom. All are welcome to attend. Please contact the Human Rights Administration for Zoom links. Fernand de Varennes is Visiting Professor at the Université Catholique de Lyon (France), Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas (Lithuania) and the University of Galway. He was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues by the Human Rights Council and assumed his functions on 1 August 2017. Fernand de Varennes’ work and commitment focusses on the human rights of minorities, as well as the prevention of ethnic conflicts, the rights of migrants, the relationship between ethnicity, human rights and democracies, and the use of federalism and other forms of autonomy arrangements to balance competing cultural interests. His contributions on these topics in many parts of the world, including as a professor for almost 20 years at Murdoch University in Australia, and as a guest professor at the following institutions in Africa, Asia and Europe: Åbo Academy, Dato Bunka University, Ethiopian Civil Service University, Gakushuin University, Peking University, Seikei University, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Universitas Sam Ratulangi, Université de la Réunion, University of Hong Kong, University of Pretoria, and Vytautas Magnus University. He has more than 250 publications globally in some 30 languages. Fernand de Varennes holds degrees from the Université de Moncton (LLB, 1988), the London School of Economics and Political Science (LLM, 1992), and the Rijksuniversiteit Limburg (becoming in 1996 the University of Maastricht, Dr Juris, 1996).

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the recent death of Prof. Megan Fairlie of Florida State University. Megan was a graduate of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, at the University of Galway, as well as the State University at Alabama and the Washington and Lee University in Virginia, from where she received her J.D.  Megan read for her LL.M. degree in peace support operations in 2003 at the Irish Centre for Human Rights and then embarked on her Ph.D. in international human rights law (specializing in international criminal law) under the supervision of Prof. Ray Murphy.  Megan was a formidable advocate with an extensive knowledge of international criminal law in particular.  She was a renowned scholar who published widely in this field and honed her skills as a lawyer initially while an attorney for both branches of the New York State Legislature and the Office of Children and Family Affairs.  Prior to her illness, Megan was a core contributor to the Irish Centre for Human Rights Summer School on the International Criminal Court and a range of other prestigious international events.  Megan will always be remembered for her intellect, scholarship, warmth, friendship, loyalty and sense of humour - with a distinct infectious laugh. She was the mother of two wonderful girls whom she loved dearly, Aileen and Maca. She showed great courage in her battle with cancer and is greatly missed by her extended family and many friends in Ireland and abroad.   For all who wish to honor Professor Fairlie, a fundraiser has been established for her two daughters: https://www.gofundme.com/the-daughters-of-megan-fairlie We share the following obituary that Megan’s family has written in memory of their beloved daughter, mother, sister and wife.  It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Megan Aileen Fairlie of Weston, Florida after a courageous battle with cancer.  Dr. Fairlie, the daughter of Brian and Gail Fairlie of Venice, Florida, was born and raised in Staten Island, NY and was a graduate of Notre Dame Academy and the State University at Albany.  She received her J. D. at Washington and Lee University in Virginia and earned both her LLM in International Peace Support Operations and Ph.D. in Human Rights Law from the National University of Ireland, Galway. At the time of her death, she was a tenured Professor of Law at Florida International University. Dr. Fairlie was a citizen of the world, lecturing at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, the Amsterdam Centre for International Law and the Hague, and she had amassed a small army of friends and colleagues around the globe. However, our Meg was still very much the girl she always had been.  Although fiercely independent, Meg called her mom every day. She swam daily, the way she learned at Hillside Swim Club, danced a somewhat dangerous Irish jig, and still listened to the Smiths and other music once found on the Choir Loft juke box. Meg told great stories filled with an eclectic array of accents and colloquialisms from the many places she lived.  She had both a confident and commanding vocabulary, and an outrageous laugh. In addition to her devoted parents, Meg is survived by her “raison d’etre” daughters Aileen and Maca Fairlie Herman, her husband, Matthew Herman, her sisters: Kristi (Tim) Geddis and Heather (Devin) Reilly, her nephews: Timothy and Toby Geddis, Devin and Kailan Reilly, and her nieces: Faeryn and Clodagh Reilly.  Meg is the granddaughter of John (Monona Rossol) Fairlie Sr., and the daughter-in-law of Art Herman and Betty Herman Turner.  She was predeceased by her maternal grandparents, Gerard and June Daggett, her paternal grandmother Mary Fairlie, and a sister-in-law, Lori Herman. Megan will be forever loved and remembered by her many aunts, uncles and cousins from her amazing Fairlie and Daggett family.  She will be sorely missed by her many “Irish Mates.” A former prosecutor and formidable opponent, our Meg did not go gentle into that good night.  She raged endlessly against this disease.  Meg tried everything, including conventional treatments and multiple clinical trials.  She embraced a plant-based diet, swam, ran, and looked toward holistic treatments. Her family would like to thank Dr. Jeremy Jones of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville for matching Meg’s determination.  We extend a special thank you to Megan’s friends and colleagues at the Florida International University School of Law for their endless support during her illness. Megan was eternally grateful to her “Mommy and Daddy” and it was her sincerest wish to provide her girls the same opportunities her parents gave to her: to pursue their passions, find their bliss and live life on their own terms.  For all of those who wish to honor Meg, a fundraiser has been established for the benefit of Aileen and Maca Fairlie Herman. https://www.gofundme.com/the-daughters-of-megan-fairlie Services were private at the convenience of the family.  A celebration of life will be held at a later date.  

Niamh Keady-Tabbal, PhD researcher and recipient of the NUI Dr Peter Sutherland Travelling Studentship in European Studies has been accepted as a Visiting Researcher at the Centre for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law.  During her two-month appointment, Niamh will continue to work on her doctoral research project on EU migration law and policy and access to asylum and border violence in Greece. Niamh’s publications and research profile can be accessed here. 

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'Smartening Protection of Human Rights: The Role of AI Technologies in Maritime Migration' by Dr Aphrodite Papachristodoulou of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. Dr  Papachristodoulou joined the Centre in November 2022, on a 2 year NUI post-doctoral fellowship in the humanities. She is working on the topic of AI, Border technologies and Migrants at Sea. The seminar takes place at 1pm, Tuesday, 24th January 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. All are welcome to attend. Dr Aphrodite Papachristodoulou holds an NUI Post-doctoral fellowship in the Humanities, based at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, University of Galway. Dr Papachristodoulou holds a PhD in Law from University College Dublin, awarded with the generous support from the NUI E J Phelan Fellowship in International Law and from the A.G. Leventis Foundation scholarship. She also holds a Master of Laws in Maritime Law from University College London, awarded with distinction, and an LLB from University of Southampton. Dr Papachristodoulou is a licensed lawyer having been called to the Cyprus Bar in 2016. Her principal research topics include the extraterritorial application of human rights, border technologies, and migration by sea as well as philosophical and ethical underpinnings of AI. Dr Papachristodoulou is writing a monograph based on her PhD thesis entitled ‘European Migration Crisis and the Protection of Human Life at Sea’. She has published various peer-reviewed articles, including her most recent paper in 2022 in the Leiden Journal of International Law, and has several publications in progress, in particular, on the intersection between technologies of control used at sea borders and the human rights of migrants.

Philip Collins was awarded the best dissertation prize 2022 for his LLM dissertation. His article, “The US Approach to Asylum: Examining the Disconnection Between Domestic Law and Policy and International Human Rights Law”, based on his dissertation is now published in the Vol 36(4) of the Journal of Immigration Asylum and Nationality Law. (See: https://www.bloomsburyprofessionalonline.com/view/journal_immigration/b-17467632_36-4-0000554.xml ) Philip Collins is a graduate of the LLM International Human Rights Law Program at the University of Galway's Irish Centre for Human Rights. He is a practising US immigration attorney specialising in asylum and migration law and is also focusing his legal research and writing on international human rights law and global refugee and migration law and policy.

Pearce Clancy, an Irish Research Council PhD scholar at the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the School of Law, has been awarded the EJ Phelan Fellowship in International Law by the National University of Ireland. The Fellowship is awarded to one applicant every two years for an 18-month period in honour of Edward J Phelan, the fourth Director-General of the International Labour Organization. Pearce’s research is supervised by Professor Ray Murphy and looks at the legal concept and status of permanent neutrality which applies to states such as Switzerland, Austria, Costa Rica, and Turkmenistan. Permanently neutral states are bound to remain neutral in all future international armed conflicts, as well as to refrain from any acts during peacetime which would make this impossible upon the outbreak of a conflict. Permanent neutrality is typically based in international treaties but may also be unilaterally declared, and in some cases subsequently recognised. The exact parameters of an individual state’s permanent neutrality may vary depending on how it is neutralised, as well as the specific conditions imposed in the neutralisation instrument. Pearce is a graduate of the School of Law’s BCL programme and holds an LL.M from the Irish Centre for Human Rights in Peace Operations, Humanitarian Law, and Conflict. His work has been published in the Irish Yearbook of International Law, Irish Studies in International Affairs, the Journal of International Humanitarian Studies, EJIL:Talk!, and Opinio Juris. Contact details: p.clancy5@universityofgalway.ie

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'The challenges of humanitarian action in conflict situations: reflections on Afghanistan and delivery of humanitarian assistance' by Mary-Ellen McGroarty, World Food Programme (outgoing Representative Country Director, Afghanistan). The seminar takes place at 1pm, Wednesday, 11th January 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights and also on Zoom. All are welcome to attend. Mary-Ellen McGroarty is a graduate of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, LLM in Peace Operations, International Humanitarian Law and Conflict, and the School of Law, University of Galway (BA, LLB). She has led and worked with international organisations and NGOs in conflict and post-conflict settings in many parts of the world, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Burundi, Chad and South Sudan. She is regularly invited to contribute to international media and to address the challenges of humanitarian action. In 2022, she received a Presidential Distinguished Service Award from the President of Ireland, Michael D.Higgins, and received the University of Galway alumni award for Law, Public Policy, and Society.

Our LLM student Emma Kelly will be speaking about her research with GLAN / International Lawyers for West Papua, at a conference in London on Friday December 9th 2022. The event will be live streamed for those who cannot attend in person. It will be of interest to students taking Business and Human Rights, Climate Justice and Transnational Lawyering. This conference features an array of speakers and will discuss the link between state violence and environmental violence in West Papua. The conference is hosted by the Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice and the International State Crime Initiative, Queen Mary University of London. GLAN / ILWP's research on this particular project focuses on mapping business activity in West Papua. It centres on investigating the human rights violations and environmental harms taking place and finding the link with the companies responsible. The results of the team's ongoing research are gathered in a unique database. It details the European / American / Australian / UK headquartered companies identified either directly involved in abuses or indirectly via the supply chain. They have also been looking into which jurisdictions have strong supply chain due diligence, to identify potential legal pressures that can be used. The ultimate aim of the project is to engage in strategic transnational litigation to ensure legal accountability for companies situated in the above jurisdictions, aiming to have an effect on the ground in West Papua. Registration is free, follow this link: Conference registration

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers was established to prosecute and punish crimes against humanity and war crimes related to the conflict in Kosovo during the period 1998-2000. In a decision of 30 November 2022, the President of the Chambers, Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova, has assigned Trial Panel II for the trial of a Hasim Thaçi and three other senior officials of the Kosovo Liberation Army. Dr Guénaël Mettraux, an adjunct professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, has been named as one of the judges assigned to the panel. Professor Mettraux has appeared as Defence counsel before various international criminal jurisdictions and represented several high-ranking military and civilian leaders accused of international crimes. He has appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Court, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. He has published extensively in the field of international criminal law, including a series on international crimes with Oxford University Press. Professor Mettraux is a member of the Editorial Committee of the Journal of International Criminal Justice and the Board of Editors of the International Criminal Law Review. Fergal Gaynor, who recently spoke at the Irish Centre for Human Rights on the accountability challenges in relation to Syria, has been appointed a reserve judge on the panel.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'Internally displaced persons and International Refugee Law' by Dr Bríd Ní Ghráinne from Maynooth University School of Law & Criminology. Bríd is a Bachelor of Civil Law (International) graduate from the University of Galway who went on to complete her PhD at the University of Oxford on the 'Challenges in the Relationship between the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons and Refugee Law'. The seminar takes place at 1pm, Monday, 21st November 2022, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights and also on Zoom. All are welcome to attend. Dr Bríd Ní Ghráinne is an expert in Public International Law, particularly on the topic of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), which refers to the ca. 55 million people who have been forced to flee their homes but who remain within their states. The complexity of reasons for which IDPs flee has meant that her research spans human rights law, humanitarian law, disaster law, law of the sea, international refugee law, as well as general Public International Law. Bríd has published widely in these areas in leading journals such as Human Rights Law Review, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Legal Studies, Refugee Survey Quarterly, and International Journal of Refugee Law. Her monograph entitled 'Internally Displaced Persons and International Refugee Law' was published with Oxford University Press in spring 2022.

Dr Aphrodite Papachristodoulou is a National University of Ireland (NUI) Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Humanities at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, University of Galway, since November 1st 2022. Dr Papachristodoulou holds a PhD in Law from University College Dublin, awarded without corrections, with the generous support from the NUI E J Phelan Fellowship in International Law and from the A.G. Leventis Foundation scholarship. She also holds a Master of Laws in Maritime Law from University College London, awarded with distinction, and an LLB from University of Southampton, awarded with a high 2:1. Dr Papachristodoulou is a licensed lawyer having been called to the Cyprus Bar in 2016. Her principal research topics include the extraterritorial application of human rights, border technologies, migration by sea as well as philosophical and ethical underpinnings of AI. Dr Papachristodoulou is writing a monograph based on her PhD thesis entitled ‘European Migration Crisis and the Protection of Human Life at Sea’. She has published various peer-reviewed articles, including her most recent paper in 2022 in the Leiden Journal of International Law, and has several publications in progress, in particular, on the intersection between technologies of control used at sea borders and the human rights of migrants. Dr Papachristodoulou has been actively engaging with the international community of scholars through her presentations at conferences in Ireland, the UK, and the Netherlands. She has experience in teaching modules pertaining to international human rights law at undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr Papachristodoulou looks forward to teaching human rights courses at the University of Galway as well as participating in human rights litigation. Contact Details: aphrodite.papachristodoulou@universityofgalway.ie

Congratulations to our PhD researcher, Claire Raissian, on the award of a Visiting Research Fellowship to the Refugee Studies Centre, Department of International Development, Oxford University. Claire is working on the rights of unaccompanied migrant children, the principle of non-discrimination in international law, and intersectional responses. She is the recipient of an NUI Travelling Doctoral Studentship in Law, and a College of Business, Public Policy and Law research award. Claire is the co-author of an International Bar Association Report on the Rights of Migrant and Refugee children, published at: https://www.ibanet.org/MediaHandler?id=a9e81c7a-56f1-43ca-93ea-091c3e2c8832 Claire is working under the supervision of Professor Siobhán Mullally, and at Oxford, is working with her academic sponsor, Dr Hiba Salem.

“Promoting and safeguarding EU values at a time of increasing autocratisation” Marking 50 years since Ireland joined the European Union, a public lecture by Professor Laurent Pech, considered EU values at a time of increasing autocratisation in Europe. The event took place at 6pm, Monday, 14th November 2022, in the Aula Maxima, University of Galway. The lecture can be watched back on YouTube, below. Laurent Pech is Full Professor of Law, Dean of Law and Head of the Sutherland School of Law at University College Dublin. He is also a Visiting Professor of Law at Bordeaux University, a Senior Research Fellow at the CEU Democracy Institute in Budapest, and the co-director of The Good Lobby Profs which he co-founded in 2021.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights is pleased to invite you to the screening of the documentary, ‘Make it your Business’ (Trócaire, 2022, 23 minutes), followed by a discussion with Garry Walsh, Policy and Advisory Officer with Trócaire at 1pm, Wednesday, 23rd November 2022, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. All are welcome to attend. Over the past number of years, with support from people across the island of Ireland, Trócaire has been campaigning to hold big business to account for abuse of human rights and the environment. This includes calling for the creation of an International Treaty on Business and Human Rights, which would be a game-changer in helping to end corporate impunity for abuse of people and planet. This short documentary explores the campaign, the challenges faced and the possible solutions.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with an examination of the increasingly important question of the sharing of health data, which raises complex legal and ethical concerns and impacts our right to autonomy, privacy, and non-discrimination. Regulatory attempts to address some of these concerns, notably the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have resulted in a fragmented legal landscape that has hampered the sharing of data for research. We are delighted to welcome Dr Ciara Staunton, to the Irish Centre for Human Rights to discuss these issues. Looking forward to seeing you there! The seminar takes place at 1pm, Friday, 11st November 2022, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. All are welcome to attend. Dr Ciara Staunton is a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Biomedicine, Eurac Research (Italy). In addition, she is an Honorary Research Associate at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, and a Consultant to the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases. Her research focuses on the governance of new and emerging technologies, in particular stem cell research, genomic research and biobanking, and the use of health data in research, and she is a member of a number of international advisory boards providing ethico-legal oversight on these topics. 

The Irish Centre for Human Rights is pleased to invite you to the following lunchtime seminar, ‘The role of textile language in global and regional human rights protection’, with  Roberta Bacic at 1pm, Wednesday, Thursday 10th November 2022, on Zoom. Roberta Bacic is a Chilean researcher in human rights and curator of Arpilleras and Quilts exhibitions, currently living in Northern Ireland. Arpilleras are three-dimensional Latin American appliqué tapestries originated in Chile. These textiles reflect the stories of women, who worked together to denounce the human rights abuses and repression of the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, 1973-1990. Roberta has made of the art of making arpilleras, a way of inspiration for women with similar stories of political conflict, anti-war protests, repression, resistance, survival, denial, death, disappearances, displacement, national histories, environmental concerns, indigenous land struggles and transition to democracy. Her work has reached womens’ groups in Peru and more recently to Spain, Brazil, Argentina, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand and Ecuador.Her arpilleras, quilts and wall hangings, have been featured in important exhibitions hosted in museums, universities, art galleries, embassies and community spaces worldwide.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights is pleased to invite you to the following lunchtime seminar, ‘Resetting the Mind: Settler Colonialism, Apartheid, and the Right to Self-determination in Palestine’, with  Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine at 2pm, Wednesday, 9th November 2022, on Zoom. Francesca Albanese is an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, and a Senior Advisor on Migration and Forced Displacement for the think tank Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD), where she co-founded the Global Network on the Question of Palestine (GNQP), a coalition of renowned professional and scholars engaged in/on Israel/Palestine. She has published widely on the legal situation in Israel/Palestine; her latest book, Palestinian Refugees in International Law (Oxford University Press, 2020), offers a comprehensive legal analysis of the situation of Palestinian refugees from its origins to modern-day reality. She regularly teaches and lectures on International Law and Forced Displacement in European and Arab universities, and speaks frequently at conferences and public events on the legal situation of Palestine. She worked for a decade as a human rights expert for the United Nations, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees. In these capacities, she advised the UN, governments, and civil society across the Middle East, North Africa, and the Asia Pacific, on the enforcement of human rights norms, especially for vulnerable groups including refugees and migrants. She holds a Law Degree (with honors) from the University of Pisa and an LLM in Human Rights from the University of London, SOAS. She is currently completing her PhD in International Refugee Law at Amsterdam University Law Faculty. An Italian national, she is married with two young children.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights is pleased to invite you to the following lunchtime seminar, ‘Syria and the Commission for International Justice and Accountability’, with  Fergal Gaynor at 1pm, Monday, 7th November 2022, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. All are welcome to attend. Fergal Gaynor is an international lawyer with extensive experience in practice before various international tribunals and has published widely in the field of international criminal law. He has worked as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. He has represented victims before the International Criminal Court in proceedings concerning the situations in Kenya, Afghanistan and Palestine. He has also worked with the Commission for International Justice and Accountability in the context of Syria and Myanmar. He is currently on the roster of judges at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

Congratulations to Dr Maeve O'Rourke, Irish Centre for Human Rights, who received a special merit award at the Durham and Dye - Irish Law Awards on 28 October. The award was in recognition for her work with survivors of Magdalene Laundries. Read more about her work on her staff profile.

Judit Villena Rodó, Irish Research Council Government of Ireland PhD scholar, has been accepted as a Visiting Researcher with the Graduate Program at Harvard School of Law for the Spring semester 2023. Congratulations to Judit Villena Rodó from all at the Irish Centre of Human Rights! Judit will continue to work on her doctoral research project titled Migrant Women, Coercive Control and Intimate Partner Violence: Access to remedies in Ireland and Spain. During her stay at Cambridge, she will work under the supervision of Professor Diane Rosenfeld, Lecturer in Law and Director of the Gender Violence Program at Harvard Law School.  Judit’s publications and research profile can be accessed here.  ‌

On Friday 21 April 2023, the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the School of Law at the University of Galway will host a one-day conference exploring the Irish Civil War 1922-23 within the framework of the laws of war and against the backdrop of developments concerning international regulation of internal conflicts. The laws of war were frequently invoked during the Irish Civil War 1922-23, often in the condemnation of the execution of prisoners or other reprisal measures, notwithstanding that contemporary international law was not considered formally applicable to internal conflicts at that time. Nascent attempts were being made at the international level to expand the scope of the laws of war, with the Tenth International Conference of the Red Cross in 1921 adopting a resolution urging a greater role for humanitarian organisations during civil wars, as well as a call for political prisoners to be afforded treatment similar to that of prisoners of war in such conflicts. The conference will explore legal, political and judicial debates concerning the application of the laws of war during the Civil War and the role of various individuals, groups and organisations in this context. Topics covered will include the question of prisoner of war status for captured anti-Treaty forces, the relevance of the doctrine of reprisals in wartime, and the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross during the Irish Civil War. Those interested in presenting a paper should send a proposed title, a 400 word abstract and a short bio to Professor Shane Darcy (shane.darcy@universityofgalway.ie) by 15 December 2022.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights is pleased to invite you to a lunchtime seminar, ‘In Search of the Lost Executioner’, with Nic Dunlop, photographer and author. It will take place at 2pm on Wednesday, 26th October 2022 in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. Nic Dunlop’s work as a photographer and writer has appeared in numerous publications worldwide. Born in Ireland, he has worked in Cambodia, Burma (Myanmar), Nepal, East Timor, India and Papua New Guinea. He received an award from the Johns Hopkins University for Excellence in International Journalism for exposing Pol Pot's chief executioner, Comrade Duch. In his book, The Lost Executioner, he tells the story of how he found Duch, the rise of the Khmer Rouge and how ordinary people become killers. In Brave New Burma, he spent 20 years traveling throughout Burma photographing life under military rule. The HBO Emmy-nominated film Burma Soldier, which Nic co-directed, provided a rare glimpse into the Burmese military through the eyes of a former soldier. He has also worked on films for the BBC, ITV and Al Jazeera.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights hosted our annual human rights lecture on October 24th with a Ukrainian judge from the European Court of Human Rights, Judge Mykola Gnatovsky. The lecture, 'Accountability for crimes in Russia's War against Ukraine', took place in the Human Biology Building, University of Galway. The lecture is held in memory of James Kingston, the former Legal Advisor of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. Dr Mykola Gnatovskyy holds an LLM (1999) and PhD (2002) in International Law. He is the author of many publications on European and international human rights law, as well as international humanitarian law and international criminal law. Since 2002, he has taught at the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and cooperated with the International Committee of the Red Cross as an academic partner. In 2009–2021 Dr Gnatovskyy was a member of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). He served as Vice-President of the CPT for two years (2013–2015) and as President of the CPT for six years (2015–2021). In June 2022, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) elected Dr  Gnatovskyy as judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Ukraine. The annual human rights lecture is supported by the Irish Branch of the International Law Association.

Shawan Jabarin, the Director General of Al-Haq, will deliver a public lecture at the University of Galway on Friday 14 October 2022 on the current human rights and political situation in Palestine. His talk comes at a time of serious Israeli repression of the activities of human rights organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including Al-Haq. Based in Ramallah, Al-Haq is the oldest human rights organisation in Palestine and has documented and reported on human rights violation for many decades. Shawan Jabarin will speak to its work in challenging Israeli practices which violate international law, including the use of lethal force, collective punishment, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, and the construction of settlements. The current attacks on civil society organisations serve to perpetuate the system of apartheid which Israel has established in Palestine. Shawan Jabarin has worked as a human rights defender for over thirty years. He has personally been subject to administrative detention without trial, travel bans and death threats for this invaluable work. He has been supported in campaigns by Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders, amongst others, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, both personally and on behalf of Al-Haq over the years. He was awarded the distinguished graduate award by the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the School of Law at the University of Galway in 2010, having completed an LLM degree in 2005 supported by the Irish Aid programme of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In addition to his role as Director General of Al-Haq, Shawan Jabarin was appointed to the Middle East Advisory Board of Human Rights Watch in 2011 and to the International Commission of Jurists in 2013. In 2016 he was elected Secretary-General of FIDH: the International Federation of Human Rights. “We are delighted to have Shawan Jabarin come to Galway and speak at the University at this challenging time for human rights work in Palestine”, said Professor Ray Murphy of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. “He is a dedicated and passionate advocate and we are privileged to be able to learn from him about the ongoing oppression and human rights violations of the Palestinian people”. Shawan Jabarin will speak in the main lecture hall of the Martin Ryan Annex, University of Galway at 1pm on Friday 14 October 2022. The lecture is free and open to the public. No registration is necessary.

The third seminar in the new Queer Human Rights Seminar Series at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, on 'Masculinities and (in)vulnerability: Queering constructions of victimhood in anti-trafficking action', will take place on Wednesday, 16 November 2022 at 1pm on Zoom. Dr Noemi Magugliani (they/them) is a Lecturer at Kent Law School and a Research Fellow at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law. Their research focusses on human trafficking, international migration law and international refugee law – with a focus on gendered constructions of vulnerability and victimhood. In this seminar, they will discuss perceptions and constructions of trafficked men as (un)gendered subjects, presumptions of invulnerability and exclusion from traditionally binary understandings of victimhood.  Registration will be available via EventBrite shortly.

A new publication, 'Persecution of Palestinian Civil Society: Epistemic Violence, Silencing, and the Apartheid Framework', co-authored by Rania Muhareb, Irish Research Council and Hardiman PhD Scholar, and Pearce Clancy,  Irish Research Council PhD Scholar, from the Irish Centre for Human Rights, as well as colleagues at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and Al-Haq, has just been released.  The publication can be downloaded in its entirety at https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1653268. Abstract Palestinian civil society is currently facing an existential threat. On August 18, 2022, the Israeli occupying authorities raided and forcibly closed seven leading Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations, threatening to further detain several of their directors should they continue their human rights work. On October 19, 2021, six of the organizations were arbitrarily designated as “terror organizations” by the Israeli defense minister under Israel's so-called Count- er-Terrorism Law of 2016. The latest escalation of attacks against Palestinian civil society forms part of a systematic policy to silence and delegitimize all forms of Palestinian resistance to Israeli oppres- sion, including efforts to seek justice under international law. This monograph argues that silencing and delegitimization of Palestinian human rights advocacy, as epistemic violence, constitute key tools to entrench Israeli apartheid over the Palestinian people as a whole. The arguments here draw on Article 2(f) of the 1973 Apartheid Convention, which recognizes as an inhuman act of apartheid the “persecution of organizations and persons, by depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms, because they oppose apartheid.” Through the weaponization of “terrorism” smears, the Israeli regime seeks to discredit decades of Palestinian antiapartheid knowledge production, mobilization, activism, and advocacy for Palestinian liberation, and to justify the very oppression Palestinian civil society is working to challenge. Thus, in the growing international movement against Israeli apartheid, it remains essential to lend support to the work of Palestinian civil society, to reject the baseless designa- tions by the Israeli occupying authorities, and to elevate the experiences of and knowledge production by Palestinians who are directly affected by Israeli apartheid. This monograph is a part of our collabo- rative series with Against Apartheid and Racial Discrimination (AARDi) in which we aim to further uncover the systemic racism of the Israeli apartheid state.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights is delighted to host a seminar with Ms Devota Nuwe and Dr David Tshimba, Refugee Law Project, Makerere University School of Law, Kampala, Uganda. This is an opportunity to hear about the work of RLP and participate in a discussion on protection and prevention of harm in the context of forced migration. This seminar is part of the project ''. Date: Tuesday 11th October 2022Location: Seminar Room, Irish Centre of Human RightsTime: 9am - 10.45am (Followed by coffee and pastries) Speakers: Ms Devota Nuwe (Acting Co-Director, Head of Programs, RLP)Dr David Tshimba (Senior Research Fellow, RLP) Registration is available via EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/seminar-with-ms-devota-nuwe-and-dr-david-tshimba-refugee-law-project-tickets-427912968207

The second event in the new Queer Seminar Series will be held online at 4pm on Thursday 13 October. Professor Dean Spade will be presenting on ‘Queer Rights and Mutual Aid Across Social Movements’. Registration is available via EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/queer-rights-and-mutual-aid-across-social-movements-tickets-428462200977?keep_tld=1 Dean’s book, Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics and the Limits of Law was published by South End Press in 2011. A second edition with new writing was published in 2015 by Duke University Press. In 2015, Dean released a one-hour video documentary, Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!, which can be watched free online with English captions or subtitles in several languages. Dean’s new book, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the next)  was published by Verso Press in October 2020.

Book Discussion on '9/11 and the Rise of Global Anti-Terrorism Law: How the UN Security Council Rules the World' (CUP 2021) About this event Twenty years after the outbreak of the threat posed by international jihadist terrorism, which triggered the need for democracies to balance fundamental rights and security needs, 9/11 and the Rise of Global Anti-Terrorism Law offers an overview of counter-terrorism and of the interplay among the main actors involved in the field since 2001. This book aims to give a picture of the complex and evolving interaction between the international, regional and domestic levels in framing counter-terrorism law and policies. Targeting scholars, researchers and students of international, comparative and constitutional law, it is a valuable resource to understand the theoretical and practical issues arising from the interaction of several levels in counter-terrorism measures. It also provides an in-depth analysis of the role of the United Nations Security Council. Participants in the book will discuss their contributions and the volume overall: Prof. Arianna Vedaschi (Bocconi University),  Prof. Martin Scheinin (EUI and Oxford University, former UN Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism),  Prof. Fionnuala Ní Aoláin (University of Minnesota and Queens University of Belfast, current UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism),  Dr. Chiara Graziani (Bocconi University)  Prof. Daniel Alati, (McEwan University) ** Register for this free event on Eventbrite. **  ‘Since 9/11, the UN Security Council has become a global counter-terrorism legislator and actor. This impressive collection provides much needed analysis and critique of how the emergency intervention of the Security Council two decades ago has become normalized. It examines the Security Council’s significant and surprising impact on domestic laws and practices targeting terrorism financing, pre-crime, listing, internet censorship and intelligence co-operation.’ Kent Roach - author of The 9/11 Effect and Comparative Counter-Terrorism Law

A conference on 'Teaching the Dark History of Ireland's Institutions: Engaging Secondary Educators' took place on Saturday, 15 October. The event was organised by ICHR PhD student Mary Harney, and LLM students from the Human Rights Law Clinic. A full recording of the event is available below. Programme Saturday October 15th 2022 10.30 A.M.- 4.00 P.M Session One 10. 30 - 11.00 Registration and refreshments 11.00 - 11.10 Welcome from the LLM Students. 11.10 - 11.30 Opening Remarks, Siobhan Mullally, UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway & Catherine Connolly, TD (independent) Galway West and Ceann Comhairle of the Dail 11.35 - 12.30 Teaching Sensitive Subjects: A lesson on teaching the Holocaust: Holocaust Education Ireland 12.30 - 13.30. 'Perspectives and Model Lesson Plans.' Waterford Institute of Technology and the LLM students will share their lesson plans and provide feedback on their experiences of taking the model into schools. 13.30 - 14.15. Lunch Session Two 14.15 - 15.00 ‘How do we create an inclusive history of Ireland’s institutions?’ Participants to be divided into smaller groups representing those directly affected, students and teachers 15.05 - 15.45 Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley, Head of the Department of History, the University of Galway: ‘Teaching the History of Ireland’s Institutions: From the Foundling Institutions to the Mother and Baby Institutions’.  15.45 - 16.00 Closing Remarks

‘Qatar 2022: Did the human rights community just miss an open goal?’ Dr Nicholas McGeehan, FairSquare (former Human Rights Watch) Date: Wednesday 7th September, 11amVenue: Áras Moyola (MY243) Nick McGeehan is co-director of human rights NGO FairSquare and a former senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, where he led the organisation's work on the Qatar 2022 World Cup for five years. He has a Phd from the European University Institute, he has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on migrant workers' rights in the Gulf, and he has written extensively on the nexus of sport and human rights.        

Film Screening: ‘Not just your picture: The story of the Kilani family’ Followed by discussion with filmmaker Anne Paq Áras Moyola (MY243), Wednesday 7th September, 3pm ‘China’s persecution of the Uyghurs: A personal account’ With Sofiya Öztürk Áras Moyola (MY129), Friday 9th September, 12.30 All welcome - no registration necessary.  

 Conference on 'Lighting the Shade: Effective Application of ECHR in Areas of Conflict in Europe' Date: 1st of September 2022Location: Aula Maxima, NUI, Galway The Irish Centre for Human Rights and the School of Law at NUI Galway hosted an academic conference on the topic of 'Lighting the Shade: Effective Application of ECHR in Areas of Conflict in Europe'. The Conference was organised within in the framework of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. The event  examined the practice of the Council of Europe’s human rights system in European territories where CoE mechanisms cannot function freely and effectively from both normative and operational perspectives. Speakers considered how the system might be better leveraged to improve the effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights throughout Europe. Update (22/09): The final version of the Conference Conclusions can be downloaded here: ICHR ECHR Conference Conclusions 2022. The speech by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, can be accessed here. Note: This event was organised solely and entirely by the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway. The Department of Foreign Affairs  contributed to the funding of the conference as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of Europe, 2022. The Department had no role in the agenda or content of the event. Watch the entire event on YouTube Event Programme  0920h Welcome: Prof Ciarán Ó hOgartaigh, President of NUI Galway  0930h Opening remarks: Minister/Deputy Min for Foreign Affairs  Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General, Council of Europe  0955h Special Guest Video Address: Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland / Former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights / Chair of the High-Level Reflection Group to advise on the future role of the Council of Europe 10h Context-setting: The Challenge of Ensuring Effectiveness of the ECHR in Areas of Conflict in Europe,  Dr Andrew Forde, Visiting Fellow, Irish Centre for Human Rights 1020h Establishing ‘Jurisdiction’ in times of conflict and transition under the European Convention on Human Rights, Dr Stuart Wallace, Associate Professor, University of Leeds 1045h Coffee/Tea/Networking 11h – 12h Panel Discussion: Jurisdictional Challenges under the ECHR in cases linked to Areas of Conflict and Contestation in Europe Moderator: Prof Siobhán Mullally, Director of Irish Centre for Human Rights / United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons Prof Philip Leach, University of Middlesex, UK Prof Başak Çalı, Co-Director of the Centre for Fundamental Rights, Hertie School, Berlin, Germany Dr Isabella Risini, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany 1215 -1230h The Role of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in relation to Conflicts in Europe Mr Claude Kern, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) President of the Sub-Committee on Conflicts concerning Council of Europe member States 1245h - 14h Lunch  14h – 1415h Maximising the Effectiveness of the ECHR: A Perspective from the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, Gresa Caka-Nimani, President of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo 1430h – 1530h Panel Discussion: Ensuring Unrestricted Human Rights Monitoring and Advisory Access to European territories Moderator: Prof Aoife Nolan, Vice-President, European Committee on Social Rights and Co-Director of the Human Rights Law Centre at the University of Nottingham. Claudia Lam, Deputy Director, Office of Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights  Clare Ovey, Head of Department of Department for the Execution of Judgments, Council of Europe Mark Kelly, Member, Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) Olena Ivantsiv, Protection Manager / Europe and Central Asia, Frontline Defenders 1530- 1545h Coffee/Tea/Networking 15.45h – 17h Towards a more practical and effective European human rights system  Moderator: Dr Ed Bates, University of Leicester Nils Muižnieks, European Director - Amnesty International, former CoE Commissioner for Human Rights  Nino Lomjaria, Public Defender of Georgia (European Network of National Human Rights Institutions) Jörg Polakiewicz, Director of Legal Advice and Public International Law (Legal Adviser) of the Council of Europe Pavel Cazacu, PromoLex NGO , Republic of Moldova

This webinar occurred on August 9, 2022 and examined how interdependence, a key tenet of human rights frameworks, elucidates the inherent challenges posed by the reproductive rights crisis You can find a recording of the event on the UICHR YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/iR0xj4D9ncU  

 Dr Anna Arstein-Kerslake (Irish Centre for Human Rights) and Prof Eilionoir Flynn (Centre for Disability Law and Policy) have been awarded a new grant from UN Women to undertake a study on the legal needs of women with intellectual disability and psychosocial disability in Asia and the Pacific. The project will employ an administrative staff member, a research assistant, and a post-doctoral researcher to collaborate with partner organisations in the region, co-develop a legal needs survey with disabled women, deliver the survey to at least 50 participants, and analyse the results. The aim is that the project leads on to a larger law reform effort to realise the right to legal capacity and access to justice of disabled women in Asia and the Pacific.

 We are delighted announce the new appointment of Dr. Gillian Kane who will commence her position as a Post Doc researcher alongside Professor Siobhan Mullally. Gillian is working on the Irish Research Council COALESCE project on Human Trafficking in Uganda. Biography – Dr Gillian KaneGillian is a Postdoctoral Researcher based at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, NUI Galway. She is currently working on an Irish Research Council COALESCE project exploring human trafficking, forced migration and gender equality in Uganda. Prior to joining NUI Galway, Gillian completed her PhD research - on the role of international law in preventing and tackling human trafficking among refugees and asylum seekers - in the School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast. She is also co-chair of the Human Trafficking Research Network (based at QUB Human Rights Centre), a Research Affiliate at the Refugee Law Initiative, and a trustee at Chab Dai UK.  Human Trafficking, Forced Migration and Gender Equality in UgandaProject web page: https://www.nuigalway.ie/irish-centre-human-rights/public/projects/uganda/The project analyses the operationalization of international and regional human rights standards on human trafficking in Uganda, focusing particularly on the gender and child rights dimension of human trafficking among forced migrants i.e., refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). The project explores how and whether the State is moving beyond a criminal justice-centered approach to combating human trafficking.  Investigating this, the project analyses the potential of international and regional human rights standards to reform laws, policies and practice towards a human rights-based approach that focuses on prevention of trafficking and protection of the rights of victims/survivors of trafficking. The research is funded by the Irish Research Council (COALESCE fund) and is being undertaken in partnership between the Irish Centre for Human Rights - under the direction of project PI Professor Siobhán Mullally - and the Refugee Law Project, an indigenous Ugandan organisation and outreach project of the School of Law, Makerere University.  

A new LLM module on Critical Race Theory has been announced! The module will explore the overlap between Critical Race Theory and Human Rights Law. It will identify the tensions between them, as well as the potential for human rights law to be a tool for creating solutions to the social justice issues identified by Critical Race Theory. Topics will include: Racist Origins of International Law, Problematic Developments in Human Rights, and Protecting Rights of Racial Minorities. The new module has been designed by Dr Anna Arstein-Kerslake, who will also be teaching the module in Semester 2 (2022/23).

LLM students Emily Williams, Fernanda Souza, Holly Hayes, James Spillane, Maria Tapias Serrano and Shauna Joyce, who have been working with Mary Harney as part of the Human Rights Clinic, have recently launched a 5 episode-series' podcast titled 'My Country is My Prison'. The podcasts aim to promote awareness of human rights violations perpetrated against women and children in Ireland's institutions in the 20th century. The students stated: "We have developed this podcast to consolidate information regarding Ireland's so-called 'historical' institutional abuses. We aim to explore these ongoing human rights violations in simple terms to help educate young people or those who are not familiar with these institutions. Our goal is to inform younger generations why this issue is relevant today and why we must keep working for justice." The podcasts "highlight the continuing human rights abuses currently being experienced by survivors of the institutions, namely those of the Mother and Baby Institutions, the Industrial Schools, and the Magdalene Laundries." The episodes discuss the following issues: Adoption and the Right to Identity, Industrial Schools and Children's Rights, the Abuse of Women's Rights in Ireland's institutions, as well as Ireland's Continuing Obligations Today and Moving Forward. The students interviewed the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection to the Government of Ireland, Dr Connor O'Mahony, for the fifth episode on Ireland's continuing human rights obligations. They also released a bonus episode with a full interview conducted with Elizabeth Coppin, survivor of Magdalene Laundries, who has brought her case before the United Nations' Committee Against Torture. All episodes are available to listen on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Olil8kdrzQk8M9ykjnW6R?si=bccd9d3c91d44ec0 Check 'My Country is My Prison' podcast on social media channels:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycountryismyprisonpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcimp_podcast   

Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, National University of Ireland Galway  13-16 June 2022 The annual International Criminal Court Summer School at the Irish Centre for Human Rights will take place from 13-16 June 2022. This is the premier summer school specialising on the International Criminal Court and in which participants follow a series of intensive lectures and events over several days. The lectures are given by leading academics on the subject as well as by legal professionals, including those working at the International Criminal Court. The interactive and stimulating course is particularly suited to postgraduate students, legal professionals, scholars and those working for non-governmental and intergovernmental organisation. Participants will gain knowledge of the Court’s structures and operations, its jurisdiction and applicable laws. Lectures will address the core crimes, including of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression, the exercise of the Court’s jurisdiction, defences, procedure and evidence and the participation of victims in proceedings. Speakers will include:    Prof William Schabas (Middlesex University) Dr Fabricio Guariglia (International Development Law Organisation)  Prof Ray Murphy (Irish Centre for Human Rights) Dr Rod Rastan (Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court) Kate Gibson (Defence Counsel, International Criminal Court/Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals)  Prof Shane Darcy (Irish Centre for Human Rights) Dr Guénaël Mettraux (Judge, Kosovo Specialist Chambers) Dr Noelle Quenivet (University of the West of England) Nada Kiswanson (Independent Victims Counsel at the International Criminal Court) Dr James Nyawo (School of Security, Diplomacy and Peace Studies, Kenyatta University) Maria Elena Vignoli (Human Rights Watch)  Dr Roisin Mulgrew (National University of Ireland Galway)  This year’s Summer School will take place online in line with the restrictions associated with Covid-19. Daily sessions will run live from 9:30am until 3:30pm. Registration is now open, with a fee of €75. Refunds are available for cancelled bookings but subject to a processing fee of €15. There is no fee for students of the National University of Ireland Galway.  For queries, please e-mail humanrights@nuigalway.ie.The full programme and registration is available at: ClearbookingsFor updates you can follow us on twitter @iccsummerschool  

The Irish Centre for human rights in the School of Law at the National University of Ireland Galway is delighted to invite you to a one-day online international conference on: The role of Transitional Justice (TJ) Archives after war and dictatorship: International experiences and the case of Colombia.The purpose of the conference is to bring together leading scholars and practitioners from different countries to discuss best practices and lessons learnt about the preservation, access policies and uses of the archives produced by truth commissions, special tribunals and memory sites.The second part of the conference welcomes the participation of professionals and academics involved in the on-going Integrated System of Transitional Justice in Colombia. They will discuss the significance and challenges ahead related to the management and access policies of the archives produced by the current TJ mechanisms.  Languages: the Conference will be streamed via Zoom in both English and Spanish. Simultaneous translation will be available.  Opening the conference: Conflict Textiles as Counter Archives in Truth Commission ProcessesRoberta Bacic (Curator of the Transnational Conflict Textiles Collection, Chile)Professor Gillian Robinson (Ulster University, UK)Breege Doherty (Conflict Textiles Archivist & Assistant Curator, UK)  First Panel: International ExperienceDr Trudy Petersons (Certified Archivist, US)Prof. Emilio Crenzel (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina)Maria Luisa Ortiz (Museum of Memory, Chile)Prof. Ruth Elena Borja Santa Cruz (National University of San Marcos, Peru)  Second Panel: The case of ColombiaProf. Flor Alba Romero Medina (National University of Colombia)Oscar Parra Vera (Special Jurisdiction for Peace, JEP, Colombia)Folco Zaffalon (Truth Commission, Colombia)  The Conference will be streamed in both English and Spanish. Simultaneous translation will be available. For more information and registration, please visit the website https://bit.ly/3MKLVSN

In April 2022, the Irish Centre for Human Rights hosted a seminar'Queer Human Rights in Practice' which was the launch of a new Queer Human Rights Seminar series. The event consisted of a welcome introduction from Anna Arstein-Kerslake and Ekaterina Yahyaoui and presentations from civil rights attorney Lucas Cameron-Vaughn (he/him) and immigration attorney Casey Bryant (they/them).  Lucas Cameron-Vaughn (he/him) is a civil rights attorney who has litigated both civil and criminal matters in United States’ state and federal courts. Lucas is currently serving as the managing attorney for a state court where he works with judges to ensure the constitutional operation of civil trial courts of equity and supervises the staff attorneys. Lucas worked as a private practitioner prior to working in the court system. He has worked at the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and Transgender Law Center in Oakland, California. Lucas is currently the board chair of the National Trans Bar Association and a board member of the LGBT section of the Tennessee Bar Association. He often teaches and speaks about civil rights litigation as a CLE panellist. Prior to working with the courts, Lucas represented clients in a variety of civil rights related matters and defended people charged with federal crimes. Lucas was a juvenile justice & health law and policy fellow when he investigated and pursued civil impact litigation regarding various constitutional protections for children charged with crimes as adults and held in solitary confinement in adult state prisons prior to trial, resulting in legislative enactment of 2018 Tenn. Pub. Acts No. 1045, which made conditions safer for children in custody in Tennessee. In law school, Lucas completed an AUCD fellowship in disability law and policy.  Casey Bryant (they/them) is an immigration attorney who represents individuals in removal proceedings in the U.S. Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), the Board of Immigration Appeals and Federal Court. Casey is the founding Executive Director of the Advocates for Immigrant Rights (AIR) which is a non-profit organization based in Memphis, TN. Casey serves on the Executive Board for the LGBT Section of the Tennessee Bar Association, the Board Chair of OUTMemphis, a local LGBTQ non-profit center, and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Asylum is the focus of Casey's work, an area of U.S. that applies international human rights law on a domestic level. As the ED, Casey sets policies for AIR that center claims for the most vulnerable populations, especially LGBTQI+ individuals. In addition to individual representation, Casey often presents on topics of immigration law and how it relates to various areas of jurisprudence in partnership with the University of Memphis and several bar associations. Casey is a graduate of the City University of New York, earning a Juris Doctorate in 2010.

Congratulations to both teams from the Irish Centre for Human Rights that competed in the Irish Red Cross Corn Adomnáin  Moot Court Competition in Cork on Saturday.  After a hard fought but thoroughly enjoyable competition, Team A comprising Saskia Heineken, Sarah Cox and Mohammad Al Asttal from the Centre emerged the clear winner. The photograph above shows the winning team and cup, and the group photo below includes the second team from the Centre comprising Anthony O’Shea, Charlotte Brouxel and Rania Hattab. 

  We are pleased to invite you to the lunchtime seminar“Between Ireland and Colombia: a conversation on Irish Diplomacy and the Colombian Peace Agreement” with Ambassador Fiona Nic Dhonnacha on Tuesday 22nd March   “Between Ireland and Colombia: a conversation on Irish Diplomacy and the Colombian Peace Agreement”  With  Fiona Nic DhonnachaAmbassador of Ireland to Colombia  Date: 22nd March 2022   Time: 01:00 – 02:00 PM (Irish Standard Time)08:00 – 09:00 AM (Bogotá) Join Zoom Meeting Speaker’s Biography Ambassador Fiona Nic Dhonnacha has represented Ireland in Colombia since October 2021. Prior to this, she was seconded from the Department of Foreign Affairs to the National Security Analysis Centre in the Department of the Taoiseach. She has served in the Consulate General of Ireland to Hong Kong as Deputy Consul General, and in the Embassy of Ireland in Ankara, Turkey, with responsibility for Consular Affairs, Culture and Education. As Deputy Director in the Department’s Asia Pacific Unit, she led at different stages on Ireland’s engagement with China, North East Asia, and South East Asia. She has also worked in policy roles in the Department’s International Security Policy Section, Political Division, primarily dealing with Ireland’s engagement in the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, and Anglo-Irish Division, where she worked as Desk Officer dealing with political relations and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

  Human Rights Watch Film Festival taking place March 17-25. Check out Human Rights Film Watch on the following link: https://ff.hrw.org/london Get a £4/ €4 ticket to stream the films at the @hrwfilmfestival by entering code: IRLRIGHTS22 at checkout. Free tickets are available first-come first-served for any member of the public who needs them by emailing filmticket@hrw.org We don't want the cost of a ticket to be a barrier for participation. Students can email filmticket@hrw.org and free ticket codes will be sent to you.  Here are some short videos each of the filmmakers made to tell the audience about their film - and why it's so important at this time for people to see it:   Eternal Spring filmmaker pitch video  Boycott pitch video  Myanmar Diaries pitch video 

  Annual Lecture: Politicizing Human Rights in Palestine/Isreal With Professor Anat Biletzki -Albert Schweitzer Professor of Philosophy Date: Tuesday 15th March 2022 Time: 18.00 – 19.30 Venue: Human Biology Building, GO19 Large Lecture Theatre, NUI, Galway Registration via Eventbrite: Eventbrite  The Annual Front Line Defenders Lecture was established in 2013 to provoke discussion and debate about the range of issues affecting human rights defenders as they work tirelessly to bring about changes and build robust civil societies. The lecture is broadly accessible to a general audience with an interest in philosophy, law, human rights or politics. About the Annual LectureSince 2013, we have had the pleasure of hosting the following speakers for the lecture – philosopher, political activist and social critic, Prof. Noam Chomsky; digital security expert Bruce Schneier; writer, philosopher and philanthropist, Dr. Sigrid Rausing; Czech philosopher and Charter 77 signatory, Prof. Jan Sokol; Nigeria-born lawyer and author, Hauwa Ibrahim Esq.; and American philosopher, Prof. Martha Nussbaum. Topics have covered a range of issues including the responsibility of states to protect human rights actors; the journey from dictatorship to democracy in Czech Republic and the role played by human rights defenders; and online insecurity and the effects on human rights defenders. See past lectures here: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/annual-front-line-defenders-lecture

The following event is co-hosted by the Centre of Resources, Energy and Environmental Law and Institute for International Law & Humanities at Melbourne Law School, Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway   "Recognising Personhood" Launch of Special Issue in Griffith Law Review   Date: Thursday 3rd of March 2022 Time: 8am – 9am   Join us for the launch of a Special Issue on Recognising Personhood, which brings together some of the leaders in the field of legal personhood. Dr Erin O'Donnell(Melbourne Law School) and Dr Anna Arnstein-Kerslake (Melbourne Law School) will be joined by Dr Anne Poelina (Nulungu Institute of Research, University of Notre Dame) in a conversation with the some of the authors. More information is available on the webpage.

 On Friday 25 March 2022, the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the School of Law at the National University of Ireland Galway will host the Galway Business and Human Rights Symposium 2022. The theme this year is “The Contribution of the UN Treaty Bodies to Business and Human Rights”. Professor Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights will give the opening address. This will be followed by a panel discussion with a number of UN treaty body members, academic experts and practitioners. This year's symposium will take place online and you can register now for a free place here.  Galway Business and Human Rights Symposium 2022The Contribution of the UN Treaty Bodiesto Business and Human Rights  Friday 25 March 202212-4pm  School of Law, National University of Ireland Galway (via Zoom)  Speakers           Professor Olivier de Schutter, Université catholique de Louvain, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human RightsDr Mikiko Otani, Chair, UN Committee on the Rights of the ChildProfessor Gentian Zyberi, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, Member, UN Human Rights CommitteeDr Tara van Ho, University of EssexDr Carlos Lopez, International Commission of Jurists  To reserve a place go to: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/galway-business-and-human-rights-symposium-2022-tickets-259403150807  

  News updates from the ICHR:   To coincide with the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, we have an essay on our blog ‘Bloody Sunday at Fifty: Strasbourg, Saville and the Search for Justice’ by our Deputy Director, Prof Shane Darcy. https://ichrgalway.wordpress.com/.../bloody-sunday-at.../   Our Director Prof Siobhan Mullally, in her role as UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, has made a submission to the International Criminal Court in relation to the appeal of Dominic Ongwen concerning crimes of sexual slavery, enslavement and trafficking in persons. https://www.icc-cpi.int/Pages/record.aspx?docNo=ICC-02/04-01/15-1958   Prof Ray Murphy has an article on RTE Brainstorm regarding Russian naval exercises off the coast of Ireland: https://www.rte.ie/.../1275701-russia-military-exercises.../   Finally, the actor Mark Ruffalo, shared details of a recent report by the Irish Centre for Human Rights to his 7.8 millions followers on twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRuffalo/status/1486438795729797120?

  ‘The Constitution Making-Process in Chile: Human Rights at the Heart of this Historical Process’  with Professor Gonzalo Aguilar Cavallo  Professor of Constitutional law, Human Rights law, and Environmental LawUniversity of Talca, Chile    Time: 01:00 – 02.00 PM (Irish Standard Time) 10.00 – 11.00 AM (Santiago Chile)   Date: 24th January 2022 Join Zoom Meeting   Speaker Bio Gonzalo Aguilar Cavallo is a professor of Constitutional law, Human Rights law, and Environmental Law at the University of Talca, Chile. He is a Chilean Lawyer and holds a PhD in Law and a Master in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. He completed a post doctorate from the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (Heidelberg, Germany). Professor Aguilar Cavallo is currently the vice-director of the Chilean Centre for Constitutional Studies (Centro de Estudios Constitucionales de Chile, Santiago, Chile) and the Director of the LLM programme in Constitutional Law (Magister en Derecho Constitucional) of the same institute.