Upcoming Events
Past Events
-
Strategies for Justice at the Inter-American System
2nd Apr 2023 11:30 pmOnlineThe eighth Practitioner-Scholars Roundtable will focus on Patricia Cruz Marín’s research on the Inter-American System on Human Rights (IASHRs) and its positive impact in the fight against forced disappearance in Latin America. Her research assesses the positive impact achieved in the legislation, policies, and accountability mechanisms on enforced disappearance in these countries, explains the intermittent...
-
Origins of LGBTQ Human Rights Norm
21st Nov 2022 8:30 amOnlineIn this virtual workshop, Ayodeji Perrin (Penn Carey Law) presented his recent work on LGBTQ Human Rights norms. Paper Abstract In this paper, I argue that human rights norm diffusion theory in international law and relations literature can be enhanced by taking greater account of domestic and transnational litigation. Grounded in fields of inquiry and...
-
Corporate Violations of International Human Rights
31st Oct 2022 9:00 amOnlineWhere to seek justice when corporations violate international human rights?
-
Individual Petitions’ Effect on Human Rights
23rd Sep 2022 8:30 amOnlineIn this virtual workshop, Rachel Schoner presented her recent work on the role of individual petitions and non-binding decisions in improving human rights causes. Paper Abstract Can non-binding decisions by inter-governmental organizations improve respect for human rights? Much of the existing literature believes that international law has a limited effect, especially without enforcement mechanisms, in...
-
Global Threats to Human Rights Defenders
15th Jun 2022 9:00 amOnlineOur sixth Practitioner-Scholar Roundtable discussed a range of threats to the safety and the work of human rights defenders, particularly those active in cases at international human rights tribunals, and strategies to help protect and support them. Speakers Dr. Sergey Golubok is a lawyer who has represented clients in civil rights cases before the courts...
-
Direct and Indirect Pressure on LGBT Rights
28th Apr 2022 8:30 amOnlineIn this virtual workshop, Gino Pauselli presented his recent work on peer pressure around LGBT rights. Paper Abstract When do countries adopt pro- and anti-human rights policies? In this paper, I study how criticism from Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs) affect the adoption of pro- and anti-LGBT policy in third countries. By centering the attention...
-
Human Rights Treaty Derogation and COVID-19
17th Feb 2022 8:30 amOnlineIn this virtual workshop, Audrey Comstock presented her recent work on the Covid-19 pandemic and the response of WHO and state actors. Paper Abstract What explains when states derogate from international human rights law during the COVID-19 pandemic? Conventional understanding of treaty derogations suggests that domestic democratic structures, not the crisis at hand, explain derogation...
-
Can we fill the Accountability Gap for Environmental Harm?
19th Jan 2022 9:00 amOnlineOn Wednesday, January 19th, 2022, we led our fifth installment of our Practitioner-Scholar Roundtable. Since the inception of the idea to define and criminalize environmental harm in the 1970s, today there is a renewed momentum and support to address accountability for environmental harm. In June 2021, an Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of...
-
The Ferguson Uprising, Shadow Reporting, and Human Rights Experimentalism
18th Nov 2021 8:30 amOnlineIn this virtual workshop, Joel Pruce presented his recent work on the year-long protests in Ferguson from 2014 to 2015. Paper Abstract In Fall 2014, a delegation of frontline activists and lawyers from Ferguson, Missouri, including Michael Brown’s parents, traveled to Geneva, Switzerland to testify in front of the UN Committee Against Torture while the US...
-
Does Facebook’s Oversight Board Promote International Human Rights?
28th Oct 2021 9:00 amOnlineFor the fourth Practitioner-Scholar Roundtable hosted by the ActInCourts Network, we will discuss the role of the Facebook Oversight Board in international human rights. You can RSVP via our Eventbrite link. The Oversight Board is one of the most significant innovations in global human rights governance, affecting freedom of expression and other rights for over...
-
International Tribunals and Domestic Trials in Peace Negotiations
28th Sep 2021 11:00 amOnlineIn this virtual workshop, Genevieve Bates presented her recent work on international tribunals and domestic trials in peace negotiations. Paper Abstract The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is one of the world’s most active human rights tribunals. It has effectively set itself as the most authoritative voice in fundamental rights adjudication in Latin America. Through...
-
From Courts to Communities: How Do International Courts Affect Victims?
30th Mar 2021 1:00 pmOnlineInternational courts and human rights bodies are often justified as a last resort for victims of rights violations to achieve justice. But do they actually do this? How can we evaluate international courts and what justice looks like from the perspectives of victims? Our roundtable discussed a variety of issues led by three panelists. Panelists...
-
Comparative Law by International Means
22nd Feb 2021 8:30 pmOnlineIn this virtual workshop, Jorges Contesse presented his paper “Comparative Law by International Means”. Paper Abstract The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is one of the world’s most active human rights tribunals. It has effectively set itself as the most authoritative voice in fundamental rights adjudication in Latin America. Through an impressive case law on a...
-
Backlash Against International Courts
25th Jan 2021 1:00 pmOnlineThis roundtable discussed the causes, consequences and practices of backlash against international human rights courts. What actors are pushing this backlash? How does it affect activists, litigants and victims of rights violations? How are judges and civil society groups accommodating or resisting efforts to undermine international courts? To address these and other issues, the roundtable...
-
Legitimacy, Indeterminacy, and the Power of Legal Interpreters in the International Criminal Court
7th Dec 2020 8:30 pmOnlineLucrecia Garcia Iommi presented her paper “Legitimacy, Indeterminacy, and the Power of Legal Interpreters in the International Criminal Court”. Paper Abstract Drawing from International Relations (IR) theory and Critical Legal Studies (CLS), this article engages with the question of the legitimacy of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The literature on the legitimacy of the ICC...
-
Human Rights Litigation Strategies in an Age of Pandemic
16th Nov 2020 12:30 pmOnlineHow has the global pandemic shaped the processes and aims of human rights advocacy? How might insights from other areas of international litigation efforts inform the advocacy strategies of organizations as they respond to pandemic-related threats? Three panelists led our discussion of these issues. Panelists Rachel Cichowski is Professor of Political Science at the University of...
-
Premise, Promise, Power, Paucity: Governing European States’ Treatment of Irregular Migrants Through International Criminal Law
19th Oct 2020 8:00 amOnlineKerstin Bree Carlson presented her paper “Premise, Promise, Power, Paucity: Governing European States’ Treatment of Irregular Migrants Through International Criminal Law”. Paper Abstract Increasingly, advocates for migrant rights are turning to international criminal law as a method of addressing the failed rules and policies impacting irregular migrants and refugees. This article examines what role international...
-
2019 ActInCourts Workshop
15th Oct 2019 12:30 pmFaculty of Law, University of CopenhagenIn early October 2019, ActInCourts (Activists in International Courts) network members will meet at iCourts, at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. This workshop offers the opportunity to share knowledge among our partner institutions to identify and gather desirable data to supplement existing sources such as Cichowski’s, Kahraman’s and Haddad and Sundstrom’s databases. The Copenhagen networking...
-
2018 ActInCourts Workshop
16th Nov 2018 6:30 pmLiu Institute for Global IssuesOn November 16, 2018, our emerging network of scholars and human rights NGO practitioners met at University of British Columbia for a one-day workshop on activists in international courts, to discuss research themes that connect us, and to identify research topics that would be valuable to the practitioners and scholars alike. We identified themes and gaps...
-
2017 ActInCourts Workshop
27th May 2017 6:00 pmLiu Institute for Global IssuesWe hosted a workshop on May 17, 2017 at the University of British Columbia: “Legal Mobilization and International Courts: NGO and Lawyer Activism in Regional Human Rights Courts”. This workshop brought together international scholars specialized in “legal mobilization”, from the fields of law, sociology and political science. At our one-day workshop, we explored the contours...
