Special Low-Cost CLE on Religious Freedom and Religious Persecution - April 14

Please join us on Thursday, April 14, 2011, from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT for a CLE teleconference on Religious Freedom and Religious Persecution presented by the ABA Section of International Law, International Human Rights Committee, and co-sponsored by the ABA SIL NGO and Not-for-Profit Organizations Committee with the Support of the Washington State Bar Association Civil Rights Law Section.

There are reports from all over the world of abusive and murderous actions taken against individuals because of their religious beliefs. From Koran burning in the United States to blasphemy laws in Pakistan to persecution of the Falun Gong in China, there is evidence of religious persecution globally. While the religious persecution may vary in form or location, all these incidents raise a common concern about human rights established under international conventions. In this CLE, we will discuss the legal framework behind the right to freedom of religion as a human right; the legal issues that are raised by religious persecution; and the legal recourse available to those who experience religious persecution in the context of both international and domestic law.

Participants will gain an: Awareness of current concerns and incidents of religious persecution globally; Understanding of human rights related to religious freedom under existing international law and conventions; Awareness and better understanding of legal issues related to specific incidents of religious persecution; and Understanding of legal recourse available to victims of religious persecution under international law.

Speakers:

Elizabeth K. Cassidy
Deputy Director for Policy and Research,
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
Washington, DC

Asma Jahangir
President, Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
Director, AGHS Legal Aid Cell
Lahore, Pakistan

David Matas
International Human Rights Lawyer
Co-Author, "Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for Their Organs"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Moderator:

Mohammad A. Syed
Senior Attorney in the Antitrust Section of King & Ballow Law Offices
Nashville, Tennessee

Registration Rates:

Section Members, NGO Lawyers, Academic Lawyers
$45

Non-Section Lawyers
$75

Young Lawyers
$15

Law Students (no CLE credit)
Free

Other Listeners (no CLE credit)
Free

To register, visit the following link.

ENFORCEMENT AND MONITORING OF SENTENCES IN THE MODERN WAR CRIMES PROCESS: EQUAL TREATMENT BEFORE THE LAW?

Human Rights Seminar Series 20100-2011 
The Center for International Human Rights, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

 

Assessing Human Rights: Monitoring Mechanisms

The purpose of this year’s seminar is to examine how monitoring mechanisms are utilized to assess compliance with international human rights norms and standards. This subject is especially pertinent in light of the recent report submission by the US government to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as a part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. Specifically, the seminar will focus on how these monitoring mechanisms can be used to hold States accountable to their international obligations and as tools for advocacy. The seminar will explore the monitoring mechanisms of charter and treaty based bodies, as well as extra-conventional mechanisms and the supplemental monitoring of non-governmental organizations. 

The Center for International Human Rights, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The CUNY PhD/MA Program in Political Science, & The Global Studies Collective Cordially invite you to attend:

ENFORCEMENT AND MONITORING OF SENTENCES IN THE MODERN WAR CRIMES PROCESS: EQUAL TREATMENT BEFORE THE LAW?

Richard Culp
Associate Professor of Public Administration John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Doctoral Faculty in Criminal Justice, City University of New York (CUNY)

THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011
6:00-8:00 P.M.
ROOM C197

GRADUATE CENTER OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK (CUNY)
365 FIFTH AVENUE
NEW YORK CITY

For more information & to RSVP contact: Rebecca Landy at rlandy@jjay.cuny.edu

UNROW Clinic, in cooperation with IHRC, to host program on Illegal Intercountry Adoption

Please join us on Monday, April 4, 2011, at 6:30 p.m. at American University (Washington, D.C.) for a program presented by the UNROW Human Rights Impact Litigation Clinic of American University Washington College of Law in cooperation with the ABA's International Human Rights Committee, “Stolen Children: Illegal Practices in Intercountry Adoption and the Need for Reform.” The panel will bring together various experts to discuss the legal, social, and ethical dimensions of illicit intercountry adoptions and the path toward reform.

The keynote speaker, Norma Cruz, is a Guatemalan grassroots activist and recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s designation “2009 International Woman of Courage.” Ms. Cruz has become a world renowned human rights defender through her tireless campaign to document cases of violence against women in Guatemala, promote justice for women, and call for an end to illicit adoption. During the program, Ms. Cruz will tell the stories of Guatemalan parents who have lost their children to illicit intercountry adoption. She will also describe the advocacy efforts of her organization, Fundación Sobrevivientes (Survivors Foundation), on behalf of the mothers whose children have been taken in an illegal and lucrative supply chain for international adoptions.

Washington College of Law's Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education office is offering pre-approved CLE credit for Pennsylvania (and by reciprocity, New York and New Jersey) and Virginia. Attorneys seeking CLE credits from other states can get the credits approved retroactively.

To register for the event, please go to the following link.

State of Illinois Convicts Human Trafficker

On 24 March 2011, the State of Illinois concluded its first human trafficking trial, which resulted in a conviction against 46-year-old Troy Bonaparte.  The State made it known that pimping is trafficking and the jury unanimously agreed that, while often considered only an international crime, human trafficking will not be tolerated domestically, at least not in Illinois.  

Bonaparte was arrested during a multi-municipality effort in August 2010.  Material witnesses for the State were 3 prostituted women, 2 of whom were from out-of-state and who Bonaparte recruited and kept in a hotel room, using violence, threats of violence and intimidation.  Customers were obtained by advertisements placed on an Internet web site. 

At trial, the State’s closing argument and rebuttal were crucial, as the closing argument explained the elements of trafficking, recruiting, and harboring to the jury.  The rebuttal fleshed out the law even more, emphasizing that consent was not required for a finding of guilty of human trafficking.  By making clear that the purpose of the law is to protect everyone, including marginalized and vulnerable women and girls, the State ensured the jury that a guilty verdict was a way to protect all of society.  

Bonaparte, charged with 2 counts of involuntary servitude, 2 counts of trafficking in persons, and 1 count of pandering, was found guilty on all charges.  He faces up to 30 years in prison. 

The Illinois human trafficking statute, amending the Criminal Code of 1961, was passed in 2006 and largely comports with the United States' federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, both of which support the international human rights law norm, R2P, the Responsibility to Protect. Aligning domestic law with international human rights law is essential for ensuring the rights of all are uniformly respected.

Respectfully, Max Elliott, J.D.