REVISED SYLLABUS International Human Rights Litigation: Clinical Seminar Clinical Professor James Cavallaro Mondays 4:45 – 6:45 pm Pound 203 (please note the exceptions to this meeting time and place) Spring 2006 James Cavallaro: Pound 400; jcavalla@law.harvard.edu PLEASE NOTE: There will be an initial class meeting on February 6; there is no assigned reading for this class. The past quarter century has witnessed the unprecedented establishment of international courts charged with adjudicating instances of human rights abuse. The newest of these bodies—the International Criminal Court (ICC)—has been heralded by some as one of the great achievements of the Twentieth Century, the culmination of decades of efforts by human rights activists to transform human rights from ideal into applicable law. Yet with the passage of time and the development of a record of performance for these international human rights bodies, critics argue that the experiment with international justice has been a grandiose failure. This course takes a critical look at international human rights litigation to hold states accountable before regional bodies (the European Court of Human Rights; the Inter-American Commission and Court; the African Commission and Court), universal mechanisms (the conventional and special mechanisms of the United Nations), and special institutions established to render individual criminal justice after mass atrocity (the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda; the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia; the Special Court for Sierra Leone). The seminar will evaluate the process of litigation before these bodies and their jurisprudence, as well as their role in promoting (or undermining) justice and fostering reconciliation (or intensifying tensions) in post-conflict societies. Requirements: Students will prepare brief reflection papers on the weekly readings and/or one longer, final paper. Initial Meeting: February 6 In this initial session, the syllabus will be distributed and course requirements addressed. Students who have registered for clinical work in conjunction with the seminar will submit preferences for assignment to advocacy teams and specific cases. This session will be brief. 1I. The Development of International Criminal Tribunals and Responses to Mass Atrocity: History and Overview Class 1: February 13 – Nuremberg and Mechanisms to Respond to Mass Atrocity Readings: -Gary Bass, “Nuremberg” (Ch. 5), in Stay the Hand of Vengeance, (Princeton University Press 2000). -Martha Minow, Between Vengeance and Forgiveness: Facing History After Genocide and Mass Violence, (Beacon Press 1998). -Jeremy Rabkin, "Global Criminal Justice: An Idea Whose Time Has Passed," 38 Cornell Int'l L.J. 753 (Fall 2005). II. The International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda Class 2: February 20 – Slaughter in the Balkans and the Development of the ICTY and the ICTR Readings: -Pierre Hazan, “The International Court on the Spot” (Ch. 7), “The Interminable Trial of Slobodan Milosevic” (Ch. 8), and “A Court Standing above It All” (Ch. 9), in Justice in a Time of War, (Texas A&M University Press 2004). -Joanne Lee & Richard Price, “International Tribunals and the Criminalization of International Violence” (Ch. 8), in The United Nations and Global Security, (Richard M. Price & Mark W. Zacher eds., Palgrave Macmillian 2004). Class 3: February 27 – Litigating at the ICTY Readings: -Anthony D' Amato, “Defending a Person Charged with Genocide,” 1 Chi. J. Int'l L. 459 (2000). PDF: http://heinonline.org.ezp1.harvard.edu/HOL/PDF?handle=hein.journals/cjil1&id=467 &print=section§ion=47&ext=.pdf -Peggy Kuo, “Prosecuting Crimes of Sexual Violence in an International Tribunal,” 34 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 305 (Fall 2002). PDF: http://heinonline.org.ezp1.harvard.edu/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/cwrint34&id =313&collection=journals -Eric Stover, “Witnesses and the promise of justice in The Hague” (Ch. 5), in My Neighbor, My Enemy, (Eric Stover & Harvey Weinstein eds., Cambridge University Press 2004). 2-Additional readings to be distributed. Class 4: March 6 – Genocide in Rwanda and the ICTR Readings: -Excerpts, Prosecutor v. Ferdinand Nahimana, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, Hassan Ngeze, Case ICTR-99-52-T, (Judgment of 3 December 2003). Excerpts to be distributed. -“International Law – Genocide – U.N. Tribunal Finds that Mass Media Hate Speech Constitutes Genocide, Incitement to Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity,” Prosecutor v. Ferdinand Nahimana, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, Hassan Ngeze, Case ICTR-99-52-T, (Judgment of 3 December 2003), 117 Harv. L. Rev. 2769 (2004). -Kelly Dawn Askin, “Gender Crimes Jurisprudence in the ICTR: Positive Developments,” 3 J. Int'l Crim. Just. 1007 (September 2005). PDF: http://jicj.oxfordjournals.org.ezp2.harvard.edu/cgi/reprint/3/4/1007 -Binaifer Nowrojee, “ ‘Your Justice Is Too Slow’: How the ICTR Failed Rwanda's Rape Victims,” in Women and Armed Conflict, (UNRSD: Zubaan Books 2005). -Victor Peskin, “Courting Rwanda: The Promises and Pitfalls of the ICTR Outreach Programme,” 3 J. Int'l Crim. Just. 950 (September 2005). Html: http://jicj.oxfordjournals.org.ezp2.harvard.edu/cgi/content/full/3/4/950 PDF: http://jicj.oxfordjournals.org.ezp2.harvard.edu/cgi/reprint/3/4/950 NO CLASS March 13 III. Regional and Universal Human Rights Litigation against States Class 5: March 20 – The European Court of Human Rights Guest Speaker: Andrea Coomber, INTERIGHTS Readings: -Jutta Limbach, Pedro Cruz Villalón, Roger Errera, The Rt. Hon. Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC, Tamara Morshchakova, The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Sedley & Andrzej Zoll, Judicial Independence: Law and Practice of Appointments to the European Court of Human Rights, (INTERIGHTS May 2003). -Karen Reid, A Practitioner's Guide to the European Convention on Human Rights, 7-50 (Second Edition, 2004). -Anguelova v. Bulgaria, Case European C.H.R. 38361/97, (Judgment of 13 June 2002). -Nachova and Others v. Bulgaria, Case European C.H.R. 43577/98 & 43579/98, (Judgment of 26 February 2004). 3-Nachova and Others v. Bulgaria, Case European C.H.R. 43577/98 & 43579/98, (Judgment of 6 July 2005). -Bekos and Koutropoulos v. Greece, Case European C.H.R. 15250/02, (Judgment of 13 December 2005). No Class March 27: Spring Break Class 6: April 3 – Mass Atrocity and Domestic Responses: Rwandan Gacaca Courts, Responses in the Former Yugoslavia and Mixed Tribunals Guest Speaker: Binaifer Nowrojee, Open Society Institute & Harvard Law School Readings: -William A. Schabas, “Genocide Trials and Gacaca Courts,” 3 J. Int'l Crim. Just. 879 (2005). PDF: http://jicj.oxfordjournals.org.ezp2.harvard.edu/cgi/reprint/3/4/879 -Lars Waldorf, "Mass Justice for Mass Atrocity: Rethinking Local Justice As Transitional Justice," Temp. L. Rev. (forthcoming Spring 2006). -Suzannah Linton, “Cambodia, East Timor and Sierra Leone: Experiments in International Justice,” 12 Crim. L.F. 185 (2001). PDF: http://www.springerlink.com.ezp1.harvard.edu/media/n97bknuuyq7wqxxuueet/contri butions/k/0/8/4/k08401708835m270.pdf -Binaifer Nowrojee, “Making the Invisible War Crime Visible: Post-Conflict Justice for Sierra Leone’s Rape Victims,” 18 Harv. Hum. Rts. J. 85 (2005). PDF: http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/hrj/iss18/nowrojee.pdf Class 7: FRIDAY, April 7, 4:45-6:45pm, Location Lewis 202 – The Inter-American Court of Human Rights: Development of Contentious Jurisdiction Readings: -Velásquez-Rodríguez v. Honduras, Case Inter-Am. C.H.R., (Judgment of July 29, 1988). -Juan E. Méndez & José Miguel Vivanco, “Disappearances and the Inter-American Court: Reflections on a Litigation Experience,” 13 Hamline L. Rev. 507 (Summer 1990). PDF: http://heinonline.org.ezp1.harvard.edu/HOL/PDF?handle=hein.journals/hamlrv13&id =517&print=section§ion=35&ext=.pdf Class 8: April 10 – Inter-American Court of Human Rights: Using the System, Recognizing its Limits & The African Human Rights System 4Readings: The Inter-American System, continued: -James L. Cavallaro, “Toward Fair Play: A Decade of Transformation and Resistance in International Human Rights Advocacy in Brazil,” 3 Chi. J. Int'l L. 481 (Fall 2002). PDF: http://heinonline.org.ezp1.harvard.edu/HOL/PDF?handle=hein.journals/cjil3&id=487 &print=section§ion=43&ext=.pdf -James L. Cavallaro & Emily J. Schaffer, “Less as More: Rethinking Supranational Litigation of Economic and Social Rights in the Americas,” 56 Hastings L.J. 217 (December 2004). The African System: -J. Oloka-Onyango, “Reinforcing Marginalized Rights in an Age of Globalization: International Mechanisms, Non-State Actors, and the Struggle for Peoples' Rights in Africa,” 18 Am. U. Int'l. L. Rev. 857-884 (2002-2003). PDF: http://heinonline.org.ezp1.harvard.edu/HOL/PDF?handle=hein.journals/amuilr18&id =865&print=section§ion=27&ext=.pdf -The Soc. & Econ. Rights Action Ctr. for Econ. & Soc. Rights v. Nigeria, African Comm. Hum. & Peoples' Rights, Comm. No. 155/96, (2001). -Frans Viljoen, “A Human Rights Court for Africa, and Africans,” 30 Brook. J. Int'l L. 1 (2004). PDF: http://heinonline.org.ezp1.harvard.edu/HOL/PDF?handle=hein.journals/bjil30&id=9 &print=1&ext=.pdf Class 9: April 17 – UN Oversight Mechanisms: Conventional Committees and Special Mechanisms Readings: -Sir Nigel Rodley, “United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures of the Commission on Human Rights--Complementarity or Competition?,” 25 Hum. Rts. Q. 882 (November 2003). PDF: http://muse.jhu.edu.ezp1.harvard.edu/journals/human_rights_quarterly/v025/25.4rodl ey.pdf -Additional readings to be distributed. 5IV. Domestic Litigation of International Human Rights Issues Class 10: THURSDAY, April 20, 3-5pm, Location Pound 418 – The Pinochet Effect and Universal Jurisdiction Guest: Naomi Roht-Arriaza, Professor of Law, UC Hastings College of Law Please note that this class will be held on Thursday, April 20 rather than our regularly scheduled time to accommodate our guest speaker, Prof. Naomi Roht-Arriaza. Readings: -Naomi Roht-Arriaza, The Pinochet Effect: Transnational Justice in the Age of Human Rights, (University of Pennsylvania Press 2005). -Henry J. Steiner, “Three Cheers for Universal Jurisdiction – Or Is It Only Two?,” 5 Theoretical Inquiries in Law 198 (January 2004). PDF: http://www.bepress.com.ezp2.harvard.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1091&context =til Class 11: April 24 – International Human Rights Litigation in US Courts Guest: Tyler Giannini, Associate Clinical Director, Human Rights Program Readings: -Readings to be distributed. V. The Future of International Human Rights Litigation: The International Criminal Court Class 12: May 1 – The Next Phase: The International Criminal Court Readings: -Excerpts, Eric Blumenson, "The Challenges of a Global Standard of Justice: Peace, Pluralism, and Punishment at the International Criminal Court," Colum. J. Transnat'l L. (forthcoming 2006). -Case study on Uganda and the ICC (selected materials). 6