Events

Over the course of the academic year, IHRA sponsors a variety of human-rights  related films and discussions and invites nationally and internationally renowned speakers to join us at Penn. These occasions are designed to involve members and nonmembers alike. Previous events have included talks on U.S. attitudes towards torture, bioterrorism and international relations, conditions in Russian prison camps, and criminal justice in China and Taiwan.

Upcoming IHRA Events:

October 4th Screening of ‘The Judge and the General’: This is an award-winning film that documents Juan Guzmán Tapia’s personal journey as the judge prosecuting the first criminal cases against Chile’s ex-dictator, General Augusto Pinochet. The film screening will be followed by Q&A session with Juan Guzmán Tapia who is a visiting Bok professor at Penn Law.  This event is sponsored by the International Programs office and co-sponsored by the International Human Rights Advocates (IHRA), the International Law Organization (ILO), and the Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA).

What: Film Screening: The Judge and the General; When: Tuesday, October 4, 6:30pm; Where: Penn Law, 3400 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Gittis Hall 214. Free and open to the public. A flyer (Global Justice Film Series Oct 4 2011) and a trailer of the film are available. 

October 19 Inmate Healthcare Panel: A panel discussion between two prominent attorneys on issues relating to healthcare within American prison systems.  Ashley Parrish is a practicing attorney at King & Spalding in Washington, DC.  Mr. Parrish served as lead counsel in Brown v. Plata, a Supreme Court case ruling on the constitutionality of a judicial order requiring California to reduce its prison population because of overcrowding and inadequate healthcare provisions.  Margaret Winter works for the ACLU’s National Prison project and has significant experience litigating cases dealing with prisoners’ constitutional rights, including provision of adequate healthcare within prisons.  Following a discussion of the current status of prison healthcare provisions, the panelists will open the floor for questions from audience members. Hosted by the Penn Law's Prisoners' Education and Advocacy Project, the Health Law Group, and the International Human Rights Advocates.

What: Healthcare in prison panel. When: Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 12:00-1:30 pm Where: University of Pennsylvania Law School, 3400 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, Silverman 245A, 

Free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.

October 27th Screening of ‘The Response’.  This is a critically-acclaimed film about the trials of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo. The film features a number of well-known actors and producers, who will be attending the film and discussing it on a panel following the showing (including Peter Riegert, from the film Animal House and The Sopranos). We will host a reception for the audience and panelists.  Synopsis and trailer available on the official movie site.

What: Film Screening: The Response When: Thursday, October 27, 4:30-6:30pm; Where: Penn Law, 3400 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Room TBD. Free and open to the public.

Recent IHRA Events:

The Crime of Aggression and the International Criminal Court: William Shabas, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Professor William A. Schabas discussed the June 2010 amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which enable the ICC to exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression.

AFL-CIO Teach-In Surrounding Workers’ Rights, Collective Bargaining, and the events in Wisconsin: The AFL-CIO and a network of union side labor lawyers are coordinating a nationwide day of solidarity and action in response to the recent events in Wisconsin! Teach-ins will be held all across the country, including here at Penn Law. Penn Law welcomed prominent labor lawyer Rick Kirschner who addressed issues surrounding worker’s rights, collective bargaining and the events in Wisconsin. Co-Sponsored by ACS, the Toll Public Interest Center, the Penn Law National Lawyers Guild and the International Human Rights Advocates.

SALSA Distinguished Speaker Event Series: Chandra Bhatnagar, Staff Attorney, Human Rights Program. Chandra Bhatnagar is a Staff Attorney with the Human Rights Program (HRP), where he leads HRP's domestic and international advocacy around racial profiling, affirmative action, and juvenile justice issues, and is engaged in federal court litigation and litigation in international tribunals involving the rights of low-wage immigrant workers, undocumented workers, and guest-workers. Bhatnagar is counsel in David, et al. v. Signal International, LLC, et al., a case on behalf of over 500 Indian men trafficked into the U.S. and lured by false promises of permanent U.S. residency only to find themselves forced into involuntary servitude and living in overcrowded labor camps.  Bhatnagar is also the principal author of The Persistence of Racial and Ethnic Profiling in the United States, submitted to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Human Rights in the US: The UN Universal Periodic Review’s November 2010 Session with Professor Sarah Paoletti, Director of the Transnational Legal Clinic. Discussion of the November 2010 session of the UN Universal Periodic Review. The Universal Periodic Review is the process through which the United Nations Human Rights Council reviews the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States once every four years. The United States appeared before the Human Rights Council for the first time in November 2010.  Professor Paoletti and students from the Transnational Legal Clinic attended the session in Geneva.  The panelists discussed the human rights issues addressed during the session and the Human Rights Council’s recommendations.

Enforcing Socioeconomic Rights in Europe: Lecture with Professor Colm O’Cinneide. Colm O’Cinneide, a Reader in Law at University College London, specializes in human rights and anti-discrimination law.  He is currently Vice-President of the European Committee of Social Rights and a member of the Blackstone Chambers Academic Panel.  His research includes issues surrounding equality within EU law and legal mechanisms for protecting socioeconomic rights.

Professor Hauwa Ibrahim on Shariah Law and Women's Rights in West Africa. Hauwa Ibrahim is a senior partner at Aries Law Firm, where she works as lead attorney with a team devoted to protecting human rights for women in Nigeria. She was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2005 by the European Parliament, which cited her work as defense counsel in cases before Islamic Shariah courts. She is teaching a Bok course at the law school during the Spring of 2011 titled, "Women, Justice and Shariah."