29 August 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2009

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT – The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC) today released a report documenting and analyzing the Iranian government’s massacre of political prisoners during the summer of 1988. Much of the material presented in the report, Deadly Fatwa: Iran’s 1988 Massacre, is the result of interviews conducted by IHRDC with survivors and family members of victims.

In late July 1988, pursuant to a fatwa issued by then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian government began systematically interrogating, torturing and summarily executing thousands of political prisoners. The interrogations of prisoners who supported leftist parties began twenty-one years ago today. Although the exact number of victims is not known, thousands of prisoners were tortured and executed over the course of only a few months.

The victims included prisoners who had served their sentences but had refused to recant their political beliefs, prisoners who were serving sentences of imprisonment, people who had been detained for lengthy periods but had not been convicted, and former prisoners who were rearrested. Many families were never informed about the executions and many of the victims were buried in unmarked mass graves. Families who received the remains of their loved ones were not allowed to hold funeral services and, to this day, are forbidden from mourning their loss. The government recently bulldozed a mass grave site at Khavaran Cemetery in Tehran .

The Iranian government has never identified those who were secretly executed and tortured, and has never issued an explanation for this crime. However, many of the men who were responsible for the massacre continue to hold positions of power in the Iranian government.

Deadly Fatwa: Iran ’s 1988 Massacre, is available in English on IHRDC’s website www.iranhrdc.org. A Persian translation of the report will be available this fall.

IHRDC is a nonprofit organization based in New Haven , Connecticut that was founded in 2004 by a group of human rights scholars, activists, and historians. Its staff of human rights lawyers and researchers produce comprehensive and detailed reports on the human rights situation in Iran since the 1979 revolution. The Center’s goal is to encourage an informed dialogue among scholars and the general public in both Iran and abroad. The human rights reports and a database of documents relating to human rights in Iran are available to the public for research and educational purposes on the Center’s website.

For further information, please contact:

Renee C. Redman, IHRDC Executive Director, (203) 772-2218 Ext. 215 rredman@iranhrdc.org

The Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), a 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which operates as a global pro bono law firm providing free legal assistance to states and governments involved in conflicts. To facilitate the utilization of this legal assistance, PILPG also provides policy formulation advice and training on matters related to conflict resolution. To date, PILPG has advised over two dozen states and governments on the legal aspects of peace negotiations and post-conflict constitution drafting, and over two dozen states and War Crimes Tribunals in Europe, Asia and Africa concerning the protection of human rights, self-determination, and the prosecution of war crimes.

PILPG’s Uganda project is designed to build the capacity the Government of Uganda to draft legislation that supports the establishment of transitional justice mechanisms and creates a sustainable domestic War Crimes Division that meets international fair trial standards.  As part of this effort, PILPG is training the judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys for the War Crimes Division, providing assistance to the Ugandan government officials on the creation of an International Criminal Court (ICC) Liaison Office to effectively manage communication with the ICC, preparations for the ICC Review Conference in Kampala, and the design of a national strategy for dissemination of information regarding the creation of transitional justice mechanisms.  PILPG’s legal assistance is intended to support the implementation of the Juba Peace Accords, in particular the establishment of a special division within the Ugandan High Court to try top Lord’s Resistance Army commanders for war crimes, thus meeting the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) regime of complementarity.

PILPG is working with Ugandan government officials, members of the judiciary, and legislators, as well as civil society to draft legal memoranda on key issues, engage in consultations and roundtables with officials, and facilitate capacity building and technical assistance workshops to support the development and implementation of key aspects of the Juba agreements on Accountability and Reconciliation.

Role of the Chief of Party

PILPG is seeking a professional with seven to ten years experience in the field of international law, with particular expertise in international criminal law, transitional justice, and rule of law, to serve as the Chief of Party for its Uganda project.  The Chief of Party is based in Kampala, Uganda and works under the supervision of the Project Director of the Uganda project.

Program Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with PILPG clients, including Uganda government officials, parliamentarians, judges, and civil society leaders.
• Maintain relationships and respond to requests made by USAID Mission personnel.
• Assist in the facilitation of workshops and trainings on war crimes prosecution and justice and reconciliation mechanisms.
• Direct, manage, and undertake international criminal law and transitional justice research.
• Oversee the drafting of legal memoranda for PILPG’s Ugandan clients.
• Supervise the work of pro bono law firms and research associates providing legal assistance on the Uganda project.
• Coordinate closely with PILPG’s Washington, DC office on the overall strategy and development of the project.
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with civil society, NGOs, and INGOs and other development organizations operating in the region.
• Provide regular briefings to PILPG’s Washington, DC office on political developments and implementation of the program.

Administration

• Draft materials on the Uganda project for PILPG’s website and annual reports at the request of senior staff.
• Coordinate closely with the Project Director on the preparation of legal memoranda and other documents required to implement activities.
• Assist in maintaining PILPG’s financial books related to the Uganda project in accordance with PILPG’s financial policies and procedures manual.
• Develop quarterly project reports that detail project activities and measure and evaluate project results.
• Maintain regular communication with the Project Director, as well as the research team, including conducting weekly Skype calls and drafting bi-weekly updates on project activities.
• Coordinate closely with other PILPG field offices located in Nepal, Kenya, Somaliland, Tanzania, South Sudan on overlapping technical issues.

Educational and Professional Qualifications

• A law degree.
• Demonstrated knowledge of public international law, including international humanitarian law, international criminal law, and international human rights law.
• A minimum of seven to ten years work experience in international law, including experience with international criminal law, post-conflict rule of law, and/or transitional justice.
• Knowledge of East Africa and the Uganda conflict in particular is highly desirable.
• Prior overseas field work is preferable.

Communication and Organizational Skills

• Excellent political judgment and the proven ability to develop and carry out program strategy.
• Strong analytic and organizational skills.
• Fluent in English with proven legal writing and editing skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and able to work closely with multiple team members located across the globe.
• Ability to manage effectively multiple activities in a fast-paced environment.
• Responsive, a self-starter, and able to solve problems independently.

How to Apply:

Send resumes, cover letter, and writing sample to brutherford@pilpg.org by Friday, January 29, 2010.  Include in the subject line: Application: Uganda Chief of Party

The Public International Law & Policy Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

War Crimes Prosecution Watch is prepared by the International Justice Practice of the Public International Law & Policy Group and the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center of Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

December 2009

01 December 2009

Live Blogging Session on the Opening of International Criminal Court’s Second Trial

October 2009

29 October 2009

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center

The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC) seeks to establish a comprehensive and objective historical record of the human rights situation in Iran since the 1979 revolution, and on the basis of this record, establish responsibility for patterns of human rights abuses; make such record available in an archive that is accessible to the public for research and educational purposes; promote accountability, respect for human rights and the rule of law in Iran; and encourage an informed dialogue on the human rights situation in Iran among scholars and the general public in Iran and abroad.

The IHRDC believes that the development of an accountability movement and a culture of human rights in Iran are crucial to the long-term peace and security of the country and the Middle East region. As numerous examples have illustrated, the removal of an authoritarian regime does not necessarily lead to an improved human rights situation if institutions and civil society are weak, or if a culture of human rights and democratic governance has not been cultivated. By providing Iranians with comprehensive human rights reports, data about past and present human rights violations and information about international human rights standards, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the IHRDC programs will strengthen Iranians’ ability to demand accountability, reform public institutions, and promote transparency and respect for human rights. Encouraging a culture of human rights within Iranian society as a whole will allow political and legal reforms to have real and lasting weight.

In September 2009, IHRDC released its report entitled Forced Confessions: Targeting Iran’s Cyber-Journalists. The report compiles witness statements of three Iranian cyber-journalists and bloggers who were arrested and detained by the Iranian government in 2004 and 2005. The witness statements are the results of interviews conducted by IHRDC staff in 2008 and 2009. Currently, IHRDC is in the process of preparing another report compiling witness statements. These statements detail the experiences of several political prisoners who survived the Islamic Republic’s summary execution of thousands of prisoners during the summer of 1988. The statements are being prepared pursuant to in-person and telephonic interviews conducted with survivors.

IHRDC also publishes a newsletter. The September 2009 issue contains articles on:
1. Sentencing in Post-Election
2. TrialsUniversity Protests Continue
4. New Head of the Basij Appointed
5. Another Juvenile Executed
6. Karrubi in Danger of Being Arrested
7. IHRDC Co-Sponsors Panel on Iran

For additional information, please visit the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center website.

01 October 2009

ABA Releases Report on Exploring Counterterrorism Detention Alternatives

By Mario A. Flores
Special Features Editor, Impunity Watch Journal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In June of this year, the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security brought together a group of legal experts, scholars and practitioners in the field of national security law for a day-long workshop on “Exploring Counterterrorism Detention Alternatives.” The workshop focused on whether new or different detention authority is necessary and wise for effective counterterrorism policy.

This is the third workshop that the ABA has sponsored as part of their series “Due Process and Terrorism.” The workshop that initiated the series was held in October 2007. The next one was in April of this year and focused on “Trying Terrorists in Article III Courts.”

The ABA then releases post-workshop reports that compile the insights and experiences of the expert practitioners and scholars who participate in the discussions.

To read the reports, please click on the following links:

Exploring Counterterrorism Detention Alternatives – September 2009

Trying Terrorists in Article III Courts – July 2009

Due Process and Terrorism – November 2007