News | International Human Rights Clinic

Explosive Weapons’ Dire Impact on Cultural Heritage

Compliance with 2022 Political Declaration Would Reduce Harm in Armed Conflict (Oslo, April 21, 2024) – The bombing and shelling of cities and towns during armed conflict has devastating consequences for cultural heritage and civilians, Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) said in a new report. Minimizing this harm should be addressed at the…

With Haiti on the Brink of Collapse, a Reckoning for US Policy on Haiti

This piece was originally published on Just Security Haiti’s rapidly spiraling political and security crisis has brought the de facto Haitian government to the brink of collapse. As gangs assault key infrastructure and move closer to complete control, Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, is stuck in Puerto Rico and unable to return. Henry – an unelected leader whose sole source of support has…

Clinic Spotlight: On-the-ground climate change advocacy at the UN

January 17, 2024

This piece was originally published by the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs. Presenting research to UN officials, business and NGO leaders, and grassroots activists in Geneva, Switzerland is not an ordinary law school assignment; for Taryn Shanes ‘25, the task was not only part of her clinic work, but the “linchpin” of her law school experience. Shanes travelled…

The Harvard Gazette: ‘Killer robots’ are coming, and U.N. is worried

January 16, 2024

To shed light on the legal and ethical concerns they raise, the Gazette interviewed Bonnie Docherty, lecturer on law at Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC), who attended some of the U.N. meetings. Docherty is also a senior researcher in the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch. This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Clinic Advances Fall 2023 Project Work in New York

January 8, 2024

Clinic Partner Puts World’s Seventh-Largest Supermarket Chain on Notice for Human Rights Abuse

January 8, 2024

French duty of vigilance law means Carrefour can be held accountable for slavery, human trafficking, torture in its tuna supply chain

International Human Rights Clinic Newsletter, January 2024

January 2, 2024

From War to Freedom in a Wheelchair: A Syrian Refugee’s Story of Survival

November 20, 2023

A year ago this past week, on November 18, 2022, Syrian survivor and refugee Nujeen Mustafa spoke to delegates at the signing ceremony of the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas. Signed by 83 countries, this groundbreaking declaration aims to better protect civilians from…

Implementing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Clinic Recommends Next Steps

November 2, 2023

States should make addressing the consequences of nuclear weapons a priority in order to achieve the humanitarian purpose of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Articles 6 and 7 of the TPNW include obligations for states parties to assist victims of and remediate environmental harm stemming from nuclear weapons use and testing, as well as to provide international cooperation and assistance to affected states parties.

New Humanitarian Disarmament Resource Launched: Harvard ACCPI Brochure

October 30, 2023

An updated brochure on humanitarian disarmament, recently published by Harvard Law School’s Armed Conflict and Civilian Protection Initiative (ACCPI), offers an overview of this people-centered approach to governing weapons. The brochure aims to provide a better understanding of the cross-cutting concept of humanitarian disarmament as well as an introduction to the key issues it covers.