News

A June 2024 compilation of publications produced by Human Rights Watch and the International Human Rights Clinic on the issue of incendiary weapons.

In early May 2022, Russian forces fired a munition that struck a museum complex including the final home of the 18th-century Ukrainian philosopher and poet Hryhorii Skovoroda. The attack sparked a fire that raged for nearly nine hours. By the time the blaze was extinguished, almost all that remained were scorched walls and a pockmarked statue of the national figure.

At the end of April, dozens of human rights clinicians gathered in Cambridge to share ideas, forge friendships, and build resilience and hope in their work.   For many of the country’s leading human rights practitioners, the 2024 International Human Rights Clinicians’ Conference, which Harvard Law School hosted from April 19-21, was a chance to learn from panel discussions and workshops,…

A collection of photos from 2024 Harvard Law School Commencement and the annual IHRC-HIRCP grad party!

This year, we asked five of our graduating students to reflect on their time in the International Human Rghts Clinic. Watch to learn about what projects they worked on, where they traveled, their fondest memories, and what insights they've gained on doing human rights work.

My work with IHRC has been the most meaningful and rewarding part of my law school experience. I joined the Clinic in the Spring of 2023, and have participated as an advanced student ever since. My project centers on the 2017 French Duty of Vigilance Law which we are using to hold Carrefour, the seventh-largest supermarket chain in the world, accountable for human rights abuses in its seafood supply chain.

Immediately upon the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mariupol became a focal point of the war as Russia’s grip tightened around the coastal city. About 540,000 people resided in Mariupol before the Russian armed forces attacked, but as the bombardment continued, the number of residents dwindled, due to death and displacement. On May 20, 2022, after a battle of three months, the city fell, and Russia claimed control. 

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…

A reunion panel featuring Ariel Dulitzky LL.M. '99, Aminta Ossom '09, Paras Shah '19, Hina Uddin, '24 on the evolution of human rights practice and clinical teaching. Moderated by Susan Farbstein '04.

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 come from outside of Haiti’s borders – has now finally also lost the support of the United States, making his resignation all but certain.