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“You may be an expert on law, but they are an expert on their reality” In the Fall of 2021, Joan Josiah (J.D. ‘23) began her second year at Harvard law School as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread around the world. During her first year, Josiah had read court opinions and learned about legal theory. She was eager to…

Tobi Olasunkanmi, LLM '23 discusses his experience in the International Human Rights Clinic and his work on the Climate Change and Sexual Orientation (SOGI) project.

The Alien Tort Statute (ATS) had a good summer. Two critical rulings—one from the Ninth Circuit, the other from the Eastern District of Virginia—plus a settlement in a third case signal that, despite years of chatter about its demise, the statute is far from dead.     Nearly twenty years ago, in Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain (2004), the Supreme Court recognized that the…

The International Human Rights Clinic is thrilled to announce that Haroon Mokhtarzada, JD ’05, has endowed a fund to support our work. His generous gift establishes The Courage Fund “in recognition of the courageous leadership of the Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic in advancing justice around the world, even when such work is unpopular or challenges the status…

Rebecca Gore, LLM '23 discusses her experience in the International Human Rights Clinic and her work with Susan Farbstein on the Disappearances in Mexico project.

Bonnie Docherty, scholar on humanitarian disarmament, says the weapons endanger civilians now and in the future Editors note: this article was originally published in Harvard Law Today. In July, President Joe Biden’s administration announced that it would soon begin sending cluster munitions to Ukraine to support the country’s fight against Russia’s invasion. The weapons, which have been used extensively by Russia…

To be successful, human rights work requires a mix of vision and tenacity – the ability to see a problem clearly and then develop creative solutions. The Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic recently spoke with three alumni from the classes of 2018, 2016, and 2014, who are charting their own paths and creating change through innovative thinking, from Cambodia and Geneva to Texas and South Africa.

President Joe Biden’s recent decision to transfer U.S. cluster munitions to Ukraine will exacerbate a humanitarian crisis and break with a widely followed international norm. The move encourages the proliferation of weapons that have been banned by over 120 countries because they endanger civilians both during strikes and for months, years, and even decades afterward. Having witnessed the gruesome impact of cluster munitions first-hand, I find the U.S. rationale for transferring them weak on multiple fronts.

On the second anniversary of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, the Global Justice Clinic and the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School submitted a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Assistant Secretary Brian Nichols calling on the U.S. government to cease to support the de facto Ariel Henry administration. Progress on human rights and…

When she was in the seventh grade, Samantha Gogol Lint, J.D. ’20, took a class that changed her life. An elective in constitutional law set Lint on the path to becoming an attorney. Now, three years after her graduation from Harvard Law School, Lint is a part of a team building, and winning, some of the most creative and complicated…