Human rights litigation is one of the methods by which civil society organizations can bring about social change. This course for human rights professionals will develop the skills and knowledge needed to successfully bring cases to the regional human rights systems and the UN Treaty bodies, and to use those cases to achieve practical change. Participants will be invited to provide information on concrete cases that they are
involved in which will be discussed during the course.
A faculty of human rights practitioners from the Open Society Justice Initiative and academics from Central European University will be joined by visiting experts, creating a wide body of expertise. Workshops will focus on key skills such as advocacy in support of ligation, legal drafting, communications and media, and dealing with the ethical problems that arise in human rights cases. Modules in specific subject areas will allow participants to examine key issues in their field, including discrimination, freedom of information and expression, violations in the context of migration, rights upon arrest, and torture and ill-treatment in detention.
The course invites applications from human rights litigators and activists with 3 years' working experience, who are seeking to enforce the rights of the individual against the state. Some participants will have a legal background, and will be involved in bringing cases before the courts. Others may be professionals wishing to develop their skills in these new areas, but will bring experiences of other forms of human rights work. Undergraduates without a university degree will not be considered.
The language of instruction is English, thus all applicants have to demonstrate a strong command of spoken and written English to be able to participate actively in discussions at seminars and workshops. Some of the shortlisted applicants may be contacted for a telephone interview.
