Bernstein Symposium April 3-4—“Justice Delayed? The Impact of Time on the Trials of Gross Atrocities”

The annual Robert L. Bernstein International Human Rights Fellowship Symposium will be held Thursday, April 3, through Friday, April 4, at Yale Law School. The symposium is titled “Justice Delayed?  The Impact of Time on the Trials of Gross Atrocities.” It is free and open to the public. 

The symposium will bring together advocates, journalists, and scholars to explore questions of time and justice with regard to those accused of mass atrocities.  It will look to Argentina as a case study and examine whether the passage of time imposes limits on the ability to do justice, or opens up possibilities for achieving justice. Participants will bring their insights to bear on the overarching question:  Is there a “right time” for justice?

The program begins Thursday evening with a lecture by Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. It continues Friday morning as the two current Bernstein Fellows discuss their work.  Nick Robinson ’06 is working in India with the Human Rights Law Network to develop resources and implement a strategy for addressing the right to water. Katherine Southwick ’05 is investigating statelessness in several countries around the world and working to find legal remedies. Panel discussions Friday afternoon will focus on “Delayed Justice for the Crime of Argentina’s Dirty War” and “Justice for Mass Atrocities and the Problem of Time.”

The symposium concludes at 5:30 p.m. Friday with a reception and introduction of the 2008-2009 Bernstein Fellows—Kristina Scurry Baehr ’08, who will work with The Carter Center; Alisha Bjerregaard ’08, who will work with Global Rights: Partners for Justice; and Matiangai Sirleaf ’08, who will work with the International Center for Transitional Justice.

The symposium is sponsored by the Orville H. Schell, Jr. Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School. For more information, contact Barbara Mianzo at 203-432-7480.  Click here for a complete description of the program and a list of participating panelists.

The Robert L. Bernstein Fellowships in International Human Rights were established in 1997 to honor Robert Bernstein, the founding chair of Human Rights Watch and former chair, president and CEO of Random House. The fellowships enable two Yale Law School graduates to devote a year to full-time human rights work.