2020 in pictures
A look back at the year at HLS.
Pursuing U.S. accountability for child slavery abroad
In October, the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of legal historians in the consolidated cases against two U.S.-based chocolate companies alleged to have aided and abetted child slavery in West Africa.
Combatting hate speech in Myanmar
A month ahead of elections in Myanmar, the International Human Rights Clinic and 18 organizations released a major report documenting and analyzing the role that hate speech, rampant misinformation campaigns, and ultranationalism have played in the resurgence of oppression and human rights violations in the country.
Human Rights Clinic team submits amicus brief in Chiquita Brands lawsuit
After months of delays, the International Human Rights Clinic filed an amicus brief in June in Doe. et al. v. Chiquita Brands International, a suit that seeks accountability for Chiquita’s actions during the Colombian armed conflict from 1997 to 2004.
U.S. appeals court rules against former Bolivian president and defense minister over 2003 massacre
On August 3, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit vacated a trial court judgment that had been entered in favor of Bolivia’s former president, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, and former defense minister, José Carlos Sánchez Berzaín, for the massacre of unarmed Indigenous people in 2003.
Advocating for human rights in Myanmar during COVID-19
In a Q&A, Yee Htun, clinical instructor in the International Human Rights Clinic, talks about systemic discrimination and violence against ethnic Rohingya in Myanmar and how Rohingya refugees are coping in the midst of a global pandemic.
Sabrina Singh ’20 draws attention to the looming COVID-19 crisis in Nepal
Born and raised in Nepal, Sabrina Singh ’20 has been speaking out about how the COVID-19 pandemic could exacerbate conditions in her home country.
A day in the life of Harvard Law School’s legal clinics
Through 44 legal clinics and student practice organizations, HLS students provide thousands of hours of free legal services to clients around the world each year. For one day last fall, we followed just a handful of these clinics to see their work—and their efforts to advance justice—in action. Here is a look at that day.
Human rights seminar tackles barriers to women’s leadership
This fall, Harvard Law School Clinical Professor Susan Farbstein ’04 is teaching “Human Rights Careers: Strategic Leadership Workshop,” a seminar focused on advocacy and leadership for students interested in careers in human rights or social justice.
JET-Powered Learning
Through a sweeping array of new, hands-on courses, Harvard Law School’s January Experiential Term, or JET, gives 1L students a chance, early in their time on campus, to learn by doing, to work in teams, and to explore—or discover—what inspires their passion in the law.