News Archive
Professor George Edwards Meets International NGO Leaders
08/14/2008
Professor George Edwards, Founder and Director of the Program in International Human Rights Law, met and shared his insights and experiences on international human rights law promotion with leaders of non-governmental organizations from various countries Aug. 15, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Room 267 of the Law School.
One of the visitors, Mr. Leonides Quiroz, Coordinator, Negotiation Commission for the Wounaan Land, Wounaan Tribe Congress (Panama), has worked with the Program and Law students belonging to the International Human Rights Law Society in preparing and submitting the United Nations Shadow Report on Panama's indigenous people, which includes the Wounaan tribe. Last March, the Law students presented the UN Shadow Report to Human Rights Committee experts, who called the government's attention to the human rights concerns bedeviling Panama's indigenous people.
Quiroz, a Wounaan spokesman, earlier sent invitations to Panamanian government officials for them to attend the Wounaan regional congress, but the officials failed to attend the Wounaan congress.
J.D. candidate Megan Alvarez translated Quiroz’ invitations from their original Spanish into English and attached them to the UN Shadow Report as one of the pieces of evidence of the government's violation of the civil and political rights of members of the Wounaan tribe. Alvarez worked this summer as an International Human Rights Law Intern of the Comisión Justicia y Pazin, an NGO based in Panama, after personally meeting Alfredo Castillero Hoyos, who earlier served as an independent expert of the UN Human Rights Committee. Hoyos now leads the Red de Derechos Humanos de Panama - RDH-Panama, an NGO.
A copy of the UN Shadow Report on Panama is accessible at http://indylaw.indiana.edu/humanrights/shadowreports/Panama%20Indigenous%20People.pdf
Besides the UN Shadow Report on Panama, Professor Edwards served as the Director of other United Nations shadow reports on Chile, Zambia, and United States.
Since he started the Overseas Summer International Human Rights Law Internship Scholarship Program in 1997, Professor Edwards has helped facilitate more than 100 internship placements in over 50 countries for 81 J.D. and LL.M. candidates.
