Projects

CCHR Publishes Digest of Latin American Jurisprudence on International Crimes

Over the past few decades, many Latin American countries have attempted to come to terms with the periods of mass human rights violations in their pasts. Several countries have instituted well-known truth commissions to document this dark period of their history. Less well known, however, are the judicial decisions produced by the legal tribunals of these countries that have been instrumental in promoting and protecting human rights. Despite the negative role judiciaries often played during the conflicts, a new generation of brave judges have drafted innovative decisions, invoking international law, in order to protect and strengthen victims and their families. > Read More

CCHR Begins Study of Domestic Jurisprudence on International Crimes

The Center for Civil and Human Rights (CCHR) of Notre Dame Law School has received a grant to study Latin American jurisprudence on international crimes. The study will compile and analyze the various ways in which domestic legal systems in Latin America have incorporated, developed and modified international criminal law concepts.

Ximena Medellín-Urquiaga, a CCHR Post-Doctoral Research Associate, will serve as the principal investigator for the project. “International law is, perhaps, most effective when it becomes a part of the domestic legal framework,” says Medellín-Urquiaga. “This important project will study the process by which this incorporation has taken place in a region often characterized by its weak judicial systems.”

The study, part of a larger project of the Due Process of Law Foundation, is funded by the United States Institute for Peace.

Independent International Panel

The Center for Civil & Human Rights has formed an independent international panel to conduct a human rights impact assessment of gold mining operations at the Goldcorp Inc. Marlin Mine in San Marcos, Guatemala. > Read More