London Book Launch for 'State Responses to Crimes of Genocide: What Went Wrong and How to Change It'
Alton Book Cover
Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Initiative will host a book launch and discussion for Lord David Alton's and Ewelina Ochab's recent book, State Responses to Crimes of Genocide: What Went Wrong and How to Change It.
Please join us at 6:00 p.m. on the evening of Tuesday, March 14th at 116 Pall Mall for a Fireside Chat between Lord Alton and University of Notre Dame Law School Dean G. Marcus Cole.
The Fireside Chat will be followed by a panel conversation led by Ochab that includes three additional distinguished guests, the focus of which will be broadening the themes of the book from the perspective of each panelist:
- Homira May Rezai, Chairwoman of the Hazara Committee in the UK (HCUK) & board member of the World Hazara Council;
- Professor Javaid Rehman, Professor of Law at Brunel University London & the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran; and
- Rahima Mahmut, UK Director of the World Uyghur Congress & Executive Director of Stop Uyghur Genocide
The panel conversation will conclude at 7:30 p.m., after which we encourage all guests to enjoy a book signing and drinks reception with light food until 9:00 p.m. We will be displaying the artwork of British artist Hannah Thomas at the reception, featuring portraits of women affected by genocide. You can view some of her work here.
We hope you will be able to join us for this exciting event. Please reach out to our Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Initiative program manager Anna Bradley with any questions.
Speakers
Rahima Mahmut is a Uyghur human rights defender, translator, and singer. She interpreted for camp survivors during the Uyghur Tribunal, and has collaborated with mainstream media on breaking news stories relating to the Uyghur genocide. Mahmut has worked at the forefront of the UK’s movement for Uyghur human rights, spearheading campaigns at parliamentary and grassroots levels. She is currently UK Director of the World Uyghur Congress, Executive Director of Stop Uyghur Genocide, and Advisor to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
Professor Javaid Rehman is a professor of International Human Rights Law and Muslim Constitutionalism at Brunel University, London and is one of the leading authorities on the right to freedom of religion or belief and Muslim constitutionalism.
In 2010, during the visit of late Pope Benedict VXI’s (the first State visit of a Pope to Britain), Professor Rehman was invited to have an audience with the Pope and was awarded the Papal medal in recognition for his services for developing inter-faith dialogue and work on freedom of religion or belief. He has acted as a senior advisor to the UK All Parties Parliamentary Group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief (2013–2018) and the All-Parties Parliamentary Group on Pakistani Minorities (2020–). In July 2018, Professor Rehman was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Between 2019–2021, he acted as a member of the Coordination Committee of the Special Procedures United Nations Human Rights Office.
Homira May Rezai is a board member of the World Hazara Council and serves as the Chairwoman of Hazara Committee in the UK (HCUK), a non-profit organisation working for the protection of Hazaras around the world. Rezai is passionate about women’s and minorities' rights and has been a vocal advocate in the past years. Rezai was one of the organizers who co-led the #StopHazaraGenocide campaign, which increased the conversation on the persecution of Hazaras in Afghanistan, around the world.
She holds a Ph.D. in medical research and is the executive operations officer at MirZyme Therapeutics, an innovative pharmaceutical company developing diagnostics and therapeutics for pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia.