What is the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights?
The RWCHR is a unique international consortium of parliamentarians, scholars, jurists, human rights defenders, NGOs, and students united in the pursuit of justice and inspired by Raoul Wallenberg’s humanitarian legacy.
Why does Irwin Cotler use the term “Case and Cause?”
The Case is the legal aspect — the legal defence, the legal cause of action or due process. The Cause is the principle or movement, one is prepared to defend or advocate, because of a deep commitment.
In addition to those shown in the film, who else has Irwin Cotler represented?
As international human rights lawyer, Irwin Cotler has served as Counsel to Andrei Sakharov (former Soviet Union), Jacobo Timmerman (Latin America), Professor Saad Eddin Ibrahim (Egypt). He was Chair of the International Commission of Inquiry into the Fate and Whereabouts of Raoul Wallenberg, Member of the International Legal Team of Chinese Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo, and international legal counsel to imprisoned political prisoners Leopoldo López in Venezuela and Shi’ite Cleric Ayatollah Boroujerdi in Iran.
What was Irwin Cotler’s first case?
In 1977, while chairing the Canadian Professors for Peace in the Middle East and leading a Peace Mission to the Arab Countries, Palestinian Territories, and Israel, Irwin Cotler was approached by affiliates of Amnesty International Canada to take up the case of a Palestinian detainee, Tasir Al-Aruri. Cotler representations on behalf of Al-Aruri, foreshadowed his later involvement with the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group and other political prisoners like Egyptian Saad Eddin Ibrahim.
What are some of the “firsts” Irwin Cotler accomplished as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada?
- Irwin Cotler initiated a reform of the appointment process to help make the Supreme Court the most gender-representative in the world,
- appointed the first-ever aboriginal and visible minority justices to the Ontario Court of Appeal,
- initiated the first-ever law on human trafficking,
- crafted the first-ever legislation to grant marriage equality to gays and lesbians,
- issued the first National Justice Initiative Against Racism and Hate,
- and made the pursuit of international justice a government priority.
How did the Law Society of Upper Canada’s describe Irwin Cotler, when they honoured him with the Inaugural Human Rights Award?
In 2015, the Law Society recognized “The Honourable Irwin Cotler’s tireless efforts to ensure peace and justice for all. In his varied roles as law professor, constitutional and comparative law scholar, international human rights lawyer, counsel to prisoners of conscience, public intellectual, peace activist, Member of Parliament, and Minster of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Mr. Cotler has been a leader and role model. Through his advocacy work both in Canada and internationally, he has transformed the lives of many.”
Is Irwin Cotler also an athlete?
Irwin Cotler fulfilled a childhood dream when he participated in the 17th Maccabiah Games in Israel. He won the first match but lost in a swift defeat as Menachem Stein won the next three and went on to win the gold medal. Said Colter of his win, “I’m the only one who won a game against him — I think he was being charitable.”
When was Raif Badawi released from prison?
March 11, 2022. But his reunion with his family was delayed because Saudi Arabia would not rescind the travel ban that was part of his sentence.
What does Ensaf Haidar do?
Ensaf Haidar, with the help of their three children, Najwa, Doudi and Miriyam, and supporters worldwide, have been relentless advocates for Raif’s release.
Who championed Magnitsky legislation?
Bill Browder, a financier, and political activist, who championed Magnitsky legislation after the killing of his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
What countries have passed Magnitsky legislation?
Magnitsky legislation has been enacted in several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Estonia, Canada, Lithuania, Latvia, Gibraltar, Jersey, and Kosovo and is under consideration in Moldovo and Ukraine.
Does barrister Amal Clooney specialize in human rights cases?
Amal Clooney specialises in international law and human rights. Her cases include Nobel Prize laureates Maria Ressa and Nadia Murad, journalist Mohamed Fahmy, and a former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko. She and her husband George Clooney co-founder the Clooney Foundation for Justice.
Aren’t there more important issues in Iran than Shaparak Shajarizadeh fight to abolish compulsory hijab?
For Shaparak Shajarizadeh, protesting compulsory hijab is not just about wearing a veil on your head or some sort of dress code. It’s about violence against women and women’s rights. Iranian women always have a shadow of fear when they go out in public.
What was the outcome of Irwin Cotler’s strategy in the case of Natan Sharansky?
Irwin Cotler’s strategy helped one million Soviet Jews and other persecuted minorities win the right to leave the Soviet Union.
What other human rights cause has Natan Sharansky been involved with?
Natan Sharansky is one of the great human rights advocates of our time, who fought for the rights of all ethnicities, all religions, and all nationalities around the world. He spent nine years in the gulag, refusing to disavow his demands for human rights for all oppressed people of the Soviet Union and once released, fought tirelessly for the rights of new immigrants, religious minorities, and women. The recent winner of the Genesis Prize, he donated the entire $1 million prize to organizations combating the coronavirus.
Did Natan Sharansky become good at chess after playing 1000s of games in the punishing cell?
A decade after his release, Natan Sharansky defeated world champion Garry Kasparov in an exhibition game in Tel Aviv in 1996.
What does Masih Alinejad do?
Masih Alinejad is an Iranian journalist, author, and women’s rights activist, who was recently the target of a kidnapping plot by the Iranian government. Alinejad has been actively critical of Iranian laws making it illegal for women not to wear a hijab in public, calling it as the most visible the symbol of oppression.
What is Nelson Mandela International Day?
Nelson Mandela International Day is on July 18, Nelson Mandela’s birthday. it is a global movement to honour his life’s work and change the world for the better, inspired by his call to the next generation to take on the burden of leadership in addressing the world’s social injustices.
What is Romeo Dallaire’s involvement in Rwanda?
Romeo Dallaire was a Canadian army officer who headed the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Rwanda. Knowing Rwanda was going to implode, he tried relentlessly to get the attention of the UN, but the global community did not react. Emotionally spent, he suffered severe PTSD, and attempted to commit suicide. He now advocates for recognition of PTSD recognition in the military
Who heads the Human Rights Commission in the U.S.?
James McGovern is the democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and co-chair of the Tom Lantos Commission on Human Rights. He believes in fairness, decency, respect for all people giving back to our community and global human rights.
Who is the Human Rights Commission named for?
Tom Lantos was a Hungarian Jewish Holocaust survivor who survived with the help of Raoul Wallenberg. He served In the House of Representative and founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. He devoted his public life to stir the consciousness “to protect human rights and common decency.” (Bono). After his death, the, caucus was renamed the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
Is Esther Mujawayo a Survivor of the genocide in Rwandan?
Esther Mujawayo is a Survivor of the genocide, who lost many members of her family in the genocide. She founded the Association of Widows of the Rwandan Genocide and practices as a sociologist and psychotherapist.
How long was Dikgang Moseneke on Robben Island?
Dikgang Moseneke was on Robben Island for ten years from the age of fifteen, where he shared a cell with Nelson Mandela
How long has Judith Abitan been with the RWCHR?
Judith Abitan, the Executive Director of the RWCHR, has helped to build the centre from its founding in 2015. Her focus is strategic direction and growth; the implementation of a governance framework; and legal and financial oversight, as well as the advocacy of international justice issues and the defence of political prisoners.
Does Brandon Silver have a family connection with human rights issues?
Brandon Silver is a third-generation descendant of the Holocaust Survivors. “Many of my family died in the Holocaust and the world was indifferent and inactive in the face of these atrocities. A lot of that still goes on today. The universal message, I don’t think, has been understood nor the need to act in the face of these crimes. I felt, given, I didn’t want to be one of the people standing by and so, inspired by Professor Cotler’s actions, I decided to get involved in public interest work and human rights”.
Have Irene Lilienheim Angelico and Abbey Jack Neidik made other film dealing with human rights?
All of Angelico and Neidik’s films deal with some aspect of human rights including racism anti-Semitism, sexism, xenophobia, slavery, Holocaust and freedom of belief and opinion.
Who championed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
In the aftermath of World War II and the horror of the concentration camps, people realized that there was an urgent need to protect individuals from the abuses of governments. President Truman appointed Eleanor Roosevelt Chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights which drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She fought hard to make the declaration comprehensive and considered it her most important task while serving at the UN.
What are the articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights outlines thirty basic rights:
- Article 1 — Right to Equality
- Article 2 — Freedom from Discrimination
- Article 3 — Right to Life, Liberty, Personal Security
- Article 4 — Freedom from Slavery
- Article 5 — Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatment
- Article 6 — Right to Recognition as a Person before the Law
- Article 7 — Right to Equality before the Law
- Article 8 — Right to Remedy by Competent Tribunal
- Article 9 — Freedom from Arbitrary Arrest and Exile
- Article 10 — Right to Fair Public Hearing
- Article 11 — Right to be Considered Innocent until Proven Guilty
- Article 12 — Freedom from Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, and Correspondence
- Article 13 — Right to Free Movement in and out of the Country
- Article 14 — Right to Asylum in other Countries from Persecution
- Article 15 — Right to a Nationality and the Freedom to Change It
- Article 16 — Right to Marriage and Family
- Article 17 — Right to Own Property
- Article 18 — Freedom of Belief and Religion
- Article 19 — Freedom of Opinion and Information
- Article 20 — Right of Peaceful Assembly and Association
- Article 21 — Right to Participate in Government and in Free Elections
- Article 22 — Right to Social Security
- Article 23 — Right to Desirable Work and to Join Trade Unions
- Article 24 — Right to Rest and Leisure
- Article 25 — Right to Adequate Living Standard
- Article 26 — Right to Education
- Article 27 — Right to Participate in the Cultural Life of Community
- Article 28 — Right to a Social Order that Articulates this Document
- Article 29 — Community Duties Essential to Free and Full Development
- Article 30 — Freedom from State or Personal Interference in the above Rights
Who do the Universal Declaration of Human Rights belong to?
Everyone