ICCPR

Georgia Law hosts fourth annual International Law Hackathon, led by Professor Natalia Pires De Vasconcelos

Last month, the University of Georgia School of Law hosted its fourth annual International Law Hackathon, led by Professor Natalia Pires De Vasconcelos.

The International Law Hackathon is one-credit mini-course on a selected topic in international law that concludes with an intensive, day-long collaborative exercise. The theme of this year’s hackathon was the international human rights of incarcerated people, with particular emphasis on their right to health and the prohibition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment under international law.

Working in five interdisciplinary teams of four, students spent the morning developing creative and persuasive solutions to a complex scenario involving the death of an incarcerated woman following delays in emergency medical care in a U.S. prison. Teams were tasked with designing legal and advocacy strategies to seek accountability, obtain reparations, and promote broader structural reforms, drawing on both international human rights treaties and norms (such as the Mandela Rules, the Bangkok Rules, and the ICCPR) as well as U.S. Eighth Amendment doctrine.

In the afternoon, teams presented their proposals to a distinguished panel of four judges with expertise spanning international law, prison studies, criminal law, and legal theory:

Judges evaluated presentations based on the teams’ ability to mobilize legal frameworks, engage human rights principles, and propose innovative and transformative solutions that make international human rights language relevant to incarcerated people’s rights cases in the United States. The presentations were of exceptionally high quality, and the judges noted the depth, creativity, and rigor across all teams. In fact, selecting first and second place proved challenging: when asked individually, each judge identified different top teams, and all five teams were recognized as top choices by at least one judge.

After thoughtful deliberation, the judges selected the top two teams:

First Place – Team Lions and Tigers

Second Place – Team Pegasus

The hackathon showcased students’ ability to think across disciplines, engage critically with legal tools, and address urgent questions surrounding health, accountability, and the rights of incarcerated populations. The creativity and rigor demonstrated by all participants made this year’s event a great success.

UGA Professor Jonathan Peters Participates in Expert Workshop on the ICCPR at Cambridge

JP headshot (1).jpgJonathan Peters, a media law professor with appointments in the School of Law and the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, was among 34 scholars, policy leaders, and United Nations officials who participated in an expert workshop last week at the University of Cambridge on the right to peaceful assembly.

2019-12-04_11-36-49_243The workshop’s purpose was to support the U.N. Human Rights Committee by informing its drafting of General Comment No. 37 on Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 21 guarantees the right of peaceful assembly, and the General Comment will provide an authoritative interpretation of that right as well as substantive guidance to ensure its practical enjoyment.

One significant open question is whether General Comment No. 37 will recognize the Internet as a space where assemblies occur—on social media platforms and through other information and communication technologies. Participants exchanged ideas about whether and how Article 21 could be interpreted to protect virtual assemblies.

Peters, whose research explores digital media and the law, discussed the state action doctrine in U.S. law and how it distinguishes public and private action, along with the history and evolution of the public forum doctrine and its application to physical and virtual spaces.

Other workshop participants came from the U.N. Human Rights Committee, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Amnesty International, Article 19, and numerous universities.