Special Colloquium presented by the IWS and the Cornell Law School
You can register online for the event by clicking the title.
The Role of the Courts in Protecting and Preserving Human Rights
with Judge Charles Michael Dennis Byron
In 1948 the UN adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which promotes "universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms." Rights and freedoms range from individual liberty and security to the right to work and education.
When these rights and freedoms are not recognized or honored, Article 8 of the declaration offers a remedy: "Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law."
The president of the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda, Judge Charles Dennis Michael Byron, maintains that the tribunal's mandate "has been to contribute to the process of national reconciliation and to the restoration and maintenance of peace in Rwanda and the Great Lakes region and to insure that violations of international humanitarian law are effectively redressed."
On October 6, at an event jointly sponsored by Cornell's Institute for Workplace Studies and Law School, Sir Dennis Byron will address his experiences with the tribunal and elaborate on role of courts, both national and international, in protecting and preserving human rights.
Charles Michael Dennis Byron (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
Born on 4 July 1943, Judge Charles Michael Dennis Byron was Chief of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. He was also Chairman of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, President of Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute Bencher, Chairman of Commonwealth Judicial Distance Learning Committee (1999).
Judge Byron was in private practice throughout the Leeward Islands with chambers in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis and Anguilla (1966-1982). He took part in several law conferences such as the conference of United States Government Roundtable II for Judicial Reform in Latin America and the Caribbean, Washington, D.C. (1996).
Judge Byron studied law at Cambridge University (1962-1966) and received an MA, L.L.B. [Cantab.]. He received the award of Knight Bachelor by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2002).