News & Events

Special Event
Co-sponsored by the Institute for Workplace Studies and the Cornell Law School

The Role of the Courts in Protecting and Preserving Human Rights with Judge Charles Michael Dennis Byron

Time & Location: The Cornell Club, 6 East 44th Street (between Madison and Fifth) in Manhattan from 6:30pm to 9:00pm

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.