Torture Victim Protection Act Litigation

October 26, 2020 • 12:30 PM • Virtual

Carolina Solano, Researcher, Colombian Truth Commission, and former International Litigation Coordinator at the Colombian Commission of Jurists, and Claret Vargas, Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), will discuss litigating civil human rights cases in U.S. federal courts, primarily under the Torture Victim Protection Act, against U.S.-based perpetrators for atrocity crimes perpetrated abroad. Using the example of litigation on behalf of Colombian clients, extradited human rights perpetrators currently in U.S. custody, and post-litigation advocacy on behalf of Chilean clients, this talk will discuss the opportunities and shortcomings of using U.S. courts to advance accountability efforts for grave human rights violations committed abroad. Moderated by Aya Fujirmura-Fanselow, Clinical Professor of Law (Teaching), and Supervising Attorney, International Human Rights Clinic. Part of the Human Rights in Practice series organized by the Center for International & Comparative Law and the International Human Rights Clinic. Co-sponsors: Duke Human Rights Center at FHI; Duke Human Rights Center at KIE; Human Rights Law Society; International Law Society; and, Latin American Law Students Association. Open to all; join the event at https://bit.ly/HumanRightsInPractice; info on alternative virtual access available closer to the date at https://bit.ly/301eqph. For information, contact Balfour Smith at bsmith@law.duke.edu.