February 19, 2015. A reflection by Nicole Einbinder, a student participant in the International Studies “Task Force” supporting the Salvadoran human rights organization Asociación Pro-Busqueda: “This whole quarter, I have focused on researching the La Quesera massacre. I dug through human rights documents and radio and newspaper clippings, tracked down important dates, and learned in general

(An excerpt from our 2013-2014 Annual Report) By Angelina Godoy As Baltasar Garzón argues in the essay that opens this Annual Report, the need for justice in El Salvador remains urgent, despite the decades that have passed since the conclusion of the civil war. The urgency and importance of this work was brought home to us

(An excerpt from our 2013-2014 Annual Report) Editorial by Baltasar Garzón Just a few weeks before the newly-elected Salvadoran president, the FMLN’s Salvador Sánchez Cerén, takes office—and following a tumultuous electoral process in which the opposition party, ARENA, went so far as to demand the nullification of the electoral results when the Supreme Electoral Tribunal refused its

UW Center for Human Rights 5th Anniversary Celebration On May 5, UW CHR marked its 5th anniversary by hosting esteemed jurist Thomas Buergenthal for a lecture, followed by a reception to celebrate the accomplishments and excitement that have characterized the Center’s first five years. Professor Buergenthal gave an inspirational speech about his steps to becoming

International Human Rights Day: UW CHR Receives a Seattle Human Rights Award On December 10, 2013, the UW Center for Human Rights was honored by the City of Seattle with its annual Human Rights Award. Each year, the Seattle Commission for Human Rights and the Seattle Office for Civil Rights celebrate the anniversary of the

The Untold Costs of Secure Communities Editorial by Katherine Beckett and Heather Evans In recent years, the federal government has dramatically increased its efforts to apprehend noncitizens through programs such as Secure Communities. These programs are touted by the Im-migration and Customs En-forcement (ICE) agency as an efficient means of ensuring that noncitizens who have

Human Rights in Action: Introducing the 2013 UW CHR Student Fellows Every year, the UW CHR provides financial support for hands-on human rights initiatives by UW students, thanks to the generosity of our donors to two endowed funds, the Abe Osheroff and Gunnel Clark Endowed Human Rights Fund for Students, and the Jennifer Caldwell Endowed

Annual Symposium & Reception Celebrating Human Rights Work On May 5th the Center for Human Rights held its fourth annual human rights symposium at Town Hall Seattle. The opening event was a reception to honor the important human rights work spearheaded by our students, followed by a panel discussion about U.S. accountability for torture committed

U.S. Courts Reject Accountability for Torture Editorial by CHR Faculty Associate Jamie Mayerfeld Two days after his inauguration, President Obama publicly broke with the torture policies of his predecessor. In a series of executive orders, he prohibited the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” (the Bush administration’s euphemism for torture), rescinded the Bush administration’s legal opinions

2012 Award Recipients Kate Fenimore and Marina Fitzpatrick worked with a Cambodian organization called Women’s Development Association (WDA) . They helped the WDA find and train ‘peer-educators’ who will work to disseminate health information (related to maternal health, water sanitation, and in particular the value of using local clinics) into entirely underserved rural populations. Ursula