Between Monday and Thursday of last week, students enrolled in the International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic traveled to Washington D.C., to observe the 153rd Period of Sessions of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights.

Five clinic students Karsten Busby (JD ’16), Farbod Faraji (JD ’15), Sarracina Littlebird (JD ’16), Ruhan Nagra (JD ’16) and Naomi Tom (JD ’16) attended, along with Professor James Cavallaro, the clinic’s director and clinical supervising attorney Stephan Sonnenberg. Professor Cavallaro also serves as a Commissioner and country rapporteur for Barbados, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as thematic Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty.  While in Washington D.C., students also met in private settings for frank discussions with numerous civil society actors familiar with the workings of the Inter American system, including petitioners’ counsel who brought cases before the Commission during this session; government representatives; Commission staff and other Commissioners, past and present.   ◊