Summer University 2014, Central European University (CEU), Budapest
Strategic Human Rights Litigation
21 - 25 July 2014
Deadline for application: 14 February 2014

The Central European University's Summer University (CEU SUN) is a programme in English for graduate students, junior or post-doctoral researchers and professionals. It offers high-level, research-oriented, interdisciplinary academic coursis as well as workshops on policy issues for professional development, taught by internationally renowed scholars and policy experts.

CEU SUN 2014 on 'Strategic Human Rights Litigation' is organized in cooperation with the Justice Initiative Program at the Open Society Foundations.
Human rights litigation is one of the methods by which civil society organizations can bring about social change. This course for human rights professionals will develop the skills and knowledge needed to successfully bring cases to the regional human rights systems and the UN Treaty bodies, and to use those cases to achieve practical change. Participants will be invited to provide information on concrete cases that they are involved in which will be discussed during the course.

The course encourages participants to approach human rights litigation strategically, viewing litigating a human rights case as one step in the process of achieving social change. It includes modules that examine the steps involved in strategic litigation, such as case selection, client care, and forum choice. It also uses case studies to explore how to build a strong evidential record in support of the case, how to develop campaigning and advocacy to raise awareness of the issues involved, and how to implement a successful judgment.

A faculty of human rights practitioners from the Open Society Justice Initiative and academics from Central European University will be joined by visiting experts, creating a wide body of expertise. Workshops will focus on key skills such as advocacy in support of ligation, legal drafting, communications and media, and dealing with the ethical problems that arise in human rights cases. Modules in specific subject areas will allow participants to examine key issues in their field, including discrimination, freedom of information and expression, violations in the context of migration, rights upon arrest, and torture and ill-treatment in detention.

Detailed information on the course can be consulted on the CEU SUN 2014 website.