FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019

9:30 – 12:30

Washington College of Law

Room N102, 1st  Floor, Warren Building 4300 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016

In July 2019, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report urging the Government of Venezuela to take immediate, concrete measures to halt and remedy the grave violations of economic, social, civil, political and cultural rights documented in the country. The report states that during the last decade, particularly after 2016, the Government and its institutions have implemented a strategy “aimed at neutralizing, repressing and criminalizing political opponents and people critical of the Government.” An example of this strategy is evident in the case of Fernando Albán. Mr. Albán was a Councilman of the dissident opposition party, Primero Justicia, who was arrested, tortured, and died in custody under suspicious circumstances 72-hours after his arrest. It is widely believed that his arbitrary detention and execution upon arrival in Caracas was the direct result of his participation in advocacy meetings that were critical of the government and its respect for human rights, which took place in New York in the framework of the General Assembly.

9:30 am          REGISTRATION & WELCOME BY THE INTERNATIONAL LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

10:00 am          THE CASE OF FERNANDO ALBAN AND THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE

• The policy of persecution in Venezuela – Beatriz Borges, Executive Director of The Justice and Peace Center (CEPAZ)
• Presentation of the Fernando Albán case – María Daniela Rivero, Lawyer at Alvarez Martinez Law
• Testimony of the wife of Fernando Albán – Meudy Osio de Albán
• Technical opinion of the forensic evidence – Joel Vallenilla, former Forensic Pathologist, legal medicine unit at the Bureau for Scientific, Criminal & Forensic Investigations in Venezuela (CICPC)

11:00 am          BREAK

11:15 am          THE INTERNATIONAL LAW HUMAN RIGHTS APPROACH

• The search for justice in cases of massive & systematic violations of human rights – Claudio Grossman, Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus, Washington College of Law
• The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Venezuela – Paulo Abrao, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
• The litigation strategy of the Fernando Albán case before international human rights bodies – Ignacio Álvarez, Partner at Alvarez Martinez Law

12:30 pm          CONCLUDING REMARKS

• Claudio Grossman, Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus, Washington College of Law

To register, please visit the website http://www.wcl.american.edu/secle/registration. For further information, please contact: Office of Special Events & Continuing Legal Education. Phone 202.274.4075 E-mail: secle@wcl.american.edu