AUWCL Professors Are Triumphant in Three High-Profile International Human Rights Litigations
Human rights professors at American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) continue reaping victories for victims of human rights abuses across the globe. Three recent cases illustrate the law school’s commitment to international human rights, one related to Egypt and two regarding Venezuela.
Professors Mendez, Saez, Drummond, and Holcomb represented a father and son before the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, who have been in detention in Egypt for years, under prosecutions that violate fundamental standards of due process. Earlier, an Egyptian court had acquitted the son and convicted the father, but the son was not released and the authorities announced new charges against him. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention agreed with the professors’ formulation of the claims, and ordered Egypt to release both father and son immediately. The case was Opinion No. 42/2019 concerning Essam El-Haddad and Gehad El- Haddad (Egypt), adopted on August 14, 2019.
In another case, Juan Requesens against Venezuela, Professor Juan Mendez, together with visiting Professor Carlos Ayala, was part of a team representing Requesens, a 29-year-old member of the Venezuelan National Assembly. The Venezuelan police arrested him on August 7, 2018 on the suspicion that he was involved in a drone attack against the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The circumstances of his arrest and detention were controversial, and many irregularities took place in the legal proceedings. Requesens was held in the El Helicoide prison, where he was tortured to pressure him to confess his alleged crimes. Venezuela’s National Assembly denounced his detention, as did also international diplomats, politicians and organizations, and large protests were held in Venezuela demanding his release. His relatives and fellow politicians have stated that he was arrested for criticizing Maduro. In Opinion No. 40/2019, the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances agreed with the AUWCL professors’ arguments and ordered Requesens’ release and economic compensation.
AUWCL human rights law professors are also involved and supporting the litigation of the case of Fernando Albán against Venezuela before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (IAHRC). In a public event on October 11, 2019, Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus Claudio Grossman discussed on a panel with Paulo Abrao, the Executive Secretary of the IAHRC, and Venezuelan attorney Ignacio Alvarez the international human rights approach to the detention and death of Fernando Albán. Other members of the legal team representing Mr. Albán also participated in the event. Mr. Albán was a Councilman of the 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 critical of the government during meetings held in New York on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly.