Advocates organizes high-quality events that address pressing international human rights challenges around the world. We collaborate with other student organizations and external partners to bring human rights lawyers, civil society leaders, and academics to campus for presentations, panel discussions, coffee chats, film screenings and more. Geographically, thematically, and structurally diverse, Advocates’ events aim to showcase a broad range of perspectives on human rights. Below is a sampling of some recent events.
Firewall
HLS Advocates for Human Rights and the Program on Law and Society in the Muslim World co-hosted a lunchtime screening of Firewall, a short film by Iranian‑Texan filmmaker Bita Ghassemi. The film follows Ani, an Iranian American girl in rural Texas, whose longing for her father—separated from her by Iran’s internet firewall—unfolds through a reimagining of the ancient Persian legend of Zahhak the Serpent King, drawing parallels between myth and contemporary Iranian realities. The screening was followed by a live Q&A with Ghassemi, moderated by HLS S.J.D. candidate Arnaaz Ameer.
One Year Post Exodus
HLS Advocates hosted a panel discussion about the humanitarian crisis that resulted from the 2023 mass exodus of Armenians from the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and international legal implications. Moderated by Advocates, the panel included Arman Tatoyan, former Human Rights Defender of Armenia and Director of the Tatoyan Center for Law and Justice; Thomas Becker (HLS ’08), human rights professor and practitioner and Legal and Policy Director and Senior Clinical Supervisor at the University Network for Human Rights; and Anoush Baghdarssarian (HLS ’22), co-founder of Rerooted.
Filling the Justice Gap
HLS Advocates for Human Rights hosted this panel featuring Professors Alex Whiting and Ioannis Kalpouzos, in conversation with moderator Nariman Salem Hame (LL.M. ’26). The discussion centered on how universal jurisdiction, corporate accountability cases, and international tribunals are being used to address ISIS’s 2014 atrocities against the Yazidis in Iraq and Syria. The event examined the promises and limits of this dispersed “patchwork” of proceedings for securing justice, accountability, and reparations for Yazidi communities.
Starvation as a Weapon of War
HLS Advocates for Human Rights hosted a discussion with Niku Jafarnia (HLS/HKS Class of 2020) on the use of starvation as a weapon of war in the ongoing armed conflict in Yemen. In her role as the Yemen/Bahrain Researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), Niku has conducted extensive research as to how multiple belligerents in Yemen – including the Yemeni government and the Houthi armed group – have intentionally deprived civilians of access to water and food, exacerbating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. During the event, she shared her experience documenting violations of international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and war crimes related to food and water deprivation, both in Yemen and more broadly. She also provided detailed analysis of her methodology, including her strategies for effective fact-finding in areas affected by armed conflict.
Global Advocacy Award Gala
The Global Advocacy Award Gala celebrates the annual recipient of Advocates’ Global Advocacy Award and the international human rights community at Harvard Law School.