Non-Credit Course: Research Training on Universal Jurisdiction for the Crime of Torture
The call for applications is now open - closing date Wednesday 29 January 2025 (noon UK time)
The Bonavero Institute seeks to enrich the human rights experience of Oxford students, and to assist them to develop careers in the broad field of human rights. Its “Gateways to Human Rights Research and Practice” initiative aims to deepen student engagement with the institute’s research projects and to provide insights into human rights practice. Several programmes form part of this initiative: Non-credit Courses on Human Rights Strategy, the Monroe Price Moot Court Competition, the Collaborative Legal Aid Clinics at HMP Huntercombe and at UK prisons holding foreign national women and our Summer Fellowship Programme.
The Research Project
In collaboration with the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) is developing an online repository for national penal legislation on the crime of torture. Students who participate in the programme will research how States have made the crime of torture punishable in its domestic courts wherever in the world an act of torture occurred. The analysis of the laws and any related caselaw will be undertaken based on the definitions of torture under international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law.
The research project will cover all 197 States (as recognised by the UN Secretary-General) as well as Kosovo and Western Sahara. Since 2017, Oxford students participating in Bonavero non-credit courses have made significant contributions to the online repositories of the law on police use of force (https://policinglaw.info), on the right of assembly worldwide (https://rightofassembly.info), and on counterterrorism law (https://counterterrorlaw.info).
Content of the project
This research training programme will provide students with training on the definition of torture under international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law.
The new repository on law on torture will analyse the repression of torture under the constitution, the penal code, or in dedicated legislation. The relevant laws will be made available for in both the original language and an English translation (if available).
The research should seek to identify any penal legislation on torture (or other forms of ill-treatment). In addition, the research will identify relevant caselaw on the laws.
Convenor: Professor Stuart Casey-Maslen, Visiting Professor, UJ (South Africa)
Coordination: Sarah Norman, Programmes Administrator, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights
Profile of participants
Research skills: Graduate and undergraduate law students at the University of Oxford; graduate students of other disciplines with a law degree or demonstrated experience in legal human rights research. While some legal background is preferred, it is not essential: an interest in the topic of torture is equally valuable.
Language skills: Any language skills are valuable, but especially those able to read in Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
The work of the students will be specifically acknowledged and publicly thanked (unless of course anonymity is preferred).
Time schedule
Any student wishing to assist with country research will be invited to attend a briefing in person at the Bonavero Institute by Prof. Casey-Maslen on Thursday 6 February 2025, from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
The students will then be asked to conduct preliminary research on jurisprudence relating to terrorism law in one or more States and to submit it by end of day on Monday 24 February 2025.
Prof. Casey-Maslen will subsequently organise one-on-one feedback meetings with each student on Thursday 27 February, from 3pm to 5pm.
A general review and discussion will take place on Monday 10 March 2025, from 9am - 11am.
Following the finalisation of the research, Prof. Casey-Maslen will prepare the research results for uploading onto the future website.
Application
Interested students should send an email attaching as 1 single pdf file their CV and a short covering letter indicating their interest (either generally or in a particular country or countries) to: bonavero-programmes@law.ox.ac.uk by Wednesday 29 January 2025 (noon UK time). They will be notified of their selection by 4 February 2025.
Note: Please do check that you are available on the dates noted in the time schedule prior to applying.