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George Shirinian, Executive Director
Zoryan Institute
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON
Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Shannon Scully
DATE: April 15, 2015 TEL: 416-250-9807
`State Oppression, Violence against Minorities, and the Possibilities for
Remedial Secession and Independence' International Conference Held at George
Washington University
Washington, DC - George Washington University Law School and the International
Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan
Institute) collaborated in organizing an international conference entitled,
`State Oppression, Violence against Minorities, and the Possibilities for
Remedial Secession and Independence' on April 7 and 8, 2015.
Roger W. Smith, Chair of the Institute, in his submitted opening remarks
said:
Today, we read headlines from all over the world regarding struggles for
self-determination, gross human rights violations and the ensuing violence.
We ask ourselves why such violence takes place with such intensity and
impunity. In some cases, we see this violence has reached such catastrophic
magnitudes that it threatens world peace and order. The sometimes
irreconcilability of the principles of self-determination and territorial
integrity have led to a complex web of challenges for the international
community in places such as Kosovo, Bosnia, Transnistria, autonomous regions
of the former Soviet Union, etc.
Headlines, such as "The current crisis in Ukraine threatens global security
and at worst has the potential for nuclear catastrophe" point to the dangers
related to the denial of human rights, the demands for self-determination
and the assertion for territorial integrity.
Held over two days in Washington DC, speakers included nearly 20 renowned
scholars, international lawyers and human rights activists. Susan L.
Karamanian, GW Law's Associate Dean for International and Comparative Legal
Studies and Burnett Family Professorial Lecturer in International and
Comparative Law and Policy, was instrumental in bringing together
specialists for an in-depth discussion and analysis.
Professor Karamanian remarked:
The conference examined the tension between the concept of remedial
secession and well-established international legal principles, such as
sovereignty and territorial integrity. One theme that seemed to permeate
most of the sessions is that engagement with international institutions and
key political actors can be instrumental to the protection of the rights of
minorities, although such engagement may not be mandated by international
law.
The keynote Susan N. and Augustus DiZeriga Lecture was delivered by
Professor Dapo Akande of the University of Oxford, who addressed the
question whether the use of force is allowed by international law in support
of self-determination movements.
The first panel examined the contradiction between the principles of
self-determination and territorial integrity. Two others presented case
studies on Somaliland, Kosovo, South Sudan, Ukraine, East Timor,
Biafra-Katanga and the Caucasus. The final panel revisited the contradiction
between the principles of self-determination and territorial integrity,
drawing lessons for the future.
The movements included in the case studies were categorized as successful,
failed or contested. The focus was not on cases where there is a mutually
recognized constitutional mechanism to resolve the dispute, such as
Catalonia, Quebec or Scotland. Rather, the participants focused on cases
within states where democratic institutions are insufficient to protect
basic human rights, where the government uses violence to suppress demands
for those rights, and where the entities opting for self-determination have
already achieved a level of self-governance that legitimizes expectations of
legal remedies.
Despite the evolution of the concept of self-determination from the time of
Woodrow Wilson to the post-colonial period, and after the collapse of the
USSR, when a new group of independent states were recognized, and
self-determination movements emerged, the international community was not
equipped to provide remedies, thus allowing massive human rights violations.
Given the complexities of the issues, laws and precedents, there was no
consensus among the participants as to whether sovereignty or
self-determination holds primacy. Yet, there was general understanding of
the need to engage in discussions - by policy makers, scholars and activists
- which, while benefitting from some three dozen successful
self-determination cases, can lead to the creation of a legal framework that
establishes a new paradigm compatible with post-Cold War political
realities, and offers legal remedy to the rights and aspirations of millions
of people.
KM. Greg Sarkissian, President of the Zoryan Institute said, `This complex
issue holds clear implications for the conflict over Karabagh, and others in
the Caucasus, and it is important to continue to present and explore those
realities in international legal and scholarly circles. These topics should
also be explored by parties in the conflict as a way to avoid further human
rights abuses.'
It is planned to publish the conference proceedings.
The Zoryan Institute and its subsidiary, the International Institute for
Genocide and Human Rights Studies, is the first non-profit, international
center devoted to the research and documentation of contemporary issues with
a focus on Genocide, Diaspora and Armenia.
For information contact the International Institute for Genocide and Human
Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute) at
[email protected] or by telephone 416-250-9807.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Zoryan Institute
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON
Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Shannon Scully
DATE: April 15, 2015 TEL: 416-250-9807
`State Oppression, Violence against Minorities, and the Possibilities for
Remedial Secession and Independence' International Conference Held at George
Washington University
Washington, DC - George Washington University Law School and the International
Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan
Institute) collaborated in organizing an international conference entitled,
`State Oppression, Violence against Minorities, and the Possibilities for
Remedial Secession and Independence' on April 7 and 8, 2015.
Roger W. Smith, Chair of the Institute, in his submitted opening remarks
said:
Today, we read headlines from all over the world regarding struggles for
self-determination, gross human rights violations and the ensuing violence.
We ask ourselves why such violence takes place with such intensity and
impunity. In some cases, we see this violence has reached such catastrophic
magnitudes that it threatens world peace and order. The sometimes
irreconcilability of the principles of self-determination and territorial
integrity have led to a complex web of challenges for the international
community in places such as Kosovo, Bosnia, Transnistria, autonomous regions
of the former Soviet Union, etc.
Headlines, such as "The current crisis in Ukraine threatens global security
and at worst has the potential for nuclear catastrophe" point to the dangers
related to the denial of human rights, the demands for self-determination
and the assertion for territorial integrity.
Held over two days in Washington DC, speakers included nearly 20 renowned
scholars, international lawyers and human rights activists. Susan L.
Karamanian, GW Law's Associate Dean for International and Comparative Legal
Studies and Burnett Family Professorial Lecturer in International and
Comparative Law and Policy, was instrumental in bringing together
specialists for an in-depth discussion and analysis.
Professor Karamanian remarked:
The conference examined the tension between the concept of remedial
secession and well-established international legal principles, such as
sovereignty and territorial integrity. One theme that seemed to permeate
most of the sessions is that engagement with international institutions and
key political actors can be instrumental to the protection of the rights of
minorities, although such engagement may not be mandated by international
law.
The keynote Susan N. and Augustus DiZeriga Lecture was delivered by
Professor Dapo Akande of the University of Oxford, who addressed the
question whether the use of force is allowed by international law in support
of self-determination movements.
The first panel examined the contradiction between the principles of
self-determination and territorial integrity. Two others presented case
studies on Somaliland, Kosovo, South Sudan, Ukraine, East Timor,
Biafra-Katanga and the Caucasus. The final panel revisited the contradiction
between the principles of self-determination and territorial integrity,
drawing lessons for the future.
The movements included in the case studies were categorized as successful,
failed or contested. The focus was not on cases where there is a mutually
recognized constitutional mechanism to resolve the dispute, such as
Catalonia, Quebec or Scotland. Rather, the participants focused on cases
within states where democratic institutions are insufficient to protect
basic human rights, where the government uses violence to suppress demands
for those rights, and where the entities opting for self-determination have
already achieved a level of self-governance that legitimizes expectations of
legal remedies.
Despite the evolution of the concept of self-determination from the time of
Woodrow Wilson to the post-colonial period, and after the collapse of the
USSR, when a new group of independent states were recognized, and
self-determination movements emerged, the international community was not
equipped to provide remedies, thus allowing massive human rights violations.
Given the complexities of the issues, laws and precedents, there was no
consensus among the participants as to whether sovereignty or
self-determination holds primacy. Yet, there was general understanding of
the need to engage in discussions - by policy makers, scholars and activists
- which, while benefitting from some three dozen successful
self-determination cases, can lead to the creation of a legal framework that
establishes a new paradigm compatible with post-Cold War political
realities, and offers legal remedy to the rights and aspirations of millions
of people.
KM. Greg Sarkissian, President of the Zoryan Institute said, `This complex
issue holds clear implications for the conflict over Karabagh, and others in
the Caucasus, and it is important to continue to present and explore those
realities in international legal and scholarly circles. These topics should
also be explored by parties in the conflict as a way to avoid further human
rights abuses.'
It is planned to publish the conference proceedings.
The Zoryan Institute and its subsidiary, the International Institute for
Genocide and Human Rights Studies, is the first non-profit, international
center devoted to the research and documentation of contemporary issues with
a focus on Genocide, Diaspora and Armenia.
For information contact the International Institute for Genocide and Human
Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute) at
[email protected] or by telephone 416-250-9807.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress