Rosalind Sipos
Second Year
The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (London)
The British Institute of International and Comparative Law is based in London and works to promote the international rule of law and protection of human rights. It pursues these goals by undertaking a wide variety of projects including advising governments on law and governance reform and on compliance with international law, conducting training for judges and lawyers from different countries on various issues, coordinating projects to foster discussion and awareness of human rights issues in various countries and conducting research for publication.
During the course of the internship I worked on a number of projects for the Institute which primarily involved researching and drafting reports to advise governments on law reform dealing with various human rights issues. However, in addition, working at the Institute allowed me to acquaint myself with some of the other ongoing projects which I was not directly involved with, such as talks on the Death Penalty in Commonwealth Africa project which brings together lawyers and judges from six Commonwealth African countries to create a network of practitioners working to eradicate the death penalty in those countries.
The first major project on which I worked was commissioned by the UK Home Office to look at the counter terrorism laws of eight different countries and to advise them on how to amend the United Kingdom’s laws on counter terrorism to be more observant of their international human rights obligations. This request came in response to the Privy Council’s expression of concern over the section of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 which allows for indefinite detention and its recommendation that this part be removed. To address this concern, the UK Home Office asked the Institute to advise them of how other countries are dealing with these issues. We found numerous different techniques in use, although many of them were no more respectful of international human rights. It has been rewarding to hear reports on the news since we submitted our report, which indicate that the Government is seriously considering a number of our recommendations.
Additionally, there were a number of other major projects in which I was involved. These included a project commissioned by the European Union to advise the Armenian government on various aspects of governmental reform including assignments on access to justice, orphanages policy and civil service codes of ethics and a project looking at the respect and implementation of the law of occupation which governed the humanitarian and administration standards to be met by the international community in Iraq. The Institute also prepared a number of project proposals and tenders while I was there, some of which we have subsequently received, including a major project on human rights and democratization in Iran, to be conducted in coordination with the leading human rights organization in Iran, a freedom of information project in Latin America and a project on the role of the international community in post-conflict situations.
Working at the Institute was always interesting and engaging. It is rewarding to know that the reports that I helped write are being used by governments to reform their laws, hopefully in a positive direction. Furthermore, by simply being at the Institute, I have met an incredible array of people working on similar issues from different approaches. Meeting in the course of the week one of the top judges from the House of Lords, someone who has worked with the OSCE in Kosovo, a retired British Colonel who worked on international legal issues on the ground in Iraq last winter, practicing international human rights lawyers and leading human rights academics gave me great insight into the options available for someone wishing to work in this field. This internship proved to be an ideal placement for the summer, allowing me to learn a great deal about substantive legal issues as well as about the field as a career choice more generally. I have been able to explore and develop my own interests while at the same time feeling that my efforts are making a contribution to the progress of legal reform.