clinicians with not enough to do

Scholar Rescue in the Modern World: a new report

Patterns in Academic Persecution

April 14, 2009

The Scholar Rescue Fund drew applications from oppressed academics in 101 different countries in its first five years of operations, suggesting “at least a low level of scholar persecution in a surprisingly wide range of countries and regions” -- although it’s most prevalent in the Middle East/North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Scholars from the two regions accounted for 61 percent of all applicants from 2002-7 and 73 percent of grantees.

"Scholar Rescue in the Modern World," a report being released today by the Institute of International Education (home of the Scholar Rescue Fund), identifies such trends in reported persecution across 847 grant applications. The Scholar Rescue Fund awards fellowships for scholars to hold temporary academic posts abroad on the basis of the urgency of threats they face at home and the quality of their academic work. The report's authors acknowledge the limitations of a small data set and of the fund's reach -- North Korea, for instance, is not represented in the application pool -- but also assert the importance of gleaning what trends one can.

“Scholar persecution is a tactic that repressive governments and/or non-state actors actively and deliberately employ to achieve their objectives. And -- given the results that we are reporting here -- it is a tactic that is effective, strategic, and widespread," Henry G. Jarecki, the report’s co-author and chairman of the Scholar Rescue Fund (and a member of the psychiatry faculty at Yale University), writes in an introduction to the report.

READ THE REST HERE

Qatar in May?

The ABA is looking for a clinician who would be interested in helping out on a pro bono basis for a month or two in May-June in the Gulf.  It is looking for a clinician to help with work in Oman who could help with broader work with the law faculty in Qatar and also pitch in a bit in UAE.  Please contact Angela Conway at [email protected] for further information.

HT: Michele LaForest Halloran

PILI Global Pro Bono

Global Pro Bono Link                                                  April 9, 2009 - Issue no. 2

 

In this issue ·         Extraordinary Measures for Extraordinary Times: Register Now for the 2009 European Pro Bono Forum  ·         Russia Moving toward Civil Legal Aid Reform  ·         Pro Bono in France: The Current State and Direction  ·         Tackling Domestic Violence in BiH: Women's Center Trebinje ·         PILI Sister Clearinghouse: Czech Pro Bono Centrum  calendar ·         Russia "Best Law Firm" Pro Bono Award to be announced, April 9. Contact Alexander Lapidus alapidus[at]pili.org. ·         Hong Kong Pro Bono Roundtable, April 29. Contact Kim Rooney krooney[at]hongkong. whitecase.com. ·         Frankfurt Pro Bono Roundtable, April 30. Contact Werner Gumpp werner.gumpp[at]ashurst.com. ·         Hungarian Pro Bono Coordinators Meeting, May 8. Contact Tamas Barabas tbarabas[at]pili.org.  ·         Russia Pro Bono Committee Meeting (tentative), May 21. Contact Alexander Lapidus alapidus[at]pili.org.   ·         Paris Pro Bono Roundtable, June 24. Contact Gillian Lemaire glemaire[at]deweyleboeuf.com. Looking for a Clearinghouse? Click here to contact clearinghouses in China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, and Turkey.   In The News ·         Law Society Gazette: "New Recruits Who Defer Start Dates Urged to Work Pro Bono" (Mar. 6, 2009)  ·         CNN.com: "For Jobless Lawyers, Plan B includes Good Works" (Mar. 17, 2009)  ·         AmLaw Daily: "Law Firms Scramble to Place Deferred Associates in Volunteer Posts"  (Mar. 19, 2009) Global Pro Bono Opportunities Sign up to receive our monthly list of matters available through PILI's Global Clearinghouse. PILI Pro Bono To learn more about PILI's Pro Bono Program,  click here or contact Atanas Politov apolitov[at]pili.org. The Public Interest Law Institute (PILI) is an international organization that advances human rights around the world by stimulating public interest advocacy and developing the institutions necessary to sustain it. For more on our work, visit us at www.pili.org.

The Public Interest Law Institute (PILI) welcomes you to our second issue of Global Pro Bono Link. Published quarterly, Global Pro Bono Link is your timely resource for developments and trends in global pro bono practice as well as significant milestones PILI has reached in its programs.   To ensure that you receive this newsletter and to keep our mailings out of your spam filter, please add [email protected] to your address book. PRO BONO EVENTS Extraordinary Measures for Extraordinary Times Register Now for the 2009 European Pro Bono Forum  Registration is now open for the 2009 European Pro Bono Forum, which will be held in Budapest on 5-6 November 2009.  The 2009 Forum will tackle the effects of the global economic crisis on pro bono practice and the work of NGOs. For details and to register, read on... OTHER PILI NEWS Russia Moving toward Civil Legal Aid Reform PILI Country Director Dmitry Shabelnikov reports on recent initiatives to create a comprehensive national legal aid system in Russia. Although the specifics of the future system are still unknown, PILI is cautiously optimistic about the future of legal aid in Russia. For details, read on...    PROFILES IN PRO BONO Pro Bono in France: The Current State and Direction Senior Counsel Gillian Lemaire (Dewey & LeBoeuf) describes how cooperation between French avocats, French firms, the Bar, in-house counsel, and foreign firms in France has led to an increase in pro bono practice in France. For the full story, read on...    PRO BONO MATTERS Tackling Domestic Violence in BiH: Women's Center Trebinje  Comparative legal research provided pro bono by Dewey & LeBoeuf to the Women's Center Trebinje has helped the organization raise awareness about the issue of domestic violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has laid the groundwork for further research that will enable legislative reform in the country. For more information, read on...   CLEARINGHOUSE PROFILE PILI Sister Clearinghouse: Czech Pro Bono Centrum  Launched in 2008, PILI's "sister" clearinghouse in the Czech Republic, the Pro Bono Centrum, has placed more than 20 pro bono matters. Pro bono services assist NGOs focused on discrimination, labor law, patients' rights, the rights of the mentally disabled, domestic violence, and education rights, among others. To learn more about the Czech Pro Bono Centrum, read on...