Herman Schwartz Israel Human Rights Law Fellowship Program Welcomes 2016-17 Fellows

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC, September 26, 2016 - The Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law is pleased to welcome the 2016-17 Herman Schwartz Israel Human Rights Law Fellows. The Herman Schwartz Israel Human Rights Law Fellowship was founded by Professor Herman Schwartz in 1984 as a joint initiative between American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) and the New Israel Fund (NIF). Each year, a New Israel Fund committee of Israeli lawyers selects two Israeli attorneys, one Palestinian and one Jewish, to come to AUWCL to participate in an intensive academic and professional experience earning a Master’s in Law with a specialization in human rights. This year’s fellows are Yasmin Mansour and Shimri Segal. 

Yasmin Mansour is a 26-year old, Arab Palestinian from Acre City. She graduated from Haifa University, where she finished her first degree in law and psychology. She has been a member of the Israeli Bar Association since December 2014 and a member of the International Bar Association since February 2016. Before pursuing her studies at AUWCL, Yasmin worked as a lawyer, specializing in human rights, constitutional law, international law and administrative law.

Shimri Segal is an Israeli Human and Civil Rights advocate and activist. He received his LL.B. in law and B.A in government from the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. Following graduation, Shimri completed a year of residency in the Knesset Legal Department, where he provided legal counseling and research to Members of Knesset. After his residency year, Shimri joined the former MK Nitzan Horowitz staff as a political consultant and spokesperson.

Selected fellows will have internships with American public interest groups such as the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Prison Project, Human Rights Watch, and many other major human rights groups. The following year, the fellows are placed in a paid internship with an Israeli public interest organization such as NIF’s training center, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, and Adalah, the leading Palestinian human rights organization, which was also founded by a fellow. For more information on the Herman Schwartz Israel Human Rights Law Fellowship, please see the 25th Anniversary publication: Raising the Bar: Twenty-Five Years of Strengthening Human Rights in Israel available from the Center on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.

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About the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law
American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) established the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law in 1990 as part of its long-standing commitment to international human rights and the rule of law. For over 20 years, the Center has worked with students, faculty and the international legal community to provide scholarship and support for human rights initiatives around the world. The Center is dedicated to creating opportunities for students, practitioners and activists through training, complementary education, outreach, workshops and conferences, and research and publications. It provides a clearinghouse for the wide scope of activity concentrated on human rights and humanitarian law at AUWCL.

About American University Washington College of Law
In 1896, American University Washington College of Law became the first law school in the country founded by women. More than 120 years since its founding, this law school community is grounded in the values of equality, diversity, and intellectual rigor. The law school's nationally and internationally recognized programs (in clinical legal education, trial advocacy, international law, and intellectual property to name a few) and dedicated faculty provide its JD, LL.M., and SJD students with the critical skills and values to have an immediate impact as students and as graduates, in Washington, DC and around the world. For more information, visit wcl.american.edu.