The Al-Quds Human Rights Clinic

The Al-Quds Human Rights Clinic was launched in September 2006 in order to give law students at Al-Quds University a chance to study the Question of Palestine within the context of international law, while at the same time receive training in practical human rights advocacy from some of the top human rights lawyers in Palestine. The year-long (two semesters worth 3 credits each for a total of 6 credits) clinical curriculum is comprised of a practical and a theoretical component. The theoretical part of the program consists of weekly sessions with practicing lawyers from all of the main legal NGOs in Palestine (e.g. Al-Haq, Adalah, Addameer, Badil, Mandela Institute) and international organizations such as the United Nations, who, in interactive seminars, deliver not just dry facts & legal analysis, but also explain the methods that they use to combat human rights abuses in Palestine, such as litigation, media work, international advocacy, and others.

For the practical side of the curriculum, the students are divided into two groups - those with Jerusalem identification cards and those without. The students that do not have Jerusalem IDs take part in practical training workshops led by experts from Al-Haq, where they learn, among other things, how to document human rights violations and report on them. Following the training workshops and midway into the semester, each student puts his/her new skills into practice by volunteering with a human rights organization one day per week, working on projects that these organizations are engaged in. The students are supervised both by the organizations as well as a supervising attorney from the Clinic. The second group of students - those that have Jerusalem IDs, along with their clinical supervisor, set up a weekly legal advice walk-in session at an East Jerusalem community center, where they advise clients on residency/ID issues, social welfare, etc.

The overall goal of the Clinic is to expose students to the various ways that the law is used to defend and promote respect for human rights. We work to provide students with the legal knowledge and practical skills training to apply international human rights and humanitarian law to the situation in occupied Palestine. The program is designed to challenge students to explore new ways to advocate and to inspire them to play a role in the struggle for change.