11/15/01--Human rights lawyer and activist Brian Concannon will be speaking at Boston College Law School on Tuesday, November 20th, in a talk titled "Justice in Transition: Human Rights Prosecutions in Haiti." The discussion will take place in the East Wing, room 400, from 12:20-1:30 pm. "

Mr. Concannon has recently assisted the Haitian government in its first successful prosecution of human rights abusers in Haiti," said Father Frank Herrmann, BCLaw Associate Professor. "Working closely with victims, witnesses and prosecutors, Mr. Concannon played a key role in this historic achievement of justice for the Haitian people."

Brian Concannon Jr. has spent the last five years with the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The BAI was established by the Haitian government to help the justice system prosecute human rights cases, mostly from Haiti’s 1991-1994 de facto military dictatorship. The BAI works closely with judges, prosecutors, police and government officials, providing legal, technical and material assistance, as well as policy advice. The office represents human rights victims in court, and helps them advocate outside of the courtroom.

Before joining the BAI, Mr. Concannon was a human rights observer for MICIVIH, the U.N./O.A.S. civilian mission to Haiti. He is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.) and Middlebury College (B.A.), and a recipient of a Brandeis International Fellowship in Human Rights, Intervention and International Law. Mr. Concannon writes and speaks often about justice, human rights and the democratic transition in Haiti.