The Justice Edit

On our show this month, we speak to Gearóid Ó Cuinn who teaches transnational human rights litigation at the Irish Centre for Human Rights in Galway, Ireland. Gearóid is also head of the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) – an organisation which pursues justice across borders for communities directly impacted by human rights abuses. Gearóid and his team have a very interesting portfolio of work, and are currently involved in a landmark climate case to be heard before the European Court for Human Rights in September. The case is being taken by young people from Portugal, who are suing European states over climate change.

Presented and produced by Evelyn McClafferty.

With thanks to our donors: Irish Aid.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of IRLI or Irish Aid.

Delighted to have guest, Linda Kasonde with us on the show this month. Linda is a lawyer and civil rights activist from Zambia.

In 2016, Linda became the first woman to hold the position of President of the Law Association of Zambia. She stood up to the then ruling government party, the Patriotic Front, at a time when many people didn’t.

She now practices in Lusaka, having set up her own NGO – Chapter One Foundation and her own law firm, LCK Chambers. Protecting human rights and the rule of law are central to her work. Linda is widely known for speaking truth to power and in this interview talks to us about her experiences, including those of smear campaigns while at the helm of Zambia’s law association.

Presented and produced by Evelyn McClafferty.

With thanks to our donors: Irish Aid, principally, and solicitors working in the Republic of Ireland, who - when applying for the renewal of their practicing certificates – have made a voluntary contribution to IRLI.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of IRLI or Irish Aid.

On this month’s show, international Judge Teresa Doherty, who became the first female judge in Northern Ireland and in the entire pacific region, talks to us about her life and work.

She grew up a Catholic in Portstewart in Northern Ireland at a time of a very divided Northern Ireland. Catholics were hugely discriminated against, for example, in terms of employment, they were often much poorer and coupled with that, there was huge inequality in terms of women’s rights and men’s rights, especially in terms of education.

Her background has significantly influenced her impact in the field of international criminal justice, going on to make landmark rulings related to forced marriage and sexual slavery, and she was a member of the Special Court for Sierra Leone - the first court to rule on the use of child soldiers and convicted a sitting Head of State.

Prior to that, Justice Doherty also spent 22 years working in Papua New Guinea, where she worked heavily to highlight the rights of prisoners and women’s rights.

Presented and produced by Evelyn McClafferty.

With thanks to our donors: Irish Aid, principally, and solicitors working in the Republic of Ireland, who - when applying for the renewal of their practicing certificates – have made a voluntary contribution to IRLI.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of IRLI or Irish Aid.

Our guest this month is an Afghan judge, who was forced to flee her home country after the Taliban retook Afghanistan in 2021.

She managed to escape Afghanistan with her family, following huge efforts by the International Association of Women Judges. In her early thirties and now in Ireland, when she lived in Afghanistan, she worked at the Violence Against Women Court – a court established during the country’s democratic rule. She talks about the legal cases she engaged with then, often including members of the Taliban. She also talks about the current situation in Afghanistan for women and girls.

To protect her identity and to ensure the safety of her family in Afghanistan, we have not used her name.

Presented and produced by Evelyn McClafferty.

With thanks to our donors: Irish Aid, principally, and solicitors working in the Republic of Ireland, who - when applying for the renewal of their practicing certificates – have made a voluntary contribution to IRLI.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of IRLI or Irish Aid.

Australian barrister and the Executive Director of Victim Advocates International (VAI), Eva Buzo is our guest on this month’s show.

Eva has worked extensively with the Rohingya community in the Cox’s Bazare district in Bangladesh, where one of the largest refugee camps in the world in located. She managed a large humanitarian response in 2017/2018, as hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees began arriving into the camp. Her organisation, VAI advocates for and strongly supports victims of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In this episode, Eva tells us about her work – having spent two years in Cox’s and the impact that the killing of Rohingya activist Mohib Ullah - who had become a friend of hers - had on her life. She also talks about how returning to the sea and sea swimming has helped her find a balance in dealing with a very “adult” job.

Presented and produced by Evelyn McClafferty. With thanks to our donors, Irish Aid.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of IRLI or Irish Aid.

International judge Shireen Fisher is the next guest on our new podcast. Justice Fisher has been heavily involved in a campaign by the International Association of Women Judges, of which she is a member, in helping female Afghan judges and their families leave Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power in 2021. She talks about the substantial campaign and her prior work with the Special Court for Sierra Leone, now in residual status, and her time as a judge on the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Presented and produced by Evelyn McClafferty. With thanks to our donors, Irish Aid.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of IRLI or Irish Aid.

On the first episode of our new monthly podcast, Horsehair Wigs, we meet Irish barrister and international judge, Fergal Gaynor at his home in The Hauge, where he talks about his life and work, and why he does what he does. Fergal has spent almost two decades working in international criminal justice and has brilliant insights into the workings of law and the intricacies of people.

Presented and produced by Evelyn McClafferty. With thanks to our donors, Irish Aid.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of IRLI or Irish Aid.