Capacity Building of Istanbul Bilgi University Human Rights Law Research Center (2002-2007)



Under the capacity building project of the Human Rights Law Research Center, 13 Human Rights Activism courses were introduced into the curriculum of the Human Rights Law Master's Program. The Human Rights Activism course was designed to give the graduate students a thorough cognizance of the techniques and methods of defending human rights. In line with the legally and socially structured courses for the students who took this course, the seminar series could also be attended by all the interested parties and not just by the students. The guest speakers of human rights activism seminars were the representatives of the prominent human rights NGOs and researchers in the realm of human rights. Additionally, the Working Group on Refugee Law conducted the Refugee Law Training Seminar Program for the Staff of the Ministry of Justice in cooperation with the Training Unit of the Ministry of Justice and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Branch Office in Ankara. 30 Judges and Prosecutors from all around Turkey participated in the training seminar. The practice with regard to the international legal standards in refugee law was analysed and discussed. The aim of the activity is to raise awareness and the capacity of the judges and prosecutors in the application of the international standards on refugee law. The project was supported by Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation.