World Without Genocide has recently announced they will be taking applicants for The Benjamin B. Ferencz Fellowships In Human Rights and Law program here at Mitchell Hamline. The fellowships are named for one of the world’s leading advocates for human rights, Benjamin B. Ferencz. At trials in Nuremberg, Germany in 1947, Ferencz prosecuted members of the Nazi Einsatzgruppen, mobile killing squads responsible for the deaths of more than a million Jews during the Holocaust. Ferencz received convictions for every one of the accused. He went on to a lifetime of work to enhance safety and security for innocent people, bring restitution to those whose lives were affected by evil, and end impunity for perpetrators. He was a key figure in the development of the International Criminal Court, a permanent body to adjudicate individuals for crimes against humanity, war crimes, the crime of aggression, and genocide. At the close of the International Criminal Court’s first case in 2011, Ferencz gave the final remarks for the prosecution, harkening back to his words in 1947 that convicted the worst of the Nazis and realizing his dream of a permanent international tribunal.
This program is for law students, graduate students in related fields, or recent law school graduates in the Twin Cities and provides financial support for fellowships at World Without Genocide. Students work on core areas of human rights including research, policy development and assessment, and action to support initiatives at local, state, national, and international levels. Applications are available in early fall of each academic year and are awarded for a minimum of two consecutive academic semesters.
Fellowships will be for two consecutive semesters (Fall and Spring) and require 5-10 hours a week. $1,000 will be paid after the demonstrated successful completion of each semester, resulting in $2,000 after the completed year. Multiple areas of concentrations are available to fellowships including but not limited too International Criminal Court, Religious, ethnic, and other minorities and persecuted political groups, Violence and Discrimination Against Women, and Climate Change and Violence.
Ideal candidates will consist of the following : exceptional skills in written and oral communications; ability to interact well with a wide, range of people, including elected officials; experience in legal and social science research; ability to, work extremely well in an independent capacity; a demonstrated commitment to justice and human rights; and a background in genocide studies, international law, or related fields. Applications can be found at www.worldwithoutgenocide.org/fellowship. Submit a completed application, résumé, and a 200-250 letter of intent to info@worldwithoutgenocide.org by August 15, 2018. For additional information, contact 651-695-7621. In addition, credit may be arranged for students at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and recognition may be arranged from Minnesota Justice Foundation.