Material in this file consists of correspondence (letter and printed email), background papers, itineraries, reports and other research material, press articles and press releases relating to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Eminent Jurists Panel (EJP) on Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights. It includes material relating to the imprisonment of Syrian Human Rights Lawyer, and ICJ Commissioner, Muhannad Al-Hassani, correspondence from Mary Robinson (MR) to President Bashar al-Assad on his behalf, and same from Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali, as former Unite Nations (UN) Secretary General, to the Syrian President 18/01-20/06/2009; email correspondence between MR and Lucy Howen following the death from cancer of Lucy's husband, former ICJ Secretary General Nicholas Howen, including in relation to a memorial event in his honour 26/01-21/05/2010/2010; material relating to an Arria Formula meeting (an informal meeting of members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which must be convened by a member of the UNSC in order for the meeting to take place) in relation to a UN coordinated action in integrating human rights in all aspects of counter-terrorism which took place in November 2009, 12/02/2010; email correspondence from Leah Hoctor in relation to fundraising for and grants received by the ICJ, and between MR and Colin Wrafter, Irish Ambassador to South Africa, in relation to donation from Irish Aid 15/02-05/03/2010; press release relating to the Sixth anniversary of the disappearance of Lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, and ICJ's calls for the end to enforced disappearances in Thailand, 12/03/2010; material relating to the annual report including draft statement from MR referring to Howen's passing, 25/03/2010; ICJ annual report 2009, 03/2010; ICJ E-Bulletins on Counter-terrorism and Human Rights, 27/04/2009, 01/06/2010; Amnesty International press release relating to UN Experts' joint global study on Secret Detention presented to the UN Human Rights Council, 01/06/2010; internal memo on strategic planning for ICJ including email from MR agreeing to stay on as president until June 2011 to allow for smooth transition, 25/08/2010; email correspondence relating to ICJ elections, 10/08-01/09/2010; letter from William Butler, American Association for the ICJ to MR asking for her input on future of AAICJ annual colloquium, 17/06/2014.

Material in this file relates to the organisation Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR), which later becomes Human Rights First and includes edition of California Lawyer magazine, January 1993; press folder of material relating to Witness, a programme of the LCHR conceived and developed by Peter Gabriel and the Reebok Foundation, 1996; document "Business and Human Rights: Developing Accountability", LCHR, October 1998; press releases sent by fax from Inez McCormack to Mary Robinson relating to calls for investigation into murder of Northern Ireland Human Rights lawyer, Rosemary Nelson, 15-16/03/1999; statement of Michael Posner, Executive Director for LCHR, meeting on "The Patten Commission Report on Policing in Northern Ireland", before the US House of Representatives Committee on International relations subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, 24/09/1999; report "Northern Ireland Update", LCHR, 09/1999.

Material in this file relates to the organisation Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR), which later becomes Human Rights First and includes article "Straight Up", about the setting up of the World Economic Forum and annual Davos gathering, faxed by Mike Posner to Mary Robinson (MR), 10/01/2000; draft LCHR paper on "International Labor Standards" which was faxed to MR by Scott Jerbi, on behalf of Posner, 24/01/2000; "Human Rights in Northern Ireland", statement of Michael Posner, Executive Director for LCHR, before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, US Congress, 14/03/2000; document "WCAR [World conference Against Racism] Think Papers", 08/2000; programme for the LCHR 2001 Award Dinner; photocopy of article on defending civil liberties in face of "war on terror" following "9/11", 21/09/2001.

Lawyers Committee for Human Rights report "Beyond Collusion: The UK Security Forces and the Murder of Patrick Finucane", 12/02/2002.

[Archivist’s Note: Patrick Finucane was a Northern Irish lawyer who specialised in criminal defence work. Finucane came to prominence due to his successful challenge of the British government in several important human rights cases during the 1980s. He was killed by loyalist paramilitaries from the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), acting in collusion with British security services on 12th February 1989.]

Material in this file relates to the organisation Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR), which later becomes Human Rights First and includes excerpt from Office of the Inspector General, United States of America (US) Department of Justice document covering a review of the treatment of "Aliens held on Immigration Charges in Connection with the Investigation of the September 11 Attacks", 200[?]; email from Mike Posner in relation to meeting Mary Robinson (MR) in New York, 28/03/2002; report "Extracts from the Report of the ISHR [International Service for Human Rights] Delegation to East Timor, 15-28/05/2002; photocopy of paper "Commitments by African heads of State to Peace, Democracy, Human Rights and Associated Issues", 07/2002; photocopy of LCHR report "A Year of Loss - Re-examining Civil Liberties since September 11", 09/2002; articles relating to US attorney James Brosnahan, Jan 2002-May 2003; photocopy of reply from S Iqbal Riza, on behalf of the Secretary General of the United Nations to letter from Posner expressing concern at the decision to appoint Sergio Vieira de Mello, MR's replacement as UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, to the temporary role of Special Representative for Iraq, and the effect this would have on the standing of the Office of the HCHR, 02/06/2003; print outs of various articles relating to or by Yale Professor Ruth Wedgwood, Jan-July 2003; correspondence relating to the LCHR's report "Assessing the New Normal", 22/09-19/12/2003.

Material in this file relates to the organisation Human Rights First (HRF), formerly Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR), and includes quarterly update relating to the amicus briefs filed by HRF in landmark Supreme Courts cases, 10/03/2004; HRF report "Ending Secret Detentions", 06/2004; articles and correspondence relating to the US interrogation of detainees, June 2004; confidential draft concept paper "No To Terrorism, No to Torture - The Global Human Rights Campaign", which includes a paper by Wilder Tayler, Legal and Policy Director of Human Rights Watch, read at the International Commission of Jurists' conference, 25/08/2004; correspondence between Mike Posner, Executive Director HRF and Mary Robinson including a HRF board update and text of speech he gave at seminar on Memory, Truth and Justice, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 04-15/03/2005; material relating to the IACHR [Inter-American Commission on Human Rights] and petition filed in Human Rights Tribunal, 04/04/2005; correspondence from Posner to John Ruggie, Special Advisor to the Secretary General United Nations on the Global Compact, in relation to a review of the initiative, 01/06/2005.

Material in this file relates to the organisation Human Rights First (HRF), formerly Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR), and includes quarterly update relating to the amicus briefs filed by HRF in landmark Supreme Courts cases, 10/03/2004; HRF report "Ending Secret Detentions", 06/2004; articles and correspondence relating to the US interrogation of detainees, June 2004; confidential draft concept paper "No To Terrorism, No to Torture - The Global Human Rights Campaign", which includes a paper by Wilder Tayler, Legal and Policy Director of Human Rights Watch, read at the International Commission of Jurists' conference, 25/08/2004; correspondence between Mike Posner, Executive Director HRF and Mary Robinson including a HRF board update and text of speech he gave at seminar on Memory, Truth and Justice, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 04-15/03/2005; material relating to the IACHR [Inter-American Commission on Human Rights] and petition filed in Human Rights Tribunal, 04/04/2005; correspondence from Posner to John Ruggie, Special Advisor to the Secretary General United Nations on the Global Compact, in relation to a review of the initiative, 01/06/2005.

The IATL [International Academy of Trial Lawyers] is an international fellowship of lawyers whose mission is to protect and promote the Rule of Law. The Academy was founded in 1954 and is recognized as the most prestigious organization of trial lawyers in the world. Fellowship in the Academy is by invitation only. Mary Robinson was accepted as fellow in 1989. Stops membership for term of presidency (1990-1997) but still received circulars, journals etc., and in 2003 she was presented with IATL's International Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, (See P143/1/8/5). Material is arranged chronologically across five file and includes correspondence, circulars and journals.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is an international human rights non-governmental organization, a standing group of 60 eminent jurists—including senior judges, attorneys and academics—who work to develop national and international human rights standards through the law. Commissioners are known for their experience, knowledge and fundamental commitment to human rights. The composition of the Commission aims to reflect the geographical diversity of the world and its many legal systems. Mary Robinson was nominated by Seán MacBride to succeed him in June 1986 and was President of the ICJ from 2008-2011.

This subseries is divided into 15 files and arranged chronologically.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM) is a professional, voluntary, non-governmental association of citizens, associated to protect and promote human rights in accordance with universally accepted civilized standards, international conventions and national law. YUCOM was founded in November 1997 (then called Yugoslav Lawyers Committee for Human Rights) as an expert, voluntary, non-governmental organization whose members are legal experts engaged in promoting and advocating the idea of the rule of law to uphold human rights, raising public awareness, monitoring trials, conceiving, designing and leading civic initiatives, rendering legal assistance to victims of human rights violation, as well as developing cooperation with national and international organizations involved in human rights protection and promotion. This association eventually becomes Human Rights First in 2004.

Material in this subseries overlaps and is related MR’s work elsewhere including for United Nations (P143/5) and with Realizing Rights -The Ethical Globalization Initiative (P143/6)