In the Summer/Fall 2007 Issue

Son of Prominent Human Rights Defender Assassinated: CGRS Launches Justice For Pepe ~ Justice For Guatemala Campaign
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CGRS’s Legal Work Moves Ahead at a Brisk Pace
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Technical Assistance Update
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CGRS Welcomes Staff Attorney Lisa Frydman
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Stephen Knight Pursues a New Path, Leaving an Impressive Legacy
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CGRS Welcomes Clinical Teaching Fellow, Kim Thuy Seelinger
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CGRS Bids Farewell to Appellate Advocacy Fellow, Leena Khandwala
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CGRS Joined by Dedicated Law Clerks and Interns
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CGRS Volunteer of the Year: David Menninger
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New Associate Director at CGRS
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You Can Help Defend the Human Rights of Women and Girls From Around the World

CGRS Staff and Board

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Son of Prominent Human Rights Defender Assassinated: CGRS Launches Justice For Pepe ~ Justice For Guatemala Campaign

On Friday, August 17, 2007, 28 year-old José Emanuel “Pepe” Méndez Dardón was assassinated in Guatemala City—he was shot multiple times at close range as he was leaving his job at La Aurora International Airport. Pepe, the married father of seven year-old twins, was the son of Amílcar Méndez, who has been internationally recognized for his human rights work.

Just prior to Pepe’s murder, he and Amílcar were involved in denouncing election-related violence, which had been on the rise in the run-up to Guatemala’s September 9 elections.
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CGRS’s Legal Work Moves Ahead at a Brisk Pace

Working with CGRS Director Karen Musalo, new staff members Lisa Frydman and Kim Thuy Seelinger have gotten off to a running start; together, the team is making important strides in moving the Center’s legal work forward. In the two months since Kim and Lisa arrived at CGRS, they have been involved in four important appellate cases – one at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and three at the Board of Immigration Appeals. Positively impacting the development of the law through select appellate litigation continues to be a high priority at CGRS, and Karen, Lisa and Kim have been developing new and effective ways of identifying cases of interest and leveraging the Center’s expertise where it is most needed.
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Technical Assistance Update

Between May and September 2007, CGRS received a total of 161 new requests for assistance in individual cases. A significant number of those cases were from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, followed by Guinea and Mexico. Many of these asylum seekers are fleeing gender-related harms such as domestic violence, female genital cutting, rape, forced marriage and trafficking or sexual slavery.

CGRS Welcomes Staff Attorney Lisa Frydman

This July CGRS was pleased to welcome Staff Attorney Lisa Frydman to the organization. An honors graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law, Lisa brings to CGRS extensive experience in asylum law, including a focus on protections for unaccompanied immigrant children. As a staff attorney at Legal Services for Children in San Francisco and an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC) in Miami, Lisa has represented immigrant children seeking asylum, protection as victims of human trafficking, Special Immigrant Juvenile status, and other types of relief. Many of Lisa’s asylum cases involved representing young women fleeing gender-specific persecution, such as forced marriage, female genital cutting, and sexual abuse.
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Stephen Knight Pursues a New Path, Leaving an Impressive Legacy

In June, after nearly eight years with CGRS, Deputy Director Stephen Knight transitioned from his work on gender asylum to environmental advocacy with Save the Bay, the oldest and largest membership organization working exclusively to protect and restore San Francisco Bay, where he now serves as Political Director. Stephen had been with CGRS since it was founded in 1999.
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CGRS Welcomes Clinical Teaching Fellow, Kim Thuy Seelinger

In July, CGRS welcomed Kim Thuy Seelinger, the Kazan, McClain, Abrams, Fernandez, Lyons, Farrise & Greenwood Foundation Clinical Teaching Fellow with the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic at U.C. Hastings. Over the years, the law firm and its foundation have made tremendous contributions to CGRS. Partner Denise Abrams continues to serve on the Executive Committee of CGRS’s Advisory Board, and the Foundation has provided generous support for the Center’s work since 2001.

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CGRS Bids Farewell to Appellate Advocacy Fellow, Leena Khandwala

In July, CGRS bid farewell to Appellate Advocacy Fellow, Leena Khandwala, who had worked with the Center since 2004. Leena graduated with honors from Fordham University School of Law in New York, where she distinguished herself as a dedicated public interest advocate.
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CGRS Joined by Dedicated Law Clerks and Interns

Judith Stronach Women’s Human Rights Fellows, Summer 2007

CGRS Summer 2007 Interns

Beth Silberman Begins Year-Long Internship at CGRS

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CGRS Volunteer of the Year: David Menninger

By Katrina Schwartz, CGRS Summer Intern

“I love working for CGRS,” says David Menninger, who will soon be moving on to pursue new adventures in international and academic arenas after a year of dedicated service to CGRS. David began volunteering with CGRS after graduating with honors from the University of California, Berkeley where he majored in American Studies. For his honors thesis, David researched asylum based on sexual orientation, a subject he continued to explore during his time at CGRS.
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New Associate Director at CGRS

Previously serving as the Director of Development/Communications, Felecia Bartow assumed the role of Associate Director at CGRS in July. In addition to overseeing fundraising and development activities at the Center, Felecia manages communications and media relations, maintains general administrative oversight, and develops and implements policy advocacy campaigns aimed at improving human rights protections for refugee women and girls.

You Can Help Defend the Human Rights of Women and Girls From Around the World

CGRS depends on the generous support of foundations as well as individual, law firm, and corporate donors to carry out our work on behalf of women and girls fleeing gender-based persecution and seeking asylum in the U.S. Please consider making a secure online donation at http://cgrs.uchastings.edu. Your donation—of any amount—truly makes a difference! Thank you so much for your support.

Center for Gender and Refugee Studies
University of California Hastings College of the Law
200 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
415.565.4877 • Fax: 415.581.8824 • http://cgrs.uchastings.edu

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