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.
In addition to its refugee work in the U.S., CGRS’s legal team contributed to the Justice for Pepe ~ Justice for Guatemala campaign by filing a request to the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR) seeking protective measures for Pepe’s family. As a result of its request, the IACHR ordered the Guatemalan government to provide much-needed protection to the Méndez family as they demand a full investigation into Pepe’s assassination as well as an end to impunity in Guatemala. Other international legal work at the Center includes ongoing collaborative efforts with lawyers in Spain, where a law recognizing gender asylum was adopted in 2007. CGRS is scheduled to participate in a conference in Madrid in October 2007, which will provide advocates from the U.S. and Spain an opportunity to share experiences and strategies to increase protections for refugee women. |
