One thing that I've not mentioned since being in Johannesburg is the countless opportunities I've had to meet and interact with important figures in South African law, politics, and civil society. A few weeks ago, my group had dinner with Justice Arthur Chaskalson, the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court and one of the architects of the South African Constitution (who was also Nelson Mandela's attorney in the Rivonna trial and has been part of a commission that has been investigating the use of torture in the wake of the anti-terrorism movement). He was a fascinating man, who engaged all of us in discussions about the use of torture in the U.S., as well as polled us on our opinions of President Obama.
During the last week of the program, we had the honor of having Judge Daniel Nsereko, the President of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. A tall, soft-spoken man, Judge Nsereko is nevertheless a commanding but graceful presence. One day, in the middle of lecture, his cell phone began to ring. "I must take this, ladies and gentlemen. That is The Hague calling." He hastened out of the classroom, and we all began to laugh as we realized just how wet-behind-the-ears and inconsequential we all are in the world of international law. I guess you have to start somewhere.
There are a host of other great figures with whom we spent time -- far too many for me to mention. However, all of them were amazing, not just because of who they were and what they were accomplishing, but because they had taken time out of their busy schedules of saving the world to help train the next generation of human rights attorneys. They shared their time with us, and our experience was enriched one hundred times over as a result.
What an amazing program this has been!
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