Human Rights Clinic - University of Miami School of Law

09/08/2026

For twenty-two years, three sisters were told their father died in the crossfire.

Carlos Horacio Uran Rojas was an Auxiliary Justice of Colombia’s Council of State. On November 6, 1985, the M-19 guerrilla group seized the Palace of Justice in Bogota and took roughly 300 people hostage. Video footage shows him walking out of the building alive, held up by two soldiers. His body was found hours later.
This week his daughters’ case against retired Lieutenant Colonel Luis Alfonso Plazas Vega goes to trial in Miami, under the Torture Victim Protection Act. The complaint alleges that he commanded the retaking of the Palace and ran the site where people leaving the building were screened, and that those marked as suspects were taken to military facilities. He has contested the case since it was filed in 2022 and is defending it at trial. The allegations have not been proven.

No cameras are allowed in federal court. So students from the University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic will be in the gallery for every session, taking notes by hand, and courtroom artists will be there to draw what no camera can record. Every artist is credited by name.

We have started a Substack. At the end of each trial day we will publish a summary of what was said and done in open court.
Trial runs weekdays, September 8 through 11 and September 14 through 18. It may run longer.

We represent no party in this case and take no position on how it should come out. We are there to keep a record.
Subscribe and follow our Substack: https://miamilawhumanrightsprogram.substack.com/p/uran-et-al-v-plazas-vega or see our summaries at https://www.law.miami.edu/academics/programs/human-rights/events/.



Alt text: Text graphic reading “Uran v. Plazas Vega, daily trial summaries from the courtroom, University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic,” over an archival photograph of the Palace of Justice in Bogota in November 1985.

08/28/2026

Join us on Sept. 1 for “The Human Rights Implications of U.S. Deportation Policies to Third Countries,” for an in-depth conversation among legal scholars, practitioners, researchers, advocates, and students about the legal, humanitarian, and regional dimensions of third-country deportations.

✅ Register at https://ow.ly/yiHT50ZBWYE

Sponsored by University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Program, George P. Hanley Democracy Center, University of Miami Cuban Studies Program, University of Miami Emilio Bacardí Moreau Chair for Cuban and Cuban American Studies, University of Miami School of Law Immigration Clinic, and University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas.

In 2026, the U.S. government has increasingly deported foreign nationals to third countries, creating significant implications for countries throughout the Americas. This roundtable seeks to foster an in-depth conversation among legal scholars, practitioners, researchers, advocates, and students abo...

08/09/2026

This August 9 marks the 20th anniversary of the Regional Day in Solidarity with Child Victims of Sexual Violence (abreezeofhope.org/august-9th-campaign). What began as a survivor-led movement through a single act of courage has grown into one of the most significant regional mobilizations against child sexual violence in the Americas.

More than 20 years ago, Brisa De Angulo found herself confronting not only the devastating consequences of sexual violence, but also the institutional failures that so many survivors face. On August 9, 2006, she launched a call for solidarity with a simple yet powerful gesture: a blue ribbon and a public march. Her message was clear—survivors are not alone. Although the first march was modest in size, its impact was far greater than anyone could have imagined. It marked the beginning of a collective commitment to transform silence into action.

For the past two decades, survivors and allies have carried this movement forward, often without recognition and in the face of significant resistance. Yet the movement has continued to grow because of the determination of those who refuse to accept that sexual violence against children should remain hidden or ignored.
Today, the University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic honors the survivors, advocates, and organizations that have dedicated themselves to supporting children and amplifying the voices of those who have too often been silenced. While child sexual violence affects every corner of the world, August 9 reminds us that addressing a global problem begins with local action.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Brisa De Angulo Losada, Founder and CEO of A Breeze of Hope and petitioner in Angulo Losada v. Bolivia, for her unwavering leadership and tireless advocacy in bringing visibility, accountability, and hope to an issue that has too often remained in the shadows. The University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic is proud to stand alongside survivors, advocates, and partners in advancing a movement committed to creating a safer world for every child.

Check out the Law Review Article written by Brisa De Angulo and other advocates: University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review: “The Decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the Case of Angulo Losada V. Bolivia: A Catalyst for the Rights of Girls and Victims of Sexual Violence” https://repository.law.miami.edu/umiclr/vol33/iss2/4/

• A Breeze of Hope — August 9th Campaign: abreezeofhope.org/august-9th-campaign
• 20th-anniversary video (English): youtu.be/4rBzw5oMXTM

Photos courtesy of A Breeze of Hope

08/05/2026

UM Human Rights Program Faculty at the International Congress on Law & Mental Health- Taking our work to the international stage. 🌍

This June, UM Law Human Rights Program Faculty Director, Professor Tamar Ezer, along with Human Rights Program Affiliate and Director of Law Clinics, Professor Bernard (Bernie) Perlmutter, traveled to Montreal for the International Academy of Law and Mental Health— the biennial gathering of researchers, advocates, and practitioners working at the intersection of law and mental health.

Professor Ezer presented on “Human Rights-Based-Approaches to Homelessness and Mental Health.” Drawing on University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic report on "The Criminalization of Homelessness and Mental Health Conditions" in the United States, she described increasing criminalization of homelessness and mental health conditions, provided a human rights analysis, and shared models of effective, human rights-based responses.

Additionally, Professors Ezer and Perlmutter jointly presented on “The Power of Art in Legal Advocacy for Rights: Therapeutic Jurisprudential Perspectives.” This presentation addressed art as a vehicle to communicate experiences and mobilize reform for unjust laws. It focused on two case studies from the work of the Human Rights Clinic(HRC) and the University of Miami School of Law's Children and Youth Law Clinic (CYLC) on right to housing advocacy and on child welfare reform. The housing case study featured HRC's Art & the Right to Housing Project and collaboration with Red Line Service Institute's artists in Chicago with lived experience of being unhoused. The artists produced powerful prints connecting the international human rights framework with community experiences, bringing the seven dimensions of the right to adequate housing to life.

➡Find the HRC report on "The Criminalization of Homelessness and Mental Health Conditions in the United States" at https://lnkd.in/eig4qtAc.
🚊Find prints from our Art & the Right to Housing project at law.miami.edu/art_housing.
🏠"Right to Housing" factsheet is available at: https://lnkd.in/dNu5Ux-N.

08/03/2026

History made — and one of ours made it. 🏆

With just two weeks left before our Human Rights Clinic fellows report for the 2026-2027 academic year, we could not be prouder of incoming HRC fellow and former HRC intern Amanda Sarmientos— who helped make history at the Inter-American Human Rights Moot Court Competition. Competing in English against an elite field from 21 countries, Amanda and her teammate, Camilo Diza, became the first U.S. team to reach the final round in 28 years, finishing as runner-up. Amanda also took home the Best Victims’ Brief (English) Award. 👏

This year’s prompt — “The Right to Protest Under International Human Rights Law” — is just the kind of cutting-edge legal issue our students explore during their time with the Human Rights Clinic. And Amanda had already begun engaging with the Inter-American Human Rights System during her time with the clinic. Last year, we hosted the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on campus, and Amanda helped develop a backgrounder on Inter-American standards on gender justice and human rights for our Human Rights in the Americas Symposium.

We also congratulate Professor Paula Arias, faculty with the Human Rights Program, who leads UM Law’s one of a kind International Moot Court Program and guided Amanda and Camilo to this historic victory!
Read the full story at https://news.miami.edu/law/stories/2026/06/miami-law-team-makes-history-as-first-u.s-finalist-in-inter-american-human-rights-moot-in-28-years.html.

07/13/2026

Fleeing abuse to protect your child should never make a parent a criminal — but under the Hague Convention these unintended consequences are all too real for mothers who have survived gender-based violence (GBV).

The UM Human Rights Clinic (HRC) was proud to partner with the FiLiA Hague Mothers project () and a coalition of advocates — including , , Revibra, and the SHERA Research Group — at a thematic hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) (.oea) on this unjust outcome, explaining how the Hague Abduction Convention is too often used against mothers who flee across borders to escape domestic violence — labeling survivors “abductors” and sending children back into danger.

HRC Founder & Director Professor Caroline Bettinger-Lopez’s testimony urged the Commission to view these cases through the Inter-American Human Rights framework by drawing on Lenahan (Gonzales) v. United States, a case she litigated, to argue that when courts disregard domestic violence, “the violation lies in the State’s own judicial action.” Her testimony begins at the 25:15 mark.
Watch the full hearing at https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/sessions/hearing.asp?Hearing=3881

07/09/2026

Food access is safety — so why are we taking it away from the people who need it most?

As 2025 came to a close, the United States — the world’s largest economic power — took food off American tables. SNAP cuts under H.R.1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” slashed food assistance for thousands and ended it entirely for many more. Survivors of gender-based violence pay the price: when food assistance disappears, they’re forced to choose between buying groceries and making rent. Safety or survival.

Check out the Human Rights Clinic’s latest blog post on the Right to Food with the National Right to Food Community of Practice at ! HRC legal interns Carolina Perez, Avery Friedman, and Abigail Matherne explore how SNAP cuts leave survivors of gender-based violence without access to more than just calories — from new work requirements to added barriers for immigrant survivors and a deepening violation of the right to adequate food under international law. 🍎

This is the third post in our students’ Right to Food series — catch the first two posts on “Pumping At Work” and “Gardening in Public Housing” at https://www.righttofoodus.org/post/no-room-to-grow-how-public-housing-undermines-the-right-to-food &https://www.righttofoodus.org/post/pumping-at-work-isn-t-a-perk-it-fulfills-the-right-to-food. Read the full blog at https://www.righttofoodus.org/post/snap-cuts-gender-based-violence-survivors-pay-the-price

06/08/2026

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued an important press release on May 20 expressing “its deepest concern over the recent killings of women, children, and adolescents committed with fi****ms in domestic violence contexts in the United States.” The IACHR noted that “this reflects a structural problem related to domestic violence and armed violence,” and urged the U.S., following the recommendations in the Jessica Lenahan v. U.S. case, “to adopt effective due diligence measures to address this type of violence, provide comprehensive assistance to victims, investigate, prosecute, punish acts of violence, guarantee their protection against all forms of violence and provide reparations.”

The UMiami Law Human Rights Clinic is proud to have represented Jessica Lenahan in the landmark case of Jessica Lenahan (Gonzales) et al. v. United States. In that case, the IACHR established that “the State has the obligation to act with due diligence to prevent and protect victims of domestic violence, taking into account that it disproportionately affects women — particularly Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and/or low-income women — as well as children of all ages. The timely and effective implementation of protection measures is an essential component of this duty and is fundamental to protecting the lives and safety of victims.”

To read the IACHR’s full press release, visit https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/jsForm/?File=/en/iachr/media_center/preleases/2026/089.asp&utm_content=country-usa&utm_term=class-mon. To learn more about the Human Rights Clinic’s work on gender-based violence, including representation of Jessica Lenahan by Clinic students and Director Professor Carrie Bettinger-Lopez, please go to https://www.law.miami.edu/academics/experiential-learning/clinics/human-rights/projects/ .

06/08/2026

In mid-May, University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic (HRC) Director and Professor Carrie Bettinger-Lopez, along with Professor Donna Coker and 42 other law professors and 13 organizations, submitted a Joint Statement to the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement.
Advocates and experts who serve, uplift and advocate on behalf of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other crimes worked together on the Statement which was entered into the official record for a hearing about the importance of safe communities/sanctuary cities for immigrant survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). Many of the core arguments in the Statement are reflected in the “Web of Deterrence” graphic developed by former HRC Intern Avery Friedman.
The United Nations Working Group on Discrimination Against Girls and Women (UN WG DAWG) also submitted testimony as to the impact of law enforcement and immigration on survivors of GBV. The WG DAWG’s testimony can be found at https://lnkd.in/eUh5HqZa . To access the Joint Statement, visit https://lnkd.in/ejv9GsVS

06/03/2026

It’s official! Volume 33 of the UMiami International and Comparative Law Review – a special edition featuring the Report, Human Rights in the Americas Symposium: An Examination of Past, Present, and Future – is out! This Report and 6 other related articles by symposium speakers and an Inter-American Human Rights Commissioner cover the week-long convening hosted by the University of Miami School of Law in November 2025, held in conjunction with the 194th Period of Sessions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Find the full Report at https://repository.law.miami.edu/umiclr/vol33/iss2/12 and the full ICLR symposium edition at https://repository.law.miami.edu/umiclr/vol33/iss2/.

The Symposium brought together scholars, advocates, policymakers, students, artists, and community members to assess the evolution, current challenges, and future trajectory of human rights in the Americas. The special edition serves as a resource for scholars and practitioners seeking to understand and advance human rights protections across the Americas.

Thanks to the of Miami International and Comparative Law Review, @ University of Miami School of Law Human Rights
Human Rights Clinic interns and fellows and the authors for their amazing work!!