News & Events

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continues its lunchtime seminar series with a seminar on 'A Human Rights Basis for Claims of Innocence' by Dr Brian Farrell, Associate Professor of Instruction; Director, Citizen Lawyer Program; Associate Director, Centre for Human Rights; University of Iowa College of Law. The seminar takes place at 1pm, Monday, 20th March 2023, in the Seminar Room, Irish Centre for Human Rights. All are welcome to attend.

In the past few years, legal scholars have begun to identify what is described as the “innocence gap” in international law: the absence of clear substantive and procedural rights to exonerate the wrongfully convicted. The seminar will provide a brief overview of the phenomenon of wrongful convictions, a survey of emerging efforts to develop a human rights-based claim, and open to a discussion on next steps.

Professor Brian Farrell is an Associate Professor of Instruction in Law and Human Rights, Associate Director of the UI Center for Human Rights, and directs the undergraduate Human Rights Certificate program. He teaches international law, criminal law, and human rights courses. He is the director of the Citizen Lawyer Program and was a co-founder of the Innocence Project of Iowa. Professor Farrell also serves as an adjunct lecturer at the National University of Ireland Galway and is a member of the Iowa Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission. Professor Farrell received his JD from the University of Iowa and his LLM and PhD from the National University of Ireland Galway. Before joining Iowa Law, he practiced law in Iowa and Georgia. In 2012 he was selected as a Fulbright Senior Lecturer and taught at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski in Bulgaria. His book, Habeas Corpus in International Law, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017.