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Professor Cohn Attends Peace Congress in Istanbul, Turkey

April 30, 2013

Marjorie Cohn in Istanbul

TJSL Professor Marjorie Cohn recently spent two days in Istanbul, Turkey, attending a special conference on world peace. Here is her account of the trip:

“On April 25 – 27, I attended the International Peace Congress in Istanbul, sponsored by the World Peace Council and the Peace Association of Turkey. Delegates from many countries, including Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Germany, Ukraine, Palestine, Serbia, Lebanon, Brazil, Jordan, and Syria came together to discuss strategies for preventing foreign intervention in Syria. I represented the International Association of Democratic Lawyers.

“I delivered a presentation on the ‘Responsibility to Protect,’ a doctrine that is not part of international law, but which may be used as a justification for a military attack on Syria. ‘R2P’was used to justify the US-French-British armed attack and regime change in Libya. I met with Turkish lawyers who had been arrested by the government for representing unpopular clients. Some of their colleagues have been in custody since January with no charges or court dates. The conference was an excellent opportunity for me to meet with progressive activists from around the world, all of whom are committed to working for peace in the Middle East.”