Region: Czech Republic, Eastern Europe

Main Areas Of Interest: human rights

Fellowship Period: January - March 2007

Keywords: public interest law, domestic violence, psychosocial support

Biographical Profile:
Jiri is a human rights lawyer and has served as a legal coordinator n the Board of several NGOs including the Public Interest Lawyers Association. He is currently a PhD candidate of International Public Law at Masaryk University in Brno. Jiri is the author of several articles and publications. In 2002, he initiated the League of Human Rights where he has since been acting as co-chair and legal development adviser.

The League of Human Rights is a non-governmental organization providing free legal and psychological assistance to victims of gross human rights violations, in particular to members of the Roma minority, victims of domestic violence and children. Its mission is to create a future in which the Czech state actively protects the human rights of its citizenry and respects both the spirit and the letter of the international human rights conventions to which it is signatory.

During his fellowship, Jiri spent time learning about the successes and challenges at grass roots level of implementing impact litigation including Brown v. Board of Education in the United States and he hopes that this will inform positive educational curriculum changes for Roma children in the Czech Republic.