Mr. Gabor Rona will discuss human rights in the U.S. in the context of national security as we launch our 2007 Human Rights Lecture Series.  The 2007 lecture series will apply a human rights lens to a range of domestic issues. The first lecture will discuss the human rights situation in the U.S. post-September 11^th.  How has the U.S. changed with respect to human rights? Are we living up to our values and international obligations with respect to human rights? How do we achieve a balance between the need and obligation to respect human rights and the need and desire to be safe? Must we compromise human rights to be safe? Mr. Rona will help us address these issues and concerns.

Gabor Rona is the International Legal Director of Human Rights First. He advises Human Rights First programs on questions of international law and coordinates international human rights litigation. He also represents Human Rights First with governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the media and the public on matters of international human rights and international humanitarian law (the law of armed conflict).

Before coming to Human Rights First in 2005, Gabor was a Legal Advisor in the Legal Division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva. At the ICRC he focused on the application of international humanitarian and human rights law in the context of counter-terrorism policies and practices. He represented the ICRC in intergovernmental, nongovernmental, academic and public forums and his articles on the topic have appeared in the Financial Times, the Fletcher Forum on World Affairs and the Chicago Journal of International Law, among other publications. In addition, he represented the ICRC in connection with the establishment of international and other criminal tribunals, including the International Criminal Court. He has also taught International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law in several academic settings, including the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France and the University Centre for International Humanitarian Law in Geneva, Switzerland.