The Conference on Defending Human Rights presented by the Florida Bar International Law Section Standing Committee on Public International Law, Human Rights and Global Justice was a success! Interested parties partook in several intriguing panel discussions covering topics on not only Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, but also human rights issues facing our entire global community. Of special note were the several Keynote speakers, including Rosa Maria Paya of Cuba Decide, Dr. Felicia Knaul, Director of the University of Miami Institute for Advanced Studies of the Americas, Retired Ambassador John Feeley, Photojournalist Ana Maria Arevalo Gosen, and Felix Maradiaga, the Nicaraguan Opposition Leader. It was an amazing Conference and one which the Committee hopes shall serve as a launching pad for further initiatives facing these regions and human rights in general.
The Committee would like to extend a special thank to The Florida Bar, the International Law Section, the University of Miami School of Law Inter-American Law Review, the University of Miami Latin American Studies, and the members of the Steering Committee, namely the Committee Head Prof. Lisa Iglesias, the ILS Chair Carlos F. Osorio, the ILS Treasurer James M. Meyer, and Richard A.C. Alton. Finally, the Committee extends its gratitude to all the panelists, speaker, volunteers, and the promotional team at the Gazette.