Professor
Anita Ramasastry, UW Professor of Law, has been appointed by The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in Geneva,
Switzerland, as a special advisor to an expert panel to addressing corporate
complicity in international human rights violations.
Professor Ramasastry was selected to join the
advisory group as a result of her past work as a special attorney and
advisor to a tribunal established to resolve claims to Holocaust-era bank
accounts. She also has extensive international legal experience in the
areas of commerce and human rights, including her work on projects sponsored
by the Canadian and Norwegian governments relating to business and
international crimes.
The ICJ panel’s task is to outline how businesses may be held legally
liable for helping to commit serious human rights violations that are
considered international crimes. The panel, comprised of eight eminent
lawyers, will establish clear legal guidelines for businesses, NGOs,
governments, and the United Nations, thereby enabling them to identify when
businesses have crossed the line and have become participants in
international crimes.
The ICJ is "dedicated since 1952 to the primacy, coherence and
implementation of international law and principles that advance human
rights."