Chapter 9: Strategic Litigation
CHAPTER 9: STRATEGIC LITIGATION
Companion Website by: Samuel Ellyson, Sydney Ryan, and Allie Fiul
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- More About the Participants
- Chapter Study Resources
- Chapter Summary
- General Resources
- Resources Prompted by Anton Burkov’s Section
- Resources Prompted by Carmen Mestizo’s Section
- Resources Prompted by Gaye Sowe’s Section
- African Institutions: Charters and Protocols
- The “Landmark” Kilwa Case: Democratic Republic of The Congo
- Armed Groups: Democratic Republic of The Congo
- African Women’s Rights
- African Women’s Rights: Mali Case
- The Dorothy Njemanze Case: Nigeria
- The Case of Slavery: Nigeria
- Non-Discriminatory Education for Girls: Sierra Leone
- The Cameroon Case
- Resources Prompted by Kathy Roberts’s Section
- Take Action!
- Contribute Resources!
MORE ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS:

Russia

Colombia

The Gambia

USA
Anton Burkov
Legal Work:
Visiting Fellow Anton Burkov Wins Case Before European Court of Human Rights
Case of Kruglov and Others v. Russia
Personal:
Carmen Mestizo
Kathy Roberts
Legal Work:
Atrocities Committed Under Somali Dictator Siad Barre: Yousuf v. Samantar
Personal:
VIDEOS FEATURING THE PARTICIPANTS:
CHAPTER STUDY RESOURCES:
USE THESE TO HELP FURTHER YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHAPTER!
CHAPTER SUMMARY:
Despite major legal victories, over the past two decades, human rights lawyers and practitioners have come to realize that pursuing legal cases in human rights tribunals is not sufficient and should not be seen in isolation from larger advocacy campaigns. This chapter provides an overview of strategic ligation, with insight into using strategic litigation as a human rights tool within social movements, examining methods that exist for strategic litigation both in and out of the courtroom. The discussants utilize different venues and methods of strategic litigation and social action, sometimes avoiding the courtroom or judicial venue entirely. These are four incredible examples of using human rights norms to make major advances in human rights at the national and international levels, often in dealing with very difficult contexts.
This chapter is relevant to other covered topics including social movements, environmental justice, law, and gender discrimination.
GENERAL RESOURCES:
DEFINING STRATEGIC LITIGATION:
groups using strategic litigation:
Amnesty International Strategic Litigation
Trial International Strategic Litigation
International Service for Human Rights
Atlantic Council Strategic Litigation Project
Open Global Rights Strategic Litigation
Global Strategic Litigation Council for Refugee Rights
Strategic Litigation And Its Untapped Potential For Anti-Corruption
Climate Change And Human Rights-Based Strategic Litigation
Strategic Litigation Experiences In The Inter-American Human Rights System
databases: human rights cases:
us human rights cases:
columbia human rights cases:
PODCASTS:
VIDEOS:
Resources Prompted by ANTON BURKOV’s SECTION:
russian court system:
european court of human rights:
Court Documents:
RUSSIAN ORGAN HARVESTING CASE:
RUSSIAN POLICE BRUTALITY:
Court Documents:
Resources Prompted by CARMEN MESTIZO’s SECTION:
columbian war: background:
columbian war: women’s experience:
columbian women activism:
columbia: women’s rights in post-war society:
Court Documents:
Resources Prompted by GAYE SOWE’s SECTION:
AFRICAN INSTITUTIONS – CHARTERS AND PROTOCOLS:
THE “LANDMARK” KILWA CASE: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO:
ARMED GROUPS: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO:
AFRICAN WOMEN’S RIGHTS:
AFRICAN WOMEN’S RIGHTS: MALI CASE:
THE DOROTHY NJEMANZE CASE: NIGERIA:
THE CASE OF SLAVERY: NIGERIA:
Court Documents:
NON-DISCRIMINATORY EDUCATION FOR GIRLS: SIERRA LEONE:
the cameroon case:
Resources Prompted by KATHY ROBERTS’s SECTION:
THE ALIEN TORT CASE:
somali background on cases:
somali cases:
transitional justice:
Secondary trauma:
take action!
united nations sessions:
human rights stakeholders:
social media:
