Biography

Rosemary Byrne (B.A. Columbia, 1986, J.D. Harvard, 1992) is an Associate Professor of International and Human Rights Law and the Director of the Centre for Post-Conflict Justice at Trinity. She is also a Research Fellow at the Institute for International Integration Studies, where she is a member of the Institute’s governing Executive Committee. Recently she completed a five year term as a Human Rights Commissioner for the Irish Human Rights Commission, which is the national human rights institution established in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement. She has been a Visiting Professor of International Law at the Paris School of International Affairs, d'Études Politiques (Sciences-Po) and at the China-EU School of Law, China University of Political Science and Law.

Professor Byrne’s main areas of research are international criminal justice and refugee law. In establishing the International Process and Justice Project she directed extensive empirical research on international criminal trial process over a two year period at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and was the first external expert to have been invited to address a plenary session of the judges of the International Criminal Court. Her research has also been presented in closed sessions to the judges of both ICTR and ICTY. In the field of refugee law, she has been the Editor-in-Chief for five editions of the Refugee Law Reader: Cases Documents and Materials the first online curriculum in refugee law that now appears French, Spanish and Russian language editions and is being used in several continents for teaching, training and research.

Additionally, Professor Byrne has given papers and lectured on human rights in over 20 countries, delivered human rights training for the Council of Europe and the Helsinki Committee, and served on the Management Committee of the COST ESF Project on International Law in Domestic Courts. Throughout her career she has worked with a range of international and Irish non-governmental organizations and has been a Visiting Fellow at the Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School and a Government of Ireland Research Fellow. Her publications include R. Byrne, “The New Public International Lawyer and the Hidden Art of International Trial Practice,” 25 Connecticut Journal of International Law (2010) pp.243-305< R. Byrne, “Assessing Testimonial Evidence: Lessons from the International Criminal Tribunals,” 19 International Journal of Refugee Law No. 4 (2007) pp.609-638; and R. Byrne, “Promises of Peace and Reconciliation: Previewing Legacy at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda,” 14 European Review No.4 (2006) pp.485-497.

Grants from the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have provided generous support for Professor Byrne’s work.

 

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Professional Qualifications

• Harvard Law School, Harvard University, Juris Doctorate, 1992.
• Barnard College, Columbia University, B.A. magna cum laude, 1986.
• Major in Political Science, Departmental Honours.

 

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Representations

• Director, Centre for Post-Conflict Justice
• Member of Executive Committee, Institute for International Integration Studies, 2002-present
• Human Rights Commissioner, Irish Human Rights, 2007 - 2011
• Secretary, International Law Association
• Danish Refugee Council: External Expert: Safe Third Country Project
• Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance, Egypt, External Reviewer
• NGO Membership: Board Member for the Irish Refugee Council
• Council of Europe: Human Rights Training

 

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Administrative Functions

 

 

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Awards and Honours

• Government of Ireland Research Fellow, 2001-2002.

 

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Education Details

• Harvard Law School, Harvard University, Juris Doctorate, 1992.
• Barnard College, Columbia University, B.A. magna cum laude, 1986.
• Major in Political Science, Departmental Honours.

 

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Employment Details

• Visiting Human Rights Fellow, Harvard Law School, Spring, 1999.
• Head Law Tutor, Lowell House, Harvard College. 1990-92.
• Acting Director of Admissions, Barnard College, Columbia University 1986-1989

Other Non-Governmental Experience

• Refugee Policy Protection Group, Founding Member, 1999
• International Law Association. Secretary of the Irish Branch Since 2000
• Irish Refugee Council, Board Member 1992-1993
• Human Rights Working Group of the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace, Member 1998-2000
• Lawyers Committee for Human Rights: Student Researcher in refugee camps in Kenya and Zambia 1991

International Human Rights Training and Advising

• International Process and Justice Project, Delivery of Judicial Seminars
• Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA), Egypt, External Reviewer
• Helsinki Citizens Assembly, Refugee Legal Aid, Istanbul, External Reviewer
• Helsinki Committee (Hungary), Legal Training for Refugee Professors in the Baltics, CEECs, and parts of the CIS and Balkans.
• Council of Europe (Macedonia), Legal Training on ECHR for Macedonian Bar Association
• Danish Refugee Council, Expert Advisor on Safe Third Country Project
• U.S. Committee for Refugees, Expert Participant in Anti-Warehousing Campaign

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Memberships /Associations

 

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Publications

Selected Peer Reviewed Publications

Journal Articles

• R. Byrne , 'The New Public International Lawyer and the Hidden Art of International Trial Practice,' Connecticut Journal of International Law, 25 (forthcoming)
• Rosemary Byrne, Assessing Testimonial Evidence: Lessons from the International Criminal Tribunals, International Journal of Refugee Law , 19, (2), 2007
• R. Byrne, "Assessing Testimonial Evidence: Lessons from the International Criminal Tribunals", forthcoming, International Journal of Refugee Law (2006).
• R. Byrne, “Promises of Peace and Reconciliation: Previewing the Legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda,” 14 European Review (4) (2006) pp. 485-498.
• R. Byrne, “Remedies of Limited Effect: Rights of Appeal under the Forthcoming EU Directive on Minimum Standards on Procedures” 7 European Journal of Migration and Law (2005) pp.71-86.
• R. Byrne, G. Noll, J.Vedsted-Hansen, “Understanding Refugee Law in an Enlarged European Union,” 15 European Journal of International Law No. 2 (2004) pp. 355-379
• R. Byrne, “Harmonization and Burden Relocation in the Two Europes,” 16 Journal of Refugee Studies No. 3 (2003) 356
• R. Byrne "Changing Modalities: The Implementation of Human Rights Obligations in Ireland after the Good Friday Agreement," 70 Nordic Journal of International Law (2001) pp. 1-27.
• R. Byrne, "Expediency and Refugee Determination Procedures," Irish Jurist (2000), pp. 367- 382.
• R. Byrne, "At the Cross-Roads: Refugee Protection in Ireland Under the 1996 Refugee Act," Irish Human Rights Review (2000) pp.1-16.
• R. Byrne, "Redesigning Fortress Europe," 7 Oxford International Review (1997) pp.10-16.
• R. Byrne, "Chemical Weapons Act 1997" Irish Current Law Statutes Annotated, (1997) pp. 28-01 - 28-17.
• R. Byrne and A. Shacknove, "The Safe Country Notion in European Asylum Law," 9 Harvard Human Rights Journal (1996) pp. 185-226.

 

Book Chapters

• Understanding Refugee Law in an Enlarged European Union in, editor(s)Lambert, Helene , The Library of Essays, University of Westminister, Ashgate, 2010, pp1 - 554, [Byrne, Rosemary, Noll G, Vedsted-Hansen, J]
• Conscientious Objection in, editor(s)Wolfrum, R , The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, Oxford, OUP, 2008, [Byrne, Rosemary]
• R. Byrne, “Recent Developments in Refugee Law,” in R. Perruchoud and R. Cholewinski, eds. International Migration Law: Developing Paradigms and Key Challenges, forthcoming (The Hague: Asser Press) (2006)
• R. Byrne, “Credibility in Changing Contexts: Seeking International Justice or International Protection,” in G. Noll, ed. Credibility, Proof and Evidence in Asylum Law (The Hague: Brill/Kluwer) (2005) pp.179-196.
• R. Byrne, "Future Perspectives: Accession and Asylum in an Expanded European Union," in R. Byrne, G. Noll, J. Vedsted-Hansen eds., New Asylum Countries: Migration Control and Refugee Protection in an Enlarged European Union. (The Hague: Kluwer) (2002) pp. 373-422.
• R. Byrne, G. Noll and J.Vedsted-Hansen, "Western Asylum Policies for Export: The Transfer of Protection and Deflection Formulas to Central Europe and the Baltics," in R. Byrne, G. Noll, J. Vedsted-Hansen eds., New Asylum Countries: Migration Control and Refugee Protection in an Enlarged European Union. (The Hague: Kluwer) (2002) pp. 5-28.
• R. Byrne, G. Noll and J.Vedsted-Hansen, "Transformation of Asylum in Europe," in R. Byrne, G. Noll, J. Vedsted-Hansen eds., New Asylum Countries: Migration Control and Refugee Protection in an Enlarged European Union. (The Hague: Kluwer) (2002) pp. 423-431.
• R. Byrne, "Shifting the Frontiers: Migration Issues," in A. O'Rourke, ed., Enlargement: Challenges and Opportunities (Dublin: Institute of European Affairs) (2001) pp. 59-65.
• R. Byrne, "Human Rights," in R. Byrne and W. Binchy, eds., Annual Review of Irish Law (Dublin: Roundhall Sweet & Maxwell) (2001).
• R. Byrne, "Human Rights," in R. Byrne and W. Binchy, eds., Annual Review of Irish Law (Dublin: Roundhall Sweet & Maxwell) (2000) pp. pp.272a-272n.
• R. Byrne, "Human Rights," in R. Byrne and W. Binchy, ed., Annual Review of Irish Law (Dublin: Roundhall Sweet & Maxwell) (1999) pp. 333-349.
• R. Byrne, “On the Sliding Scales of Justice: The Status of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Ireland,” in R. Byrne and W. Duncan, eds. Developments in Discrimination Law (Dublin: Irish Centre for European Law) (1997) pp. 107-117.

Other Selected Publications - Edited On-Line Books

• Byrne, Rosemary, Receuil de Droit des Réfugiés: Instruments, jurisprudences et documents, 1st, French, Hungarian Helsinki Committee/ ERF/UNHCR, 2009, 1 - 202pp
• Byrne, Rosemary, Receuil de Droit des Réfugiés: Instruments, jurisprudences et documents, 1st, Hungarian, Hungarian Helsinki Committee/ ERF/UNHCR, 2009, 1 - 202pp
• Byrne, Rosemary, Reader in Refugee Law: Cases, Documents and Materials, 5th, Hungarian Helsinki Committee/ ERF/UNHCR, 2008, 1 - 202pp
• Byrne, Rosemary, Reader in Refugee Law: Cases, Documents and Materials, 4th, Hungarian Helsinki Committee/ ERF/UNHCR, 2007
• R. Byrne, ed.in chief, The Refugee Law Reader: Cases, Documents and Materials, (http:www.refugeelawreader.org )(2005, 3rd Edition)

Edited Books

• R. Byrne, G. Noll, J. Vedsted-Hansen eds., New Asylum Countries: Migration Control and Refugee Protection in an Enlarged European Union. (The Hague: Kluwer) (2002) pp. 463.R. Byrne and W. Duncan, eds. Developments in Discrimination Law (Dublin: Irish Centre for European Law) (1997) pp. 117.The following reviews have been published on the New Asylum Countries:
• 8 European Foreign Affairs Review pp 150-152, 2003 (Andrew Geddes)14 International Journal of Refugee Law pp 487-488, 2002 (Ryszard Piotrowicz)16 Journal of Refugee Studies pp 445-446, 2003 (Delphine Nakache and François Crépeau)52 International and Comparative Law Quarterly, pp. 1067-1068, 2003 (Frank Wooldrige).

 

 

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Postgraduate Research Students

 

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Links

• Centre for Post-Conflict Justice

 

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