Theresa Kleinhaus, a second-year law student, has visions of becoming a human rights attorney when she completes her legal studies.  Little did she know that by participating in a fellowship program sponsored by the International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI) at the DePaul University College of Law, she would get the chance to put her legal skills to work before even earning a law degree.

While in Mexico as part of  IHRLI’s Sullivan Fellowship program, which is designed to offer students hands-on experience in providing human rights training, Kleinhaus, 25, and three other  students—James Vanzant, Catherine Brady and Rocío Alcantar—joined a legal team working to protect the rights of Mexican human rights advocates who were being threatened for speaking out about abuses they had witnessed.

The fellowship program specifically targets outstanding second- and third-year DePaul students who are interested in human rights law. Becoming legal representatives for actual clients was an added bonus for Kleinhaus and her classmates.

“This is the first case I’ve ever worked on,” said Kleinhaus, a resident of Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. “Having such personal exposure strengthens my commitment to human rights.  I came to law school because I want to practice human rights law, so I’m gratified and I feel fortunate that I am getting the opportunity to work on this type of case.”

Their clients are Maurilio Santiago Reyes, president of the Center for Human Rights and Consultancy for Indigenous Peoples (CEDHAPI) in Oaxaca, Mexico, and members of his staff.  They had been the subjected to repeated death threats and harassment for helping indigenous people living in Santo Domingo Ixcatlan, located in the state of Oaxaca, who opposed the sale of their communal lands.   The situation was aggravated this past April when three indigenous leaders were killed by Mexican paramilitary forces because of their protests.  Reyes, who is an attorney, sought legal assistance from the DePaul students when the intimidation he and his staff faced escalated following the killings.

The students worked with other human rights organizations in the area and quickly filed a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which was created by treaty and signed by all the countries in the Americas. The commission provides a system of checks and balances on human rights and has the power to mandate protection for Reyes and his staff.   A decision favorable to Reyes is expected to be rendered by the commission very quickly.  Such a decision could provide immediate relief for those threatened and support a general respect for the rule of law in Oaxaca and throughout Mexico.

“We take these threats very seriously,” said Daniel Rothenberg, managing director of international projects for IHRLI.  “Our students are playing a significant role in working to protect the lives of our Mexican colleagues and to promote the rule of law in Mexico and throughout the region.”

IHRLI, which was established by the DePaul College of Law in 1990, is at the forefront of contemporary human rights research, training and advocacy.  It has engaged in human rights training, post-conflict justice programs and large-scale human rights documentation projects throughout the world.  It conducts scholarly research on human rights, international criminal law and international humanitarian law.  It also works to give students practical legal experience to complement their traditional legal studies.

For Kleinhaus and the other law students, to be able to take such a leading role in an actual case illustrates the type of practical experience that IHRLI strives to bring to legal education at DePaul.

“We are committed to progressing human rights advocacy throughout the world, especially in such areas as the Middle East and Latin America,” said Charles Tucker, executive director of IHRLI. “One of our major goals is to integrate rigorous academic training, capacity building, research and advocacy with a special focus on the problems facing indigenous peoples in Mexico as well as other major issues in Latin America.  This work is another major step toward making our vision a reality.”