Brian Concannon
Encyclopedia
Brian Concannon, Jr. is a human rights lawyer
who directs the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
(IJDH). He is also the Coordinator of the Lawyers’ Earthquake Response Network (LERN), which coordinates over 300 U.S. lawyers providing legal support for Haiti’s earthquake victims. Brian also serves as a member of the Editorial Board of Health and Human Rights: An International Journal at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is a BC High alum '81, as well as an Ignatius Award winner. He is also the recipient of the Wasserstein Public Interest Fellowship from Harvard as well as the Brandeis International Fellowship in Human Rights, Intervention, and International Law.
. During his time at the BAI, Brian played an essential role in preparing the prosecution of the landmark Raboteau Massacre trial in 2000. As many as 50 people were killed in the Raboteau
in 1994. Six years later Brian and the BAI were able to convict 16 defendants guilty for their role in the massacre. The Court also issued a civil damages judgment against the defendants for 1 billion gourdes (roughly $43 million). A video was made about the trial which features extensive interviews with Concannon.
(IJDH) after the February 2004 coup d’etat that overthrew Haiti’s president Jean-Bertrand Aristide
. IJDH was founded specifically as the sister group of the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux
(BAI). IJDH and the BAI work collaboratively on all their projects. IJDH is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Brian successfully represented former Prime Minister and political prisoner Yvon Neptune
in the only Haiti case ever decided by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who directs the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
The Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti is a non-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA that seeks to accompany the people of Haiti in their non-violent struggle for the consolidation of constitutional democracy, justice and human rights. IJDH distributes information on...
(IJDH). He is also the Coordinator of the Lawyers’ Earthquake Response Network (LERN), which coordinates over 300 U.S. lawyers providing legal support for Haiti’s earthquake victims. Brian also serves as a member of the Editorial Board of Health and Human Rights: An International Journal at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is a BC High alum '81, as well as an Ignatius Award winner. He is also the recipient of the Wasserstein Public Interest Fellowship from Harvard as well as the Brandeis International Fellowship in Human Rights, Intervention, and International Law.
Bureau des Avocats Internationaux
From 1996-2004 Brian co-managed the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), Haiti's only public interest law office with Mario JosephMario Joseph
Mario Joseph, Haiti's most prominent human rights lawyer , has led the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux in Port-au-Prince since 1996. Attorney Joseph and the BAI represent political prisoners and victims of political violence, and fight to make Haiti's justice system work for poor people.The BAI...
. During his time at the BAI, Brian played an essential role in preparing the prosecution of the landmark Raboteau Massacre trial in 2000. As many as 50 people were killed in the Raboteau
Gonaïves
Gonaïves is a city in northern Haiti, the capital of the Artibonite Department. It has a population of about 104,825 people . The city's name derives from the original Amerindian name of Gonaibo. It is also known as Haïti's "independence city"...
in 1994. Six years later Brian and the BAI were able to convict 16 defendants guilty for their role in the massacre. The Court also issued a civil damages judgment against the defendants for 1 billion gourdes (roughly $43 million). A video was made about the trial which features extensive interviews with Concannon.
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
In 2004, Brian left the BAI to found The Institute for Justice & Democracy in HaitiInstitute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
The Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti is a non-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA that seeks to accompany the people of Haiti in their non-violent struggle for the consolidation of constitutional democracy, justice and human rights. IJDH distributes information on...
(IJDH) after the February 2004 coup d’etat that overthrew Haiti’s president Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
. IJDH was founded specifically as the sister group of the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux
Bureau des Avocats Internationaux
The Bureau des Avocats Internationaux is a public interest law office located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, founded in 1995. Its mission is to work with victims of human rights violations to force open the doors of Haiti's justice system for the majority of Haitians who are poor...
(BAI). IJDH and the BAI work collaboratively on all their projects. IJDH is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Brian successfully represented former Prime Minister and political prisoner Yvon Neptune
Yvon Neptune
Yvon Neptune was Prime Minister of Haïti from 2002 until 2004. He was appointed by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and took office on March 15, 2002...
in the only Haiti case ever decided by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is an autonomous judicial institution based in the city of San José, Costa Rica. Together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, it makes up the human rights protection system of the Organization of American States , which serves to uphold and...