Welcome to Legal Frontiers, a podcast channel created by the University of Bristol Law School. Legal Frontiers puts the spotlight on researchers shaping a better world by leading the way in some of the most innovative areas of legal research.
Guantánamo Series
In our first series, we delve into the incredible story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was detained at the notorious Guantánamo Bay detention camp, without charge, for over a decade. We hear Mohamedou’s story as extracts from an event hosted by the University of Bristol’s Human Rights Implementation Centre to mark the shameful 20th anniversary of the facilities existence – an event that also put the spotlight on the significant role Bristol researchers have played in reducing incidence of torture around the world. Mohammedou’s defence lawyer, Nancy Hollander and Professor Sir Malcolm Evans, joined Mohamedou on stage and continue the conversation here.
Episode one
Kicking off this extraordinary series, we hear first-hand from Mohamedou Ould Slahi who exposed the use of torture at Guantánamo, smuggling out facts about his experience in letters to his lawyer, Nancy Hollander. Nancy joins with Professor Sir Malcolm Evans to extend the conversation and discuss her role in sharing the story, the first and only memoir by a still-imprisoned Guantánamo detainee, that helped secure his freedom.
For further reading: "Guantanamo, Torture and Mechanisms for Change."
If you're interested in related study or research, please have a look at our LLM Human Rights Law and our PhD in Law.
Episode two
Have you ever wondered what representing someone detained in a facility synonymous with secrecy and deception would be like? In the second episode of this series, we delve into the realities of striving for truth as a Guantánamo lawyer. Professor Sir Malcolm Evans, former chair of the UNs Subcommittee for Prevention of Torture, joins Nancy Hollander, the Guantánamo lawyer who represented Mohamedou Ould Slahi whilst he was detained there for 14 years without charge.
For further reading: "Guantanamo, Torture and Mechanisms for Change."
If you're interested in related study or research, please have a look at our LLM Human Rights Law and PhD Law.
Episode 3
As we mark the shameful 20th anniversary of Guantánamo Bay, the third episode in this series asks if torture works. We hear, first hand, from Mohamedou Ould Slahi who reflects on what pain and fear meant to his perception of truth. His criminal defence lawyer, Nancy Hollander, and Professor Sir Malcolm Evans, former chair of the UNs Subcommittee for Prevention of Torture, extend the conversation to discuss how such a barbaric approach was possible in Guantánamo, in the 21st Century.
For further reading: "Guantanamo, Torture and Mechanisms for Change."
If you're interested in related study or research, please have a look at our LLM Human Rights Law and our PhD in Law.
Episode 4
To wrap up this extraordinary series, we look at the prospects for closing Guantánamo, the need for mechanisms that hold States accountable for their crimes - and what the facility’s legacy means for international human rights. For the last time, criminal defence lawyer, Nancy Hollander, and Professor Sir Malcolm Evans come together to discuss how the United States of America ignored international human rights treaties – and what can be learnt from the role the University of Bristol's Human Rights implementation Centre already plays in reducing incidence of torture around the world.
For further reading: "Guantanamo, Torture and Mechanisms for Change."
If you're interested in related study or research, please have a look at our LLM Human Rights Law and our PhD in Law.