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2020 2021 Annual Report THE UNIVERSITY NETWORK FOR HUMAN RIGHTS 77 Pearl St Middletown CT 06459 humanrightsnetwork org

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About the University Network for Human Rights The University Network for Human Rights housed on the campus of Wesleyan University in Middletown Connecticut is a nonprofit organization founded in 2018 We are committed to training the next generation in communitycentered interdisciplinary human rights advocacy in the US and globally For more information about the University Network visit humanrightsnetwork org 77 Pearl St Middletown CT 06459 humanrightsnetwork org

A Message from In our first annual report finalized just days before the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic we focused on the global assault in recent years on the basic tenets of racial justice distributive justice and environmental protection We emphasized then the need t o a n c h o r human rights in l arge r s t r u g g l e s for social justice l ed b y m o v e m e nts of oppressed and m a r g i n a l i z e d peoples in th e US a n d g l o b a l l y The role of th e unive r s i t y i n t h is project must shift t o w a r d s a new model i n which s t u d e n t s across discipline s are t r ai n e d i n community based human r i g h t s a d vocacy Since we wrote those words the global crises facing human rights advocates have intensified Since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic the global crises facing human rights advocates have intensified Disaster capitalism is ravaging the globe In the United States and across the world marginalized and vulnerable people including communities of color unhoused people people in prisons and front line workers have suffered the most severe consequences of the pandemic Meanwhile the extremely wealthy have benefitted handsomely growing their wealth during this crisis ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 The perversity of our privatized health system has become patently obvious Despite historic protests against racist police brutality law enforcement budgets remain bloated while crucial public services lack funding Globally climate change has produced increasingly frequent extreme weather incidents and slow onset change forcing migrants in the Global South to flee their communities and countries Mass atrocity war crimes and authoritarian rule continue in dozens of states around the globe often with tacit or express support of the world s most powerful states The language of human rights has permeated the public consciousness At the same time the language of human rights has permeated the public consciousness more prominently than ever before healthcare is a human right and housing is a human right are increasingly the moral frameworks embraced by activists and directly affected people These past three years the message and goals of the University Network have resonated with communities grassroots activists students professors university administrators and human rights professionals The task before us is monumental to channel this broad support for the idea of human rights into effective action for lasting change 4

Our Co Founders Institutionally we have ensured financial support for the next five years expanded our program at Wesleyan see pages 13 14 instituted a summer program for students across the United States see pages 10 12 and reached an agreement with the AUSJAL network of 30 universities see pages 16 17 We will begin teaching human rights advocacy at Trinity College see page 18 and have advanced in developing a master s program in Europe for activists from the Global South and at the University of California Irvine see page 18 And of course we continue to work with communities facing rights abuse whether environmental racism in Louisiana and New York see pages 21 23 forced disappearances in Mexico see page 17 state repression in Bolivia see pages 28 31 US deportation of Hondurans see pages 32 33 mass incarceration in Connecticut see page 27 or climate change displacement in Central America see page 25 We are on the right path one that sees our youth as our greatest asset and continues to invest in training this promising next generation of human rights and social justice advocates We train students in the classroom during intensive sessions on interviewing project design and other practical skills building and in supervised work with those facing rights abuse The global challenges we collectively face are enormous But so too is our conviction that we are on the right path one that sees our youth as our greatest asset and continues to invest in training this promising next generation of human rights and social justice advocates We thank you for supporting our work Sincerely Jim Cavallaro and Ruhan Nagra Co Founders In all these projects we have worked closely with students to develop their skills in effective community centered interdisciplinary human rights advocacy 5 University Network for Human Rights

Our Mission Training advocates Uplifting movements Empowering communities Since its inception the University Network for Human Rights has worked to democratize the human rights movement through two paths First we partner directly with grassroots organizations in communities threatened by abusive private corporate or state conduct to advance social justice and human rights in the US and abroad Second we train the next generation of interdisciplinary community focused advocates thereby disrupting the effective monopoly that law schools have held over practical human rights education Together our dual approach not only supports and strengthens community led social movements but also ensures that future leaders are prepared to carry on this vital work We believe that social change happens when people s movements succeed in shifting power Moreover we believe that those most directly affected by rights abuses are best positioned to lead such movements Thus community led coalitions lie at the heart of all our advocacy work In the last year we ve worked closely with activists from Louisiana s Cancer Alley environmental advocates in Brooklyn organizations of formerly incarcerated persons in Connecticut and Indigenous rights leaders in Bolivia In each of these coalitions we work to amplify local movements through targeted fact finding documentation and advocacy that centers community goals University Network trainee Tara Nair R Wesleyan interviews Larry Allison a community member in Louisiana L in the winter of 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 6

Omar Shakir Human Rights Watch in upper left corner leads Human Rights Summer Intensive trainees in a virtual fact finding training To fully unleash the transformative potential of the human rights movement we must also renew and diversify how we collectively train advocates In particular we believe educators must shift from a status quo in which the legal academy is our center of gravity In its place the University Network develops unique advocacy training programs that engage a new generation of prospective advocates and train them in cutting edge interdisciplinary and cross cultural methods In the last few years we ve implemented this mission to great success Through our growing programs with Wesleyan University we ve brought clinical human rights education to undergraduates and other students outside of law schools In collaboration with leading Latin American universities we re working to develop new human rights clinics across the region As our network grows we aim to expand our programs for non law students activists and human rights defenders in the United States the Global South and around the world 7 University Network for Human Rights

Working with the University Network has been paramount to my personal and professional development Through the mentorship of its staff I have gained an understanding of human rights practice sharper than I ever dreamed of having As I reflect on the program and my growth I know that this experience has been invaluable Luis Mart nez Human Rights Intensive Vanderbilt University ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 8

S t u d T r e a n i ts nin g ew i v e R in r a e rY u O Wesleyan University 9 University Network for Human Rights

Human Rights Intensive During the summer of 2020 the University Network for Human Rights began its inaugural Human Rights Intensive This program brought together eleven undergraduate students from across the United States for an unparalleled training experience in human rights theory and practice Although originally slated to occur at our headquarters in Connecticut the Intensive ultimately took place in a virtual setting due to COVID 19 The Intensive is the only program in the United States that allows undergraduate students to gain not only the skills requisite for human rights practice but also to deploy those skills in a supervised environment on real world projects For the first six weeks of the Intensive our undergraduates convened daily for a seminar led by UNHR Executive Director Jim Cavallaro During these meetings students developed a strong grasp of the history of the human rights movement critiques of the practice a contemporary understanding of human rights law and possibilities for the movement s future Students also engaged with expert guest lecturers over the summer including Professor Kathryn Libal UConn Professor Sam Moyn Yale Law School and Alicia Yamin Harvard Partners in Health Summer Intensive trainees and University Network staff join Dr Kimberly Terrell Tulane for a virtual workshop onCaption racial inequities environmental health and human rights ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 10

In addition to this seminar the Intensive offered students the opportunity to develop real world human rights skills through practice workshops Our Intensive worked with experts from the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic the SUNY College of Environmental Science Human Rights Watch and the University Network to develop familiarity with Geographic Information Systems GIS statistical analysis and coding for human rights storytelling for advocacy interview techniques and skills for pursuing human rights work in sensitive or high risk environments Participants were able to apply these skills to real world human rights projects under the supervision of University Network staff for the remainder of the 2020 2021 academic year Our Intensive students contributed valuable work to both projects not yet released and those seen in this report including They Shot Us like Animals Connecticut at the Crossroads and Shelter from the Storm Kenia Hale Human Rights Intensive Yale University The University Network received over 170 applications for the 2020 Human Rights Intensive Applicants represented over fifty universities across the United States The eleven students ultimately selected possessed not only strong academic records but demonstrable commitments to social justice and human rights in their own communities Our participants hailed from a variety of home universities including Amherst College Howard University the University of California at Santa Barbara Vanderbilt and Yale among others Since completing our Intensive our alumni have gone on to apply their human rights skills in their continuing education professional lives and their own communities Several have gained admission to top law programs won competitive fellowships and begun research fellowships in criminal justice and technology policy 11 University Network for Human Rights

The Intensive provided me not only with a knowledge of human rights theory I had opportunities to meet brilliant activists speak at a criminal justice conference and have my writing published This program showed me that there are many ways to engage in advocacy and this experience has only strengthened my passion for social justice Ifeoma Anyoku Human Rights Intensive Brown University ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 12

Wesleyan University In the 2019 2020 academic year the University Network launched a unique Pilot Program in Human Rights Practice on the campus of Wesleyan University Over the course of two semesters students engaged in seminars skills training modules a week long fact finding simulation exercise and real world human rights work under the supervision of University Network staff Through this holistic experience participants developed a foundational understanding of human rights texts a strong grasp of human rights mechanisms and a critical understanding of challenges facing the movement As part of the Wesleyan Pilot Program students participate in a week long human rights fact finding and simulation exercise The simulation originally developed by Jim Cavallaro at Harvard Law School and enhanced at Stanford Law School allows students to practice sensitive interview techniques in a controlled environment The simulation has received significant recognition for its effectiveness in combating pitfalls of human rights fieldwork Human Rights Quarterly a major journal in the field published a piece by Cavallaro and Meghna Sridhar titled Reducing Bias in Human Rights Fact Finding The Potential of the Clinical Simulation Model to Overcome Ethical Practical and Cultural Tensions in Foreign Contexts 2020 which documented the University Network s unique approach to the field simulation After a successful inaugural year the Pilot Program continued through the 2020 2021 academic year Although modified for COVID 19 our second year of the Pilot Program still allowed students to gain practical experience on supervised human rights projects Wesleyan undergraduate students contributed valuable research to projects seen in this report including Connecticut at the Crossroads and Shelter from the Storm They also provided preliminary research for work on abuses of Honduran deportees Several Wesleyan students chose to continue their work with the University Network over the summer of 2021 as full time interns In recognition of this successful collaboration Wesleyan University has voted to expand the University Network s human rights work on campus through the development of an expanded permanent program 13 University Network for Human Rights

Beginning in the fall of 2022 the University Network will administer a new minor and in residence program in human rights advocacy at Wesleyan The minor will allow Wesleyan undergraduates to pursue an intensive experience in human rights over multiple years ultimately culminating in a capstone project during their senior year Wesleyan students selected for the minor will have the opportunity to participate in the University Network s simulation exercises work on real world human rights projects and travel to sites of active abuse for fact finding and documentation The in residence program will draw undergraduate students from college campuses across the country to Wesleyan to engage in a full time human rights clinic under the supervision of University Network staff Participating students will share both a strong background and passion for the advancement of human rights and social justice The program is the first of its kind in the United States Its implementation will allow the University Network to equip more students with the skills necessary to advocate for human rights and social justice on their campuses in their communities and beyond These expansions in the University Network s clinical programs provide a major opportunity to train passionate undergraduates in the study and practice of human rights advocacy Both the minor and in residence program will begin in Fall 2022 University Network staff engage with a classroom of Wesleyan undergraduates in early 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 14

Participating in the year long Human Rights Intensive was an unparalleled opportunity to engage in human rights advocacy as an undergraduate I gained exposure to advocacy and got to work on the issues that matter most to me It was an honor to learn and work among experts and such talented undergraduates The Intensive affirmed my commitment to a life in human rights work and equipped me with the skills to pursue my goals Margot Lurie Human Rights Summer Intensive Amherst College 15 University Network for Human Rights

AUSJAL Partnership In March 2021 the University Network for Human Rights announced a major partnership with thirty universities across Latin America through the Asociaci n de Universidades Confiadas a la Compa a de Jes s en Am rica Latina AUSJAL This collaboration marks a momentous occasion both for human rights clinical programs in the Americas and the University Network s engagement in the region As part of the partnership the University Network will work with AUSJAL s member universities to develop and strengthen interdisciplinary clinics in human rights AUSJAL is a Latin American network of leading Jesuit universities These institutions share a commitment to social justice and academic excellence in line with the Jesuit tradition The organization brings together leading research and teaching centers in Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia the Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Guatemala Mexico Nicaragua Paraguay Peru Uruguay and Venezuela University Network and ITESO host a virtual book release to discuss our recent book length report La Impunidad Activa en M xico ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 16

On March 12 2021 AUSJAL and the University Network formally signed their partnership agreement in an online event Jim Cavallaro executive director of the University Network for Human Rights signed the agreement on behalf of the University Network and Luis Arriaga President of the Instituto Tecnol gico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente ITESO and the current chair of AUSJAL signed on behalf of the organization As a part of the occasion members of both AUSJAL and the University Network spoke reflecting on the opportunities for cross cultural human rights exchange across the Americas In their first collaboration the University Network and ITESO a Mexican member institution of AUSJAL published a new book documenting the cycle of active impunity in Mexico The book titled La Impunidad Activa en M xico analyzes the country s current human rights crisis assesses the role of external anti impunity mechanisms in other Latin American states and offers concrete recommendations to address impunity and rights abuse The book is available for open source download through ITESO s academic press The University Network looks forward to working in partnership with AUSJAL to advance human rights in the region Through this and future collaboration with practitioners in the Global South the University Network hopes to empower advocates around the world 17 University Network for Human Rights

Programs in Development The University Network continues to develop groundbreaking training programs In 2021 together with the University of Salerno Italy the University Network reached an agreement to collaborate on the development of a graduate level program and further exchanges in the field of human rights As part of this master s degree program experts from the University Network professors from the University of Salerno and leading scholars and practitioners from around the world will teach courses and supervise human rights work at a clinic in Salerno The program the first of its kind in Europe is designed to provide free tuition and full scholarships to students from the Global South In July Jim Cavallaro traveled to Italy to meet with professors administrators and local authorities to discuss their support for the program We aim to launch this graduate level program in late 2022 The University Network also continues to expand its programmatic offerings within the US In the fall of 2021 University Network staff will begin teaching our flagship human rights class at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut and at the University of California Irvine in Spring 2022 We expect that students at these schools will be able to participate in supervised human rights work throughout the year bringing more undergraduates into our clinical training Left to Right Francesco Rubino Salerno Gennaro Iorio Salerno Virginia Zambramo Salerno Jim Cavallaro UNHR and J nia Saldnha Unisinos Brazil meet in Salerno Italy in July 2021 to discuss the development of a new graduate program in human rights advocacy ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 18

g n i r e w w o s e i p e i v t m E mmuni ar in Re Co Our Ye An Indigenous street mural in Bolivia above Our 2020 report documents state violence against Indigenous groups across the country 19 University Network for Human Rights

Our Projects Environmental Justice Environmental racism describes the disproportionate environmental burdens borne by marginalized communities around the world Since its inception the University Network has worked to fight environmental racism and other environmental injustices in partnership with directly affected communities in the US and abroad In the last year we ve continued our longstanding work in Louisiana s Cancer Alley while joining the fight against fracked gas infrastructure in Brooklyn We ve also turned our attention to the Global South helping to illuminate human rights abuses at the intersection of climate change migration and race Through this work we hope to amplify grassroots calls for a clean environment enjoyed by all people Photo by Abigayle Reese ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 20

Challenging Environmental Injustice in Cancer Alley Fighting environmental racism and corporate abuse in Louisiana s St John the Baptist Parish In February 2021 our groundbreaking health study of the area surrounding the Denka Performance Elastomer neoprene facility in St John the Baptist Parish Louisiana originally released in July 2019 was published in the peer reviewed scientific journal Environmental Justice The study found that levels of cancer and other illnesses linked to exposure to chloroprene the carcinogen emitted by the Denka facility are extremely high in the area surrounding the facility and associated with proximity to the facility with higher levels of illness closer to the plant than further away The newly published study was covered by The Washington Post The Independent New Orleans Public Radio The Advocate and Desmog In May 2021 the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic filed a request for precautionary measures with the Inter American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of the University Network s partner community organization Concerned Citizens of St John Parish The Clinic s request which asks that the Commission direct the U S government to set pollution limits and order Denka to cease operations extensively cites our peerreviewed health study The work of the Concerned Citizens of St John and the University Network was recently a subject of Unbreathable a new documentary from American University and the American Lung Association Across the globe activists gather to protest Denka s actions from Louisiana left to Tokyo right Photos by Concerned Citizens of St John Parish left and Pratap Chatterjee right ANNUAL REPORT 2020 21 University Network for Human Rights 20

Fracked Gas in New York City Fighting fossil fuel infrastructure in Brooklyn s environmental justice communities The University Network partnered with the Sane Energy Project a Brooklyn based grassroots organization working to hasten a just transition to renewable energy to fight corporate utility National Grid s expansions of fossil fuel infrastructure in New York City National Grid s North Brooklyn Pipeline which would transport fracked gas under seven miles of predominantly Black and brown communities and proposed expansion of Liquefied Natural Gas LNG infrastructure at its Brooklyn facility face widespread opposition from the public and elected officials Along with co counsel at Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic the University Network filed two legal challenges to these fracked gas infrastructure expansions on behalf of Sane Energy and the Cooper Park Resident Council which represents 701 families who live in a New York City Housing Authority complex next to National Grid s Brooklyn facility The facility is located in and near state designated Potential Environmental Justice Areas and fracked gas infrastructure expansions at the facility would disproportionately burden these communities which include Cooper Park Houses Activists protest fracked gas infrastructure in Brooklyn Photo by Abigayle Reese ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 22

Elisha Fye Vice President of the Cooper Park Resident Council addresses protestors Photo by Abigayle Reese In November 2020 the New York State Department of Conservation DEC found that National Grid s proposal to install two new LNG vaporizers at the Brooklyn facility would have no significant adverse environmental impacts and issued a negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act SEQRA If allowed to stand the negative declaration would end the environmental review process and an Environmental Impact Statement for the project would not be required In March 2021 we filed a legal challenge to this negative declaration in New York State Supreme Court In May 2021 we learned that National Grid is proceeding with construction of an LNG Truck Load Unload Station and other LNG trucking related construction activities at the Greenpoint facility even though environmental review under SEQRA for these construction activities has been pending with the City of New York since 2016 and is not complete In July 2021 we filed a lawsuit seeking a Temporary Restraining Order TRO and injunction to prohibit any further construction until and unless the environmental review process mandated by law is fully complete Our request for a TRO has been granted Our legal and advocacy work in partnership with Sane Energy was covered extensively in national and local media including Reuters S P Global Brooklyn Paper BK Reader Bklyner and WBAI s Eco Logic radio show 23 University Network for Human Rights

University Network for Human Rights provided by far the most instrumental resources and strategies to empower the communities that Sane Energy Project organizes with We would not have been able to halt a massive fossil fuel expansion in Brooklyn NY targeting predominantly lowincome Black and Latinx communities without the dedication of UNHR and Ruhan Nagra Our crucial partnership with UNHR has enabled us to navigate complex legal and administrative spaces We have become a much more powerful knowledgeable and accomplished community organization because of University Network for Human Rights Kim Fraczek Director Sane Energy Project ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 24

Shelter from the Storm Migration protections for the 21st century Experts predict that climate change will lead to massive movement of people across borders including into the US The Northern Triangle the area including Guatemala El Salvador and Honduras is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate related impacts As one of the world s greatest emitters of greenhouse gases the United States has disproportionately contributed to the climate crisis Given its destabilizing role in the region the US bears a special responsibility to the people of the Northern Triangle In April 2021 the University Network joined Harvard Law School s Immigration and Refugee Clinic the Harvard Immigration Project and the Yale Environmental Law Association to publish Shelter from the Storm This report one of the first of its kind examined key ways in which the United States could amend its existing immigration and refugee policies to respond in a more humane fashion to the increased migration caused by climate change Drawing on the increasing recognition of the relevance of refugee protections for those fleeing climate change the paper charts a path forward for a human rights centered approach to climate change induced migration for the 21st century Shelter from the Storm received coverage in print and broadcast media including Democracy Now TruthOut FastCompany The Harvard Crimson and the Yale Daily News University Network staff are pursuing ongoing advocacy with lawmakers on Capitol Hill State Department officials and other immigrant advocacy groups as we collectively work to protect the rights of those displaced by climate change in the coming decades Hurricane Mar a causes severe flooding in Honduras As climate change intensifies climate disasters like Mar a will become more common 25 University Network for Human Rights

Our Projects State Accountability Policing Surveillance Imprisonment Governments and state actors can use these as weapons to silence political dissidents quash grassroots activism and persecute racial ethnic and religious minorities In the following pages we outline our work holding the most powerful state actors to account when they threaten the rights of the most vulnerable In the last year we ve worked to document abuses committed against political dissidents by Bolivia s interim government In the United States we ve sought to empower visionary justice activists as they imagine a country free from mass incarceration Finally we ve begun to shed light on the complicated interactions between migration and state abuse demonstrating that US based deportation practices threaten the rights of displaced peoples in the Americas ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 2020 26

Connecticut at the Crossroads Supporting justice reinvestment in our state The University Network partnered with the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy IMRP and other advocates to release Connecticut at the Crossroads a new blueprint for justice reinvestment in the state Our white paper draws on international human rights standards new quantitative analysis and case studies of success in decarceration and rehabilitation to argue that Connecticut must reduce its use of prisons and jails while strengthening reentry education and vocational programs Our recommendations received widespread support throughout the state Nearly three hundred stakeholders including formerly incarcerated people justice professionals service providers and clergy signed a letter in support of our efforts Advocates from the IMRP twice presented our paper before Connecticut s General Assembly to argue for community reinvestment and equitable reforms to education within prisons In February 2021 the IMRP and Connecticut s Great Eight eight formerly incarcerated justice activists in the state convened Building Bridges 2021 one of the largest gatherings of directly affected activists and advocates in the state Across two days the University Network contributed materials and perspectives to conversations on human rights and decarceration Carrying on the momentum from this conference the University Network has continued documenting the adverse effects of mass incarceration on children in Connecticut in concert with local advocacy groups Daryl McGraw IMRP addresses directly affected criminal justice activists and advocates during Building Bridges 2021 McGraw served as re entry consultant for Connecticut at the Crossroads 27 University Network for Human Rights

They Shot Us Like Animals Black November and Bolivia s Interim Government In November 2019 ex President of Bolivia Evo Morales was forced out of office by the military and opposition groups When Jeanine ez replaced him her government embarked on a campaign of repression against her critics In its first week alone the ez government carried out two separate massacres killing dozens of indigenous protestors and injuring hundreds This period known in Bolivia as Black November was the second deadliest month in terms of state forces killing Bolivians since the country s transition to democracy some 40 years ago In addition to targeting protestors the de facto government arrested and charged political opponents with terrorism shut down critical media outlets and accused human rights defenders of sedition University Network Supervisor Thomas Becker presents the findings of our report They Shot Us Like Animals to the Parliament of the MERCOSUR Trading Bloc via Zoom ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 28

Indigenous Bolivians protest state repression under the nation s interim government The University Network partnered with Harvard Law School s International Human Rights Clinic to carry out a nine month investigation into the rights abuses under the ez regime Much of the documentation took place on the ground including as abuses were taking place Supervisors and students gathered evidence conducted interviews and analyzed Bolivia s legal obligations to produce a report entitled They Shot Us Like Animals Black November and Bolivia s Interim Government The report received widespread international media coverage from outlets including The New York Times The Washington Post Al Jazeera The Guardian Le Monde and El Pa s Senator Bernie Sanders and two dozen U S lawmakers used and referenced the report in a letter to the State Department expressing concerns about human rights abuses in Bolivia Most importantly They Shot Us Like Animals had a profound impact on the ground in Bolivia sparking many to credit the report as the turning point in ending the repression of the ez government 29 University Network for Human Rights

The report They Shot Us Like Animals was incredibly valuable for the Ombudsman s Office s investigations into human rights violations in Bolivia and it served as a fundamental source for our own report State of Crisis Human Rights Violations in Bolivia October December 2019 Nadia Cruz Ombudsperson of Bolivia 30 University Network for Human Rights

I witnessed firsthand the University Network team s meticulous attention to detail respect for the victims and dogged pursuit of truth in the aftermath of the Sacaba Bolivia massacre and parastate group attacks Their report the first complete independent international investigation published provided an indispensable landmark in the pursuit of justice and set a high standard for follow up investigations Katherine Ledeber Director of the Andean Information Network ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 31

Returned to Peril Documenting how U S deportation practices expose Hondurans to high levels of violence Hondurans suffer from an environment of violence corruption poverty and economic and political instability The country has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and the second highest femicide rate in Latin America Impunity for human rights abuses violent crime and corruption have become the norm This widespread state of insecurity and threat has fueled mass outflows of migrants and asylum seekers from the country to the U S Despite the grim panorama of abuses fueling migration the number of Hondurans granted asylum in the U S has decreased in recent years Nearly 110 000 Hondurans were deported or returned to the country in 2019 alone Hondurans deported by U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement face situations of extreme vulnerability However monitoring the exact rate and degree of violence suffered by those deported once back in Honduras is extremely difficult No government intergovernmental institution or nongovernmental organization has systematically recorded these data To begin to fill this gap the University Network partnered with immigration advocates in Honduras to investigate Honduran nationals who have been killed or otherwise harmed after being deported from the United States Students under the supervision of University Network supervisors researched cases of deportees who experienced harm between 2015 and 2021 conducted extensive research of U S and Honduran media ICE deportation records social media and other sources to identify cases of Hondurans killed or severely harmed after deportation from the U S The findings of this ongoing investigation point to concerning violations of the U S government s obligation to protect Hondurans from returning to risk of serious harm ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 32

In the coming months the University Network team will deepen this investigation by conducting on the ground interviews of victims and stakeholders to further identify cases of harm The organization will publish a report and continue to support advocacy efforts to promote the safety and humane treatment of all migrants and specifically the fulfillment by the U S of its international obligations A man and child look into the United States through its border wall The United States s extensive deportation practices threaten the rights of displaced persons across Latin America but especially Honduras 33 University Network for Human Rights

UNHR in the News In 2020 2021 our work received coverage in leading local state and national outlets including The New York Times The Washington Post USA Today Vice National Public Radio Democracy Now The New Republic Fast Company New Orleans Public Radio and The Connecticut Mirror Our projects also gained recognition in global outlets such as The Guardian UK El Pa s Spain La Raz n Bolivia The Independent UK Al Jazeera Qatar France24 France La Diaria Uruguay and El Economista Mexico Additionally documentary films produced by The American Lung Association and Grayzone featured the work of the University Network

UNHR Events Bringing University Experts and Community Activists Together The University Network and its team regularly organize and participate in events with practitioners community activists and residents together with academics and students to promote understanding and implementation of human rights Over the course of the 20202021 academic year we organized events of this nature on repression by the interim government in Bolivia on environmental racism in Louisiana and New York City on decarceration in Connecticut on international accountability and on impunity in Mexico among other topics Our team also participated as invited guests in academic panels and in community led meetings and workshops The flyer for an event organized by the University Network and partners at Harvard and Stanford on Human Rights and Transition in Bolivia 35 University Network for Human Rights

Our Partners The University Network for Human Rights is proud to collaborate with the following community groups educational institutions and nonprofit organizations while providing practical experience in human rights education to students across the globe Educational Partners Advocacy Community Partners Concerned Citizens of St John the Baptist Parish ANNUAL REPORT 2020 2021 36

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Our Advisory Committee Philip Alston John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law NYU School of Law Luis Arriaga President ITESO University Guadalajara Mexico Jamil Dakwar Director ACLU Human Rights Program Bernard Duhaime Professor of Law UQAM UN Working Group Member Leilani Farha Global Director The Shift Former UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai Director of Alliances and Partnerships Human Rights Watch Nadejda Marques Author and Human Rights Advocate

Khadijda Nemar Co Founder MENA Rights Group David Palumbo Liu Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor Stanford University Deborah Popowski Human Rights Advocate Researcher and Educator Tracy Robinson Deputy Dean University of West Indies Faculty of Law C sar Rodr guez Garavito Editor in Chief Open Global Rights Professor of Clinical Law NYU School of Law Edward Telles Distinguished Professor of Sociology UC Irvine

Connect with Us Find us online humanrightsnetwork org unitedforrights facebook com unitedforrights Acknowledgements Cover Photo Thomas Becker 2019 University Network for Human Rights Pg 9 Wesleyan University Smartalic34 Wikimedia CC BY SA 3 0 Pg 25 Henrry Adobe Stock Pg 26 Christina Felschen Adobe Stock Pg 33 Denis Adobe Stock Unless otherwise noted Staff University Network for Human Rights This report was published in Aug 2021 and reflects the University Network for Human Rights s activity from March 2019 through August 2021 Future annual reports will be published in accordance with the academic year calendar