Head of Law at Bournemouth University Examines Human Rights
Added: (Tue Oct 23 2007)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
Business School Professor Nick Grief will be actively involved in two newly announced law activities. Professor Grief will be debating "Commercial Lawyers and Human Rights - an Unholy Alliance?" at the 2007 Bar Conference and is also a key participant in a new project examining links between religion and international law.
The COMBAR workshop at the Bar Conference takes the form of a roundtable discussion. Key participants will lead discussion, based on topical scenarios, from a variety of standpoints including academia, legal practice and the European Court of Human Rights. Ali Malek QC, Chairman of COMBAR, will ask our key participants for initial views before opening the discussion to the floor. Other participants taking part include Cherie Booth of QC Matrix Chambers, Rory Dunlop, former case lawyer at the ECtHR and Audley Sheppard Partner of Clifford Chance LLP.
Professor Grief's has also joined an international project which could influence worldwide debate about the treatment of detainees. The project, currently funded by the Centre of Theological Inquiry (CTI) at Princeton University in the US, is examining the links between religion and international law. The aim is to strengthen respect for international law, particularly the prohibition of torture in the context of the fight against terrorism.
“The group is examining the natural law source of key elements of international law,” says Professor Grief, Head of BU’s Law Department and an expert on International and Human Rights Law. “We’re connecting law with theology because theology recognises the tradition of natural law as a moral order which is universally available to reason.”
“The lawyers among us are tracing certain international law concepts back to their natural law source,” Professor Grief continues, “and the theologians are tracing the influence of theological concepts on the formulation of natural law.”
Professor Grief is one of two participants from the UK involved in the project. Dr Esther Reed, a theologian from the University of Exeter, is also involved. The project is led by Professor Robin Lovin, a theologian at Southern Methodist University, Professor Jeremy Waldron, a law professor and moral philosopher at New York University, and Professor William Storrar, Director of CTI.
Kris Stevens - 23 October 2007