Pepperdine Global Justice Program

Riding with the Baroness

by Kerry Docherty (JD '09)

In mid-spring of my second semester of law school, while most of my fellow classmates had locked a summer internship, I was still struggling to secure a job. Due to my interest in human rights, I was hoping to travel to Africa for the summer. This proved more difficult than I expected, as it appeared that I would need to “pay to volunteer.” Noticing my frustration, Professor Melanie Howard, the international human rights director at the time, suggested I pick up the keynote speaker, Baroness Caroline Cox, for the Genocide Conference from the airport. “She has traveled extensively in Africa,” Professor Howard encouraged, “she might have some great ideas as to where you should travel.” To be perfectly honest, however, I had little knowledge about Baroness Caroline Cox. In fact, I hardly knew what the title “baroness” entailed. Despite such ignorance, I eagerly jumped at the opportunity. Little did I know that this seemingly trivial errand would lead to adventurous travels abroad.

Baroness Caroline Cox arrived at the LAX airport slightly disheveled from her twelve hour flight from London. I instantly grew fond of her. Extremely chatty and inquisitive, we talked for over an hour on the way back to Pepperdine’s campus. Baroness Cox told stories of camping out in Sudan, bringing aid by Soviet helicopter to the Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh, observing religious freedom issues in Northern Nigeria, conducting inner-faith dialogs between Christians and Muslims in Indonesia, setting up a foster care system in Russia, and sneaking medical aid across the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.

Inspired beyond belief, I told her my dreams of a career in human rights. “You should come on one of my trips,” she generously offered. “I would love to!” I quickly responded, disregarding the fear my parents would experience upon hearing upon potential travels to any of the above-mentioned countries.

Two months later, thanks to funding from Pepperdine and successful persuasive tactics on my parents, I flew from Uganda (where I finished an internship with Restore International in Kampala) to Abuja, Nigeria to meet Baroness Cox. The whole trip was an adventure to say the least. A current gas strike made fuel extremely difficult to attain and thereby travel was difficult. Often we would stop on the side of the road to buy jars of fuel in order to make it to the next town. More than once, the fuel was mixed with water and we ended up stranded a few miles later. We could only travel during certain times of day for fear that guerrillas may emerge from the jungle to exploit a van full of foreigners. Such obstacles, however, did not hinder our investigative mission to observe the religious tensions between Christians and Muslims, particularly the effect of shari’a law on Christians. The stories were heart breaking. Violence had occurred on both sides—burned down mosques, burned down churches (at times with worshippers inside), systematic persecutions, and forced conversions to Islam. The tension hung thickly in the air. It was well-acknowledged that an individual incident of anger could ignite a riot. One of our hosts, Bishop Ben, recalled the year before when Islamic insurgents came to his house on a mission to kill him. Fortunately for the Bishop, he was not home. Unfortunately, his wife and children were. The wife suffered such beatings and trauma, that she became temporarily blind for a year. Four months after I left Nigeria, insurgents would come again, miraculously deciding not to kill the Bishop, but instead robbing his house. Though we were safe throughout the week, I came to appreciate the fear that permeates the lives of so many people each day. I became cognizant that in order to best serve as a human rights lawyer it was important to witness how suffering and persecution effects cultural and religious interactions.

Nearly a year later, a month before school started, I received another email from Baroness Cox. She was going to Nagorno Karabakh (her 68th visit) to observe the current situation between the Karabaki people and Azerbaijan. Nearly twenty years prior, Baroness Cox had flown aid into Nagorno, a forgotten land, in order to maintain its independence from Azerbaijan. Though Nagorno ultimately fought of the invasion, it’s independence is still not recognized by the international community, despite the fact that Nagorno has a standing army and an effective government.

Mitchell Moses, another Pepperdine law student, and myself jumped at the opportunity to travel with Baroness Cox. The day after we arrived in Armenia, Baroness Cox arranged for an old Soviet helicopter to fly us over the mountains unto Nagorno. The next five days were filled with stories about the war, political updates regarding the current situation with the Azeris, meetings with the Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Nagorno, a site visit to the Caroline Cox Rehabilitation Center, and feasts in honor of Baroness Cox. Upon leaving Nagorno, we traveled to Yerevan Armenia, where we met with the Prime Minister of Armenia and the Defense Minister of Armenia, visited the Armenian Genocide memorial, and dined with Karabakhi war heros.

My two visits to Nigeria and Armenia had a profound impact on my life. That being said, my friendship with Baroness Cox has truly transformed me. She is a woman I now strive to emulate. Through her faith in God, dedication to service, love of humanity, and boldness in travel, Baroness Cox continues to give “a voice to the voiceless.” And I hope one day to do the same.

Armenia: Part II

by Mitchell Moses (JD '09) and Kerry Docherty (JD '09),

First, let me begin with an important point about Karabakh.  The main human rights issues occurred in the late 1980's and were the cause for the war.  Once of themes I will discuss later is the opinion of many countries in the region that the Armenians are an inferior race.  Thus, when land was reclaimed after the break up of the Union, there was a feeling that Armenians should not be entitled to anything.  For instance, Azeris would enter Karabakhi towns in large trucks.  In these trucks would be Azeri citizens and supplies.  The Azeri forces would literally remove the Karabakhi citizens from their town and replace them with Azeris.  All of their homes, agriculture, and their lives in general were taken and given to others.  The fear that such clensing will happen again is what motivates Karabakh to be self sufficient and protect its borders. 

It should not be overlooked that Karabakh is years away from achieving anything near the standards of health care and fairness that the West enjoys.  Infants still often die in the early days of their lives because of a lack of supplies and a general lack of knowledge on correct treatment practices.  Villagers, far removed from the city center and the only hospitals in the country, also often die from very simple and preventable ailments.  In the area of justice, the legal system is ever evolving and still prone to erroneous verdicts.  We met a young doctor who recently narrowly escaped medical malpractice charges for his part in delivering a still born baby.  The lack of historical jurisprudence makes it difficult for the country to make consistent decisions and easy for the courts to point blame.

The portion of our trip that took place in Yerevan, Armenia was quite different.  Again, we had the privilege of meeting very impressive government leaders but the city itself is much more modern.  We met with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense and heard their unique perspective on the recent events in Georgia and particularly South Ossetia.  The building that houses the Defense Department speaks volumes to country's opinon on the importance of the Department.  It is a beautiful new building on a large hill, over looking the city.  It serves as an intimidating statement to any foreign visitors. 

Armenians feel the need to make such a statement for valid reasons.  The Armenian Genocide was one of the most horrible events in human history and still goes unrecognized by the West, specifically the US and the UK.  The main perpetrators of the Genocide were the Turkish, and it appears the West is not willing to risk ruffling the feathers of an ally with valuable air space.  Many prominent Americans, and even California's government, have recognized the genocide, but our country as a whole still fails to do so.

The history of the genocide is a tedious and painful history to tell, so I will spare most of the details in this email.  In summary, it lasted from 1894 to 1918 and was effectuated in almost every means imaginable.  Entire cities were exterminated, able bodied men were asked to report for military service only to be shot, and innocent women and children were sent out of their towns only to die horrible deaths of starvation and exhaustion.  Our trip to the Genocide museum was very powerful and moving.  It put the importance the country places on its defense into perspective. 

Armenia: Part I

by Mitchell Moses (JD '09) and Kerry Docherty (JD '09),

Our trip was broken up into two distinct experiences.  Our first 4 days were spent in the independent Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.  Karabakh has been subject to war and occupation for the past century and is now recognized as part of Azerbaijan.  However, Karabakh's roots are in Armenia, over 90% of the population is of Armenian descent, and it does not consider itself part of Azerbaijan.  The events leading to the inclusion of Karabakh in Azerbaijan started immediately after World War I. 

As Commissioner of the Nationalities for the Soviet Union, Stalin was charged with appeasing the people of Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan regarding the issue of their physical territory.  Needless to say, the decisions he made were based on political maneuvering rather than territorial integrity or preference.  Historical maps show that Karabakh was/is clearly in the territory of Armenia.  Furthermore, the people of both countries supported the inclusion of Karabakh in Armenia.  Stalin ignored these issues and declared Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan.  His decision centered on the Soviet Union's desire to keep Turkey satisfied, in hopes that it would become a communist nation. 

Turkey's strengh was also increased by the genocide it conducted against Aremnia and its resulting territorial gains.  Granting Karabakh to Azerbaijan further fulfilled Turkey's wish to eliminate Armenia as a country.

The above events occurred with little conflict because the entire region was under Soviet control.  However, the situation became volatile as the Union began to dissolve in the late 1980's, and the territorial lines of each country became very important, especially under the umbrella of religious conflict in the region.  Fighting broke out between Karabakhi/Armenia forces the Azeris almost immediately.  The initial desire was for Karabakh to reunite with Armenia, but that proved to be unlikely because of the Soviet defined Karabakh was 100% landlocked by Azerbaijan.  Thus, Karabakh declared its independence in late 1991 and fought a war for that independence from 1992 - 1994, ultimately emerging victorious.  In a War that resembled David and Galiath, Karabakh (population 150,000) defeated Azerbaijan (population 7 Million).

The host of our trip, Baroness Caroline Cox, traveled to Karabakh over 40 times during the War and gave aid of all kinds to the over matched country.  Her aid continued after the War in the form of a rehabilitation center.  The country suffered major casualties and lost almost 20% of its population, so rehabilitation was a primary area of focus for the country as it rebuilt itself.  One reason aid from people like Baroness Cox and her organization, Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust, is so important is that Karabakh is not recognized internationally as a country because of issues concerning territorial integrity.  The lack of recognition keeps many UN sponsored organizations from providing relief.  The Lady Cox Rehabilitation Center has helped thousands of people in its ten years, and a large part of our trip was celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the Center and collaborating to bring more Western health care practices to the country.  The highlight of our interaction with the Rehabilitation Center was visiting it and seeing all of the people who have been helped.  It was truly an inspiration to see how much can be achieved with so few resources.   

Other highlights of our visit to Stepanakert, Karabakh were a meeting with the Prime Minister, a State Dinner with the Speaker of Parliament, and a meeting with the Deputy Minister if International Relations.  Each member of the government gave us great insight into the political climate in the region and provided advice on how to form a relationship with Pepperdine and the country.  We are in the process of contacting our new friends and hope to report more on internship opportunities in the months to come.

As a final note on the Karabakh experience, it was an amazing experience to travel with Baroness Cox.  She is a national celebrity and is loved by all.  We could not walk down the street without a group of teary eyed men, women, and children approaching Lady Cox to give her hugs and kind words.  It was a beautiful example of the difference a single person can make.  

It's important to note that Karabakh and Armenia are Christian nations surrounded by Muslim countries.  Turkey's actions in the Armenian genocide and Azerbaijan's actions after the dissolution of the Union indicate that Karabakh and Armenia are defending their borders as a matter of self preservation, not one of territorial ambition. 

Through Their Eyes

By Brad Alexander (JD '10),

 

Staring into the eyes of an Afghan asylum seeker really put me in my place.  As I sat there, with him, in a Bulgarian detention center, I realized how any of my struggles in life were much less significant that those plaguing him every day.  He was less than twenty years old, and his application for refugee status in Bulgaria had been rejected.  He's been there ever since, stuck behind the same walls, for nearly three years of his young life.  The government keeps him in a constant state of limbo - threatening deportation but keeping him locked up, with no end or indication of change in sight.  For someone who was never formally educated, he knows five languages and was eager to converse in English with me.  He spoke of his home quietly, yet without fear.  He spoke of his long, difficult journey to flee violence and illegally enter Europe.  He spoke hopefully of the future, and his goal to one day enroll in a university.  Above all, what left the biggest impression on me was his readiness to smile.  He may have only been a teenager, but his ability to face every day with a positive outlook exposed a courage and maturity well beyond his years.