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Chan Braithwaite (student of School of Law, University of Pittsburgh: For me,
Serbia turned out to be the laboratory of human rights law I could only have dreamed it to be)
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I was first drawn to the idea of interning in Serbia in order to expand my understanding of the application international law in a transitional state. I had learned that Serbia’s current constitution has only been in effect for two years, but the political and historical culture leading up to its 2006 approval was an enigma that piqued my interest. As soon as I had secured an internship position with the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM) through the Center of International Legal Education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, curiosity led me to the surprisingly abundant resources on Serbian culture in the Pittsburgh area. Auditing the Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language course and attending the weekly activities at the American Serbian Club of Pittsburgh offered, quite literally, my first taste of Serbia before leaving for Belgrade.
The summer internship with the Committee for Human Rights in Belgrade, Serbia has proved to be an extremely valuable experience for me. I went to the Balkans with a clouded impression of their human rights issues, but left with my eyes opened a little more to the pressing realities of living in Serbia.
