ISCI researcher secures grant to continue work in Burma

International State Crime Initiative (ISCI) researcher, Alicia de la Cour Venning, has been awarded an Arthur C. Helton Fellowship by the American Society of International Law.

The fellowship will allow Alicia to return to Burma/Myanmar later this year to continue the research she began with ISCI in 2012.

Alicia intends to visit Kachin state, where a 17 year ceasefire between the Kachin Independence Army and the Burmese Army broke down in June 2011. Since then tens of thousands of villagers have been displaced and many human rights violations are reported to be taking place.

Speaking of her research, Alicia said, “My goal is to speak with internally displaced persons (IDPs) and members of local civil society organisations in order to draw observations regarding the effectiveness (or not) of international law in addressing state-sanctioned violence and human rights abuse within the context of this conflict.”

ISCI Director, Professor Penny Green was delighted that Alicia received the highly competitive award. “The Helton Fellowship provides an excellent opportunity for Alicia to extend ISCI's research agenda in Burma/Myanmar to the crucial issue of state crimes against the Kachin ethnic minority. It is also a measure of the quality of Alicia's application that she succeeded in a predominantly US competition.”

“The award is a first for the Law School and we congratulate Alicia on her success,” she added. 

Visit the ISCI website to read more about their research. 

Alicia in Yangon on her last research assignment to Burma/Myanmar.