Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina in International Law Center's Annual Lecture Nov. 7
October 5, 2007
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Bisera Turkovic, ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United States, the United Mexican States and the Federative Republic of Brazil, will lecture on the importance of maintaining human rights in countries with a mix of ethnic groups, during a special lecture in the School of Law on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. "Human Rights in Multiethnic Societies" will be held in the Venable Baetjer Howard Moot Court Room in the John and Frances Angelos Law Center, 1415 Maryland Ave. The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the University of Baltimore Center for International and Comparative Law.
Prior to her current appointment, Turkovic served as the permanent representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations Office in Vienna, Austria. A career diplomat, she has also served as ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, also in Vienna.
From 2001 to 2004, Turkovic was the executive director of the Centre for Security Studies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a lecturer for the Criminal Justice Department at the University of Sarajevo. For two years prior to that, she worked as the minister for European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She was named Bosnia's ambassador to Croatia in 1993, just one year after the small nation along the Adriatic Sea declared its independence following the break-up of Yugoslavia and the start of a bloody and complicated civil war that eventually involved the U.S. and Europe. She also has served as its chief diplomat in Hungary from 1994 to 1996. Turkovic became the ambassador to the U.S., Mexico and Brazil in October 2005.
According to a 2006 article in the Washington Diplomat, Turkovic spends much of her time on a long-standing effort to bring Serbian war criminals to justice, as a way of inoculating Bosnia and Herzegovina against more ethnic violence.
Turkovic holds a doctorate in International Relations from Pacific Western University in San Diego and a law degree from the University of Sarajevo. She completed her postgraduate studies in criminology at LaTrobe University and earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice administration from the Phillip Institute of Technology, both in Melbourne, Australia.
The University of Baltimore Center for International and Comparative Law promotes the study and understanding of international and comparative law and of the political and economic institutions that support the international legal order. The center sponsors research, publication, teaching and the dissemination of knowledge about international legal issues, with special emphasis on human rights, democratic institutions and international business transactions.
Established in 1994, the Center for International and Comparative Law Lecture brings a distinguished lawyer to Baltimore each fall to speak about international and comparative law. The center publishes its book series, Ius Gentium, in the spring. These and other center programs and initiatives are described in detail here.
Parking for this event will be available at the Maryland Avenue Garage, located at the corner of Maryland Avenue and Chase Street (approximately three blocks south of the law center). Lecture attendees are asked to park above the third level. Shuttle service will provide transportation to the School of Law. For additional information, please contact the Center for International and Comparative Law at 410.837.4532.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.