Diane F. Orentlicher is Professor of International Law at the Washington College of Law, American University, where she has taught since 1992. She is also co-director of the law school’s Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and founding director of its War Crimes Research Office.
One of the world’s leading authorities on war crimes tribunals, Professor Orentlicher has lectured and written extensively on the scope of states’ obligations to address mass atrocities and on the law and policy issues relating to international criminal tribunals. During the past year, Professor Orentlicher was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General to prepare an independent study on domestic efforts to combat impunity, and was appointed amicus curiae by the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
In July 2003, she participated in an UN-organized workshop on transitional justice in Baghdad, and more recently participated in a meeting with Iraqi leaders and judges to address challenges relating to the operation of the Iraqi Special Tribunal. Professor Orentlicher is a graduate of Yale University (B.A.) and Columbia Law School (J.D.).