University Of San Francisco (USF) Awards Honorary Doctorate to Me Mario Joseph

A Legal Voice for the Oppressed

He stood up for victims of injustice as a human rights attorney. He has provided legal voice to all those who had been silenced by the oppression by his personal and deep commitment.

The entire community of USF and graduates are sure to gain inspiration from this, he declared during the graduation ceremony where he conferred the honorary degree on him. He addressed this to more than just the graduate and undergraduate USF College of Arts and Science students at the graduation ceremony.

His Association with BAI

Since 1996, Joseph as managed or co managed the BAI, helping out in defending victims and political prisoners of Haiti. He was a trained lawyer in Haiti and spoke a lot about issues related to justice. Since 1993, he has practiced criminal law and human rights.

Before he joined BAI he worked on cases related to human rights for the Peace and Justice Commission of the Catholic Church. He was the leading lawyer in 2000 for the most successful case of BAI for defending the Raboteau Massacre trial victims in which 53 defendants were convicted by the jury for the attack which took place in Haiti's pro-democracy neighborhood in the year 1994.

The Immersion Course

He defended human right activist and Catholic priest, the late Fr. Gerard Jean-Just for being imprisoned wrongfully and forcefully sent to exile a number of times for opposing Haiti's 2004-2006 interim government. He worked for the IJDH and the Centre for Law and Global Justice since 2006.

An immersion course is included in the partnership in which law students of USF work in refugee camps and offices of BAI Port-au-Prince. Main aim of the program is assisting the people of Haiti to enforce basic rights to personal security, housing, health, food, sanitation and water.

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