Roxanna Altholz ’99 is an international human rights lawyer and scholar with extensive experience in international and national fora. Altholz has won several ground-breaking judgments from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, provided expert testimony before UN human rights groups, and initiated legal actions on behalf of human rights victims in U.S. federal courts. She has also developed advocacy and research initiatives to address human rights violations suffered by asylum seekers and migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, to examine the human rights impacts of unsolved murders in Oakland, and to understand accountability mechanisms for private companies receiving international financing.
Prior to teaching at Berkeley, Altholz served as a legal advisor for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (1999-2000) and a staff attorney at the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) in Washington, D.C. (2000-2005). At CEJIL, Altholz handled a docket comprised of approximately 40 cases involving massacres, extrajudicial killings, torture, disappearances, and discrimination in the United States, Colombia, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador before the Inter-American human rights system.
Altholz’s most recent publications include, “Living with Impunity: Unsolved Murders in Oakland and the Human Rights Impact on Victims’ Family Members,” “Dam Violence: The Plan to Kill Berta Cáceres,” and “Chronicle of A Death Foretold: The Future of U.S. Human Rights Litigation Post-Kiobel,” appeared in the California Law Review (2014). She is the recipient of the 2013 UC Berkeley Law Young Alumni Award and the 2013 UC Berkeley’s Foundation for Change Thomas I. Yamashita Prize.
Education
B.A., Brown University (1995)
J.D., UC Berkeley School of Law (1999)
Roxanna Marie Altholz is teaching the following courses in Spring 2025:
• 283.1H sec. 001 - Advanced Human Rights Clinic Seminar
• 283H sec. 001 - Human Rights Clinic Seminar
• 295.5H sec. 001 - Human Rights Clinic
• 295.5I sec. 001 - Advanced Human Rights Clinic
Courses During Other Semesters
| Semester | Course Num | Course Title | Fall 2025 | 283.1H sec. 001 | Advanced Human Rights Clinic Seminar | 283H sec. 001 | Human Rights Clinic Seminar | 295.5H sec. 001 | Human Rights Clinic | 295.5I sec. 001 | Advanced Human Rights Clinic | Fall 2024 | 283.1H sec. 001 | Advanced Human Rights Clinic Seminar | 283H sec. 001 | Human Rights Clinic Seminar | 295.5H sec. 001 | Human Rights Clinic | 295.5I sec. 001 | Advanced Human Rights Clinic | Spring 2024 | 283.1H sec. 001 | Advanced Int'l Human Rights Clinic Seminar | 283H sec. 001 | Int'l Human Rights Law Clinic Seminar | 295.5H sec. 001 | International Human Rights Law Clinic | 295.5I sec. 001 | Advanced International Human Rights Clinic |
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International case over border killing accuses high U.S. officials of cover-up plot
Professor Roxanna Altholz, co-director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, discusses new evidence of a cover-up by US Customs & Border Patrol in the case of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas’s killing by federal agents
“Anatomy of Impunity”: Former DHS Supervisors Say Border Killing Cover-Up Was Part of a Pattern
Professor Roxanna Altholz, co-director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, discusses evidence of a “shadow investigation” that has emerged in the case of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas’s killing by federal agents
Podcast: Faces of Assassination
Professor Roxanna Altholz, co-director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, appears on the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime’s podcast series to discuss her work on behalf of the families of victims of human rights violations
Video: Who Killed Berta? An Environmental Murder Mystery
Professor Roxanna Altholz, co-director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, discusses the murder of activist Berta Cáceres
Scattered But Not Distant
While COVID-19 brought in-person events to a screeching halt, Berkeley Law’s intellectual life has continued at full speed through a steady stream of timely online offerings. Other than brief pauses
Podcast: Blood River
Professor Roxanna Altholz, co-director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, discusses the murder of activist Berta Cáceres and her role in the fight to bring her killers to justice
Tracking Suspects Who Never Thought Anyone Would Look
Professor Roxanna Altholz, co-director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, discusses the murder of activist Berta Cáceres and the fight to bring her killers to justice
International tribunal rules it has authority in case of man killed by US border officials
Professor Roxanna Altholz, co-director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, comments on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ investigation into the killing of a man at the San Diego-Tijuana border a decade ago, in which she is co-counsel for the victim’s family
Virtual Vigor: Keeping Berkeley Law’s Intellectual Life Vibrant from a Distance
While students, faculty, and staff are scattered around the world, Berkeley Law has brought them together through a variety of online events—many focused on the pandemic and the implications of the death of George Floyd.
For Families of Oakland Murder Victims, Police Practices Add to Trauma
International Human Rights Law Clinic report finds that police indifference inflames trauma for families of Oakland murder victims.
Berkeley Law Human Rights Clinic Brings Asylum Seekers’ Voices to Supreme Court
In-person interviews done in Ciudad Juárez are the backbone of a brief supporting an asylum seeker’s appeal.
International Law Specialists Celebrated During Certificate Ceremony
Berkeley Law honors 26 students who earned the certificate in an increasingly vital area of law.
Nirali Beri ’19, Hannah Flanery ’19 Win Sax Prize Honors for Clinical Advocacy
Both displayed exceptional leadership and diligence as housing rights advocates.
Clinic, Center Safeguard Human Rights Close to Home and Around the World
The International Human Rights Law Clinic and Human Rights Center fight injustice through litigation, policy suggestions, advocacy, research, and science-based investigations.
Racing Forward
Clinic leaders, faculty scholars, and student advocates work to level the playing field within America’s legal institutions.
Clinic Plays Key Role in Investigation of Death of Honduran Activist
The International Human Rights Law Clinic aids in the investigation of the murder of a Honduran environmental activist.
New Report Critical of World Bank’s Internal Watchdog
The International Human Rights Law Clinic says the World Bank’s internal watchdog does not have the authority to enforce its own social and environmental policies.
Clinic Files Petition Claiming Human Rights Abuses by U.S. Customs and Border Protection
A nearly six-year legal battle for justice took a new turn as the International Human Rights Law Clinic filed a petition against the U.S. for the death of a Mexican national by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.