Human Rights Research League

Human Rights Research League

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Research. Education. Advocacy. Development. (R.E.A.D.)

Mission statement

The Human Rights Research League (HRRL) is a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC) aiming at protecting individuals by placing acts contrary to human rights and international humanitarian law, systemic grievances as well as humanitarian emergencies on the agenda. HRRL seeks to contribute to knowledge and research based public discussion and problem analysis without geographical, political, confessional or other limitations or alignments.

As our name suggests, we are an organization primarily focused on research from the basis of a strong academic foundation. However, we recognize that lasting impact and positive change also depend on connecting academics and practitioners, combining research on root causes of human rights challenges with implementation of projects and policies addressing those grievances.

To this end, we are engaged in four focus areas: Research. Education. Advocacy. Development. (R.E.A.D.), all with a view to bridging the gap between academic and practical approaches to human rights, and between problem analysis and implementation of solutions.

News & reports

‹ Back

On 5 March 2025, in the context of the 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Research League took the floor in connection with a Panel Discussion on Early Warning and Genocide Prevention. In his intervention, HRRL Chairman Tom Syring underlined that while political groups are not covered by the Genocide Convention, they often represent a greater challenge to authoritarian rulers than groups enumerated by the Convention, especially where hegemony and control within a state is based on religious supremacy of the ruling class. In such cases, fatwas have at times been issued to silence political opponents, often by branding them as apostates, instead of having to confront the political message of critical voices. Therefore, we also "need to look into the functioning and consequences of a fatwa by scrutinizing a fatwa's political effect, religious aspect, and legal impact to determine, where applicable, whether a fatwa could also constitute genocide in all of its modes of perpetration - genocide by decree." For the full intervention, please see the video of the Oral Statement on UN Web TV.

Conferences & calls

50th Annual Conference of the Canadian Council on International Law, October 20-22, 2021

2021-10-03 21:33 The Canadian Council on International Law will hold its 50th Annual Conference on October 20-22, 2021, this year devoted to the theme of 'Getting International Law Back on Track?'. The conference will...

Conference on International Criminal Law before Domestic Courts, October 14-16, 2021

2021-10-03 21:19 On October 14-16, 2021, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights in cooperation with the University of Vienna will organize a conference on International Criminal Law before Dome...

Final Program: Joint Workshop on 'The Evolution of the Principle of Non-Refoulement in International Law: What Role for New Types of International Law-Making?', September 8, 2021

2021-08-29 15:11 On 8 September 2021, Human Rights Research League along with the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on Migration and Refugee Law and the ESIL Interest Group on International C...

Conference on Extraterritoriality in International Law, September 15-17, 2021

2021-08-27 02:07 The Maurer School of Law at Indiana University invites to a three-day conference and webinar on 'Extraterritoriality in International Law'' from 15-17 September 2021. For more information and to regis...

Annual Meeting Announcement

2021-08-23 20:37 Human Rights Research League will hold its Annual Meeting on Saturday, 23 October 2021, at 1:00 PM EDT / 7:00 CET via Zoom. HRRL members interested in participating, please get in touch via info@hrrle...

Webinar on FGM and Women's Access to Health, August 17, 2021