Human Rights Research League

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

 

On the occasion of the intersessional update on Ukraine on 16 December 2025 with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Tuerk, Human Rights Research League underscored that the Russian Federation has systematically disregarded the most fundamental principles governing human rights and humanitarian law, including the obligation to draw a clear distinction between civilians and combatants, on the battlefield as well as in detention, to respect the laws in force in occupied territory, and the prohibition against deporting persons from that territory. Irrespective of a person's legal status, extrajudicial killings, torture, ill-treatment, and enforced disappearances are prohibited. Russia has violated all those principles and actively taken steps to exempt Russian soldiers from criminal liability for any abuses which otherwise would have been punishable even according to Russian criminal law. These combined measures indicate they may form part of a systematic and widespread policy amounting to crimes against humanity. For further details, please see the video of the Oral Statement on UN Web TV.

Conferences & calls

HRRL Statements on Ukraine at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
2024-10-08 14:55 At the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League delivered oral statements on Ukraine in connection with the Interactive Diaogue with the Commission of Inquir...
HRRL Statement on South Sudan at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
2024-10-04 14:11 On 4 October 2024, at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League (HRRL) delivered an oral statement during the Interactive Dialogue on the oral update by t...
HRRL Statement on the Protection of UN Mandate Holders at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
2024-09-26 14:50 On 26 September 2024, on the occasion of the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League delivered an oral statement on the Protection of UN Mandate holders dur...
HRRL-RWI Side Event on Accountability for Human Rights Violations in Afghanistan at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
2024-09-12 14:44 On the occasion of the 57th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League (HRRL) and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (R...
HRRL Statement on Iran at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
2024-09-11 22:10 On 11 September 2024, on the occasion of the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League delivered an oral statement on Iran during the General Debate on Item 2...
HRRL Statements on Lebanon at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
2024-09-09 20:58 On 20 September 2024, during the General Debate on Item 3 at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, HRRL's Zeina Zerbe raised grave concerns about the ongoing war in Lebanon betwee...
HRRL Statements on Afghanistan at the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
2024-09-09 18:28 On the occasion of the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League delivered an oral statement on Afghanistan during the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue with the ...
HRRL Side Event on Russia's War of Aggression against Ukraine at the 56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
2024-07-08 18:44 On the occasion of the 56th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League (HRRL) organized a side event on 8 July 2024 on 'Russia's War of Aggression in Uk...
HRRL UN Human Rights Council Side Event on Russia's War of Aggression against Ukraine
2024-07-05 17:52 On 8 July 2024, Human Rights Research League will organize a side event at the 56th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on 'Russia's War of Aggression in Ukraine: Human Toll and Future ...
Panel Discussion on 'Left to the Taliban: What Future for an Afghanistan Caught in the Past?',
2024-06-26 15:42 On June 25, 2024, leading Norwegian liberal think tank Civita launched the recording of a panel discussion with Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanist...
Joint HRRL-ESIL Workshop on 'Advanced Digital Technologies in Migration Management: A Means to What End'?, Vilnius, Lithuania, September 4, 2024
2024-05-28 02:10 On 4 September 2024, the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on Migration and Refugee Law, Human Rights Research League, and the CoSME Project will organize a workshop in Vilni...
HRRL Statements on Ukraine at the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
2024-04-02 15:10 During the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League delivered oral statements in connection with the Interactive Dialogue on OHCHR's report on Ukraine, as we...
HRRL Statements on Afghanistan at the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
2024-03-04 00:07 On the occasion of the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League delivered an oral statement on Afghanistan during the Interactive Dialogue with the UN Specia...

Latest publications