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 3 July 2026, at the 62nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League (HRRL) delivered an oral statement on Ukraine during the Interactive Dialogue on the oral presentation of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Secretary-General's Report on Human Rights in Crimea. In his intervention, HRRL Chairman Tom Syring underlined that the Russian Federation continued to disregard the most fundamental rules governing human rights and humanitarian law. HRRL is appalled by the pressure exerted on residents in the temporarily occupied territories to suppress their Ukrainian identity, swear allegiance to the occupying power, obtain Russian citizenship, and even enlist in the Russian armed forces.

Furthermore, HRRL condemned the continuing deportations and forcible transfers of civilians, including children separated from their parents or legal guardians, from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, and urged all Member States to exert pressure to uphold General Assembly resolution ES-11/9 (UN doc. A/RES/ES/11-9) requesting Russia "to cease, without delay, any further practice of forcible transfer [...] and indoctrination of Ukrainian children".

Ukrainian civilians continued to be subjected to extrajudicial executions, torture, and enforced disappearances. In this 20th year since the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, HRRL also urged the Human Rights Council and Member States to increase their efforts towards full implementation of this Convention. For the full statement, please see the video of the Oral Statement on UN Web TV.

Human Rights Research League also submitted a Written Statement (in collaboration with our Ukrainian partner, the Media Initiative for Human Rights - MIHR) on 'Treating the Application of Court Rulings Issued in the Russian Federation and in Russian Occupied Territories of Ukraine in Contravention of International Law as Incompatible with International Legal Cooperation' (UN doc. A/HRC/62/NGO/272) to the United Nations General Assembly.

Conferences & calls

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...