Essex Human Rights Centre

16/12/2025

✨ Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s Annual Human Rights Lecture!

We’re especially grateful to Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, an internationally renowned human rights lawyer, for making the trip to Colchester and delivering such an inspiring and thought-provoking talk.

We loved seeing so many of you join us for this special event. Stay tuned for what’s next!

10/12/2025

In a world facing new challenges to equality and justice, our annual tradition of chalking the UNDHR is more than symbolic; it’s a call to action. Every article we chalked today reminds us that these rights are universal, indivisible, and worth defending every single day.

Special thanks to all who took part today. It was great to see so many members of the Essex Human Rights Community get involved!

04/12/2025

🌍 Tomorrow at the University of Essex: Human Rights Reparations

📅 Friday 5 December 2025 🕐 1:00 – 3:00 PM (GMT) 📍 Colchester Campus, LTB05

We’re honoured to host Dr Damián Gonzalez‑Salzberg, who will explore how regional human rights courts approach compensation for violations of the right to life. His insights draw on extensive work with the Inter‑American Court of Human Rights.

Part of the Human Rights Centre Speaker Series, chaired by Dr Patricia Palacios Zuloaga with discussion led by Dr Ebba Lekvall.

✨ Open to all students, researchers, and practitioners interested in international law and justice.

🔗 Details:

Reparation under the International Law of Human Rights

03/12/2025

🌍 Next week, we’ll celebrate International Human Rights Day by chalking the steps of campus with the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This is a hands‑on tradition where everyone can join in — come along, grab some chalk.

🎥In a video from last year, Essex Human Rights Centre Director Carla Ferstman shares why upholding human rights matters now more than ever.

👉 We’d love to see you there! Find out how you can take part: https://www.essex.ac.uk/events/2025/12/10/chalking-of-the-steps

27/11/2025

✨ Today at the University of Essex, we explored one of the most pressing issues of our time: Artificial Intelligence in Counter-Terrorism – Human Rights Challenges and Institutional Implications. As part of the Human Rights Centre Speaker Series, this thought-provoking session brought together leading experts to discuss how AI intersects with security, law, and fundamental rights.

Professor Arianna Vedaschi & Dr Chiara Graziani (Bocconi University) – presenting their book Artificial Intelligence, Counter-Terrorism and the Rule of Law
Dr Giulia Gentile, Essex Law School
Dr Katerina Hadjimatheou, Sociology and Criminology at the University of Essex, University of Essex
Professor Wayne Martin
Chair: Dr Elif Mendos Kuşkonmaz

A huge thank you to our speakers and everyone who joined the conversation

20/11/2025

Yesterday we hosted an inspiring discussion at the University of Essex: Surveillance, Solidarity and the Law – The Future of Humanitarian Space.
This event, part of the Human Rights Centre Speaker Series, brought together experts to explore how surveillance and legal frameworks shape humanitarian work in migration contexts.

Huge thanks to our speakers Vanessa Topp, Tatjana Grote, and Professor Geoff Gilbert, and to Dr Elif Mendos Kuşkonmaz for chairing the session.

20/11/2025

Please join us for the Ninth Annual Human Rights Lecture at the University of Essex

📅 Thursday 11 December 2025 | 🕓 16:30 – 18:00 | 📍 Colchester Campus (STEM 3.1)

“When the Journalist Becomes the Story: Trends and Developments in the Targeting of Journalists” will be delivered by Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, an internationally renowned human rights lawyer who has defended journalists and activists across the globe.

The lecture will be introduced by Professor Carla Ferstman, Director of the Essex Human Rights Centre/ Essex Law School, University of Essex.

Free and open to all – students, staff, and the public.
Discover more and book your place - https://www.essex.ac.uk/events/2025/12/11/annual-human-rights-lecture-2025

16/11/2025

📢 Reminder: “Children of the Enemy”

Join us for this powerful event exploring the stories and experiences of children born of war. It promises to be an insightful discussion on identity, resilience, and the long-lasting impact of conflict.

🗓 Date: Thursday 20 November
📍 Location: University of Essex
🔗 Find out more and register: https://www.essex.ac.uk/events/2025/11/20/children-of-the-enemy

14/11/2025

We are delighted to share that Dr Katya AlKhateeb has been elected to the Leadership Council of the World Liberty Congress.

The elections took place in the Berlin Parliament during the Congress’s inaugural Freedom Week — an inspiring global gathering of activists, scholars, and leaders committed to advancing freedom, democracy, and justice.

Dr AlKhateeb’s appointment reflects the shared commitment to liberty and human dignity that connects Syrians and allies worldwide. We also celebrate this achievement alongside fellow Syrian delegate, Amjad Aun.

A special thank you to the City of Berlin for opening its Parliament to the Congress each year during Freedom Week — a powerful gesture of solidarity with those working for democratic renewal and human rights globally.

This milestone is a reminder of how Essex Law School, University of Essex and the Essex Human Rights Centre contribute to global conversations on law, freedom, and justice and how our academic work resonates far beyond the classroom.

13/11/2025

🌍 World Kindness Day – Thursday 13 November

At Essex Law School and the Essex Human Rights Centre, we know that kindness isn’t just a gesture - it’s a powerful way to protect human rights and build inclusive communities.

Whether it’s fact-checking misinformation, standing with vulnerable groups, or sharing messages of tolerance, every act of kindness helps push back against hate speech and discrimination.

Together, we can say no to hate and create spaces where diversity, respect, and dignity are more than words - they’re lived values.

03/11/2025

Dr Matthew Gillett of Essex Law School, University of Essex has been awarded the 2025 Hans Günter Brauch Foundation International Science Prize for his pioneering research on prosecuting environmental harm through international criminal law.

Find out more: https://brnw.ch/21wX9xL

03/11/2025

🎬 HUMAN RIGHTS THROUGH ART
Conversations on Cinema, Justice & Rights, Screening and Debate “Children of the Enemy”
📅 20 November 2025
🕒 15:00–17:00 CET
📍 Online | Zoom

Join us for a thought-provoking online event exploring the urgent challenges of repatriating and reintegrating children stranded in Northeastern Syria.

Children of the Enemy tells the gripping story of a Swedish grandfather’s desperate journey to Syria to rescue his seven grandchildren from Al-Hawl camp after their ISIS-affiliated parents were killed. We’ll screen excerpts from the film and host a powerful discussion with leading voices in law, psychology, and human rights.

Speakers:
✅ Gorki Glaser-Müller – Director of Children of the Enemy
✅ Ann Skelton – Professor of Law, former Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
✅ Dr Gerrit Loots – Child Psychologist, Vrije Universiteit Brussels
✅ Beatrice Eriksson – Co-founder, Repatriate the Children Sweden
✅ Dr Lynn Schneider – Lecturer in Sociology, University of Oxford

👉 Register now to join us on Zoom: https://essex-university.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cAa_ColZQluCjwszaVSbnQ