News

From November 24-26 Sarah Grosse Perdekamp ‘26 represented the Human Rights Center  at the 14th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland.

This semester Clara Corrado ‘25 had the opportunity to work as a legal researcher at Children of Incarcerated Caregivers through enrolling in the Human Rights Center’s Human Rights Law Field Placement course. Clara gained hands-on experience in international legal research and advocacy by preparing submissions to international bodies and by helping map the broader legal landscape affecting children across different jurisdictions.

Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin has been appointed a member of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.

Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin KC (Hons) has been elected a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, University of Oxford, for Trinity Term in 2027. 

This summer the Human Rights Center supported 14 Minnesota Law students through their fellowship program. The summer f ellowships are a cornerstone of the center, providing the opportunity for students to take otherwise unpaid internships in the areas of human rights and international law.

The Universal Periodic Review is a mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council, where each UN member state’s human rights record is evaluated by other member states every 4.5 years. In August the United States announced that it would not be participating in the review that was set to take place in November 2025.

On October 15-17, Human Rights Center Distinguished Alumni Fellow Judge LaJune Lange ’78, Research Fellow Alejandra Arboleda ’26 and Undergraduate Research Intern Caleb Masi traveled to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland to participate in the 24th session of the

On September 25-27 Human Rights Center students Trinity Fritz Lawrence ’26) and Alex Mysler ’26 attended the American Society of International Law's (ASIL) mid-year meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. Trinity and Alex were panelists on the Women in International Law Interest Group (WILIG) panel, where they discussed their research on technologically-facilitated violence against women.

The Human Rights Center is pleased to announce that Judge LaJune Thomas Lange ’78 (ret.) has joined the Human Rights Center as the Distinguished Alumni Fellow this academic year.

Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin KC (Hons), Regents Professor; Robina Chair in Law, Public Policy, and Society; and faculty director of Minnesota Law's Human Rights Center, spoke on a panel this week at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in a virtual hearing on laws regulating religion in Central Asia.