News
Event in honour of Gerhart Baum
On 29th January 2026, an event was held at the University of Cologne in memory of Gerhart Baum, former Federal Minister of the Interior and Honorary Doctor of the Faculty of Law of the University of Cologne.
The first part of the event consisted of a colloquium on the topic of “Liberal Democracy 2030. The heritage of Gerhart Baum” with a media and a human rights policy panel taking place in the Lorenz-Wielenga-Library of the Academy for European Human Rights Protection.
The scientific symposium was opened by Christian Rolfs, Dean of the Faculty of Law, and Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, former Federal Minister of Justice and companion of Gerhart Baum. In addition, a virtual welcome message by Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs and Media, and Head of the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia, was played.
The panels were each introduced by a reading of excerpts from Gerhart Baum’s last book “Besinnt Euch!”. The first passage read aloud by Max Reiter emphasised the necessity of press diversity and quality media in order to fulfil the important supervisory function of the media in a democracy.
Panel 1: “Media and Democracy”
Helene Bubrowski, Journalist (Moderator)
Martin Andree, Media Scholar and Author
Christian von Coelln, Holder of the Chair of Constitutional and Administrative Law, Science and Media Law at the University of Cologne
Kathrin Röggla, Author
Roger de Weck, Former Editor-in-chief of the ZEIT and Publicist
The first panel, entitled “Media and Democracy”, addressed topics such as threats to media freedom, the independence of the media from the state, and the need to safeguard independent, high-quality journalism. The moderator Helene Bubrowski identified the areas of regulation and liability issues, a change in mentality among readers, and the responsibility of media professionals themselves as topics to be addressed in the future. In a lively discussion with the audience, the question of a crisis of confidence in the media and approaches to restoring citizens' trust in the media were discussed in particular.
Panel 2: “Human Rights Policy and Democratic Responsibility”
Isabel Schayani, Journalist (Moderation)
Franziska Brandmann, Politician and Entrepreneur
Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, Former Federal Minister of Justice
Angelika Nußberger, Director of the Academy for European Human Rights Protection and former Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights
Irina Scherbakowa, Historian, Author and founding member of Memorial, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022
During the second panel discussion, participants examined changes in human rights institutions, the role and enforcement of human rights, the limits of what human rights can achieve, and the price that sometimes has to be paid for their enforcement. Finally, the panel participants discussed with the audience what each and every individual can do to strengthen human rights. It is necessary, they said, not to show indifference to current human rights policy and to get involved within the scope of one's own possibilities. Irina Scherbakowa emphasised that it is important to find specific tasks for oneself. As a current example, she mentioned the possibility of raising funds and purchasing electricity generators for Ukraine. Angelika Nußberger argued that culture and literature could also raise awareness of the current human rights situation and thus make a contribution.
In the evening, a festive event took place in the auditorium of the main building of the University of Cologne. The internationally renowned recorder player Dorothee Oberlinger, who recently received the Grand Culture Price from the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Rheinland, delighted the audience with a musical bouquet in honour of Gerhart Baum. Following this, the long-standing former Luxemburg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn gave a commemorative speech. He began by mentioning that Gerhart Baum, born in Dresden in 1932, had experienced the bombing of the city during the Second World War and raised the question of whether a person must have experienced barbarism in order to appreciate the value of democracy. Jean Asselborn went on to explain that he and Gerhart Baum were united by their belief in a common und unified Europe, and emphasised the importance of continuing and deepening the European idea, especially in the view of the current global situation.
Further information about the event is available at:
Conference: “How to Defend Human Rights Defenders?”
On 9 December 2025, the Academy for European Human Rights Protection, in cooperation with the City of Cologne, welcomed a diverse audience from academia, civil society, and the interested public to the University of Cologne for an expert conference entitled “How to Defend Human Rights Defenders?”. The conference formed part of the Cologne Human Rights Days, a new initiative launched by the City of Cologne dedicated to supporting human rights defenders. It took place in the context of International Human Rights Day, which is observed annually on 10 December.
The event was opened with welcoming remarks by Prof. Dr Junker, Prorector for Sustainability, Mayor Karadag, and Prof. Dr Angelika Nussberger, Director of the Academy for European Human Rights Protection.
The central question of the conference was explored in three engaging panel discussions as well as an interview. A key focus was on providing the eight participating human rights defenders from countries such as Ethiopia, Russia, and Romania with a platform to share their experiences and perspectives.
The first panel, featuring Getu Saketa, a human rights lawyer from Ethiopia; Karen Mukwasi, a women’s rights and digital rights activist from Zimbabwe; Elizaveta Khan, Founder and Managing Director of Integrationshaus Köln e. V.; and Ruth Borgfjord, Founder of Queer Sisterhood Cluj – Hilltop ORG and an LGBTI activist from Cluj (Romania), addressed the topic “Human Rights Work on the Ground: Insights into the Reality of Human Rights Defenders.” The discussion highlighted the concrete challenges, risks, and support needs faced by human rights defenders in their daily work.
The second panel of the day examined how human rights defenders can be concretely supported and protected in their role as “Guardians of Democratic Values.” Participants included Konrad Arz von Straussenburg, Human Rights Commissioner at the German Federal Foreign Office; Dr Michaela Lissowsky, Director of the Human Rights Hub of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Geneva; Mariam Claren, human rights activist and Head of the Iran Programme at HÁWAR.help; and Samuel Baker Byansi, a journalist from Rwanda.
During the lunch break, participants took the opportunity for further exchange and personal conversations.
Following this, Jessica Mosbahi, LL.M. (Cape Town), Human Rights and Policy Officer at the City of Cologne and co-organiser of the conference, and Dr Elena Brandenburg, Head of the “International Researchers” Division at the University of Cologne (Department of International Affairs), discussed human rights work at the municipal level in an interview.
The final panel of the conference was organised by the Academy for European Human Rights Protection. Moderated by Prof. Dr Nussberger, Prof. Dr Antoine Buyse, Founder and Editor of the ECHR Blog and Director of the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights; Dr Cathérine van de Graaf, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Human Rights Centre Ghent and the Academy for European Human Rights Protection and Editor of the Strasbourg Observers Blog; Dr Gleb Bogush, a Russian international law scholar in exile at the University of Cologne; and Elena Rusakova, a psychologist and researcher from Russia, discussed how academia can support the work of human rights defenders. For example, three human rights defenders from Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Russia recently completed research stays at the Academy, where they were supported in continuing their vital work.
We would like to thank all organisers, speakers, and the many participants for a successful and constructive event.
Report: Academy for European Human Rights Protection
Prof. Nußberger in Interviewreihe "Forschung wirkt..."
Prof. Nußberger was part of the interview series ‘Research works...’. The interview with the university focused in particular on the transfer of science into practice.
She spoke about her time as Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights and how research influences the European legal system.
Writing and Publishing in the Law of the ECHR and Other International Human Rights Systems: A Workshop for Early Career Researchers
The Academy for European Human Rights Protection at the University of Cologne organised the workshop “Writing and Publishing in the Law of the ECHR and Other International Human Rights Systems: A Workshop for Early Career Researchers”, which took place in Cologne on 15 and 16 December 2025.
This event marked the second edition of a workshop first held in February 2024 (for further information, please see here) and continued the fruitful exchange initiated on that occasion. While the first edition focused primarily on the European Convention on Human Rights, the 2025 workshop broadened its scope to include other international and regional human rights systems.
Human rights education and scholarship have become more important than ever at a time when a global rise in human rights violations and a growing disengagement from established human rights protection systems can be observed. Against this background, the workshop aimed to create a space for rigorous, critical, and forward-looking engagement on European and international human rights law, while cultivating a sense of community and fostering valuable exchange among early career researchers.
The programme comprised five panels with highly experienced and distinguished researchers and practitioners, whose contributions provided valuable insights into both academic and practical dimensions of human rights law. These panels were complemented by an interactive small-group session in which participants received feedback on ongoing projects. The workshop brought together 50 early-career researchers, who participated in person in Cologne, as well as more than 60 additional participants who joined online, creating a dynamic and lively atmosphere of exchange and discussion.
Prof. Angelika Nußberger elected to the Executive Board of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Prof. Angelika Nußberger was elected to the Executive Board of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation by the General Assembly.
The Executive Board manages the affairs of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and administers its assets. It assumes all tasks not performed by the General Assembly or the Board of Trustees. It is elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years.
Prof. Nußberger in the podcast "Was wird?" Kontroverse und Vorausschau
Prof. Dr. DDr. h.c. Angelika Nußberger was a guest on the podcast ‘Was wird?’ (What will happen?), a programme on controversy and foresight hosted by Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinemann-Grüder and journalist Michael Krons, which focuses on controversies in foreign and security policy.
In episode 11 of the podcast, she spoke on the topic of ‘Human rights: weapon of the West, fuss or imperative of peace?’
Description of the episode: ‘Peoples, hear the signals! / On to the final battle! / The Internationale / fights for human rights.’Has the final battle been called off? Civil rights are under severe pressure even in liberal democracies: what are the reasons for this? Were the coronavirus measures legitimate from a human rights perspective? Do human rights remain dependent on national or religious culture?
Listen to the podcast here. [German]
Workshop on “Immutability and Change before the European Court of Human Rights”
On 20 and 21 November 2025, Dr. Cathérine Van de Graaf, Dr. Beril Önder and Vandita Khanna organised an international workshop on “Immutability and Change Before the European Court of Human Rights” at the Academy for European Human Rights Protection at the University of Cologne.
The workshop focused on how the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) constructs, reinforces, or challenges notions of immutability, identity, and deservingness across different grounds of discrimination, shaping the extent to which marginalised groups receive protection or face its limitations. The two-day programme consisted of three panels: the first panel explored how European courts rely on immutability and identity norms that can shape or restrict the recognition of linguistic minority, religious, parental, and gender identities; the second panel examined how narratives of scarcity, vulnerability, and duty influence the ECtHR’s assessment of rights-holders and discrimination claims; and the final panel investigated how race, socio-economic status, and legal categorisation through migration status determine who is deemed deserving of protection before the ECtHR and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Lastly, the keynote speaker Dr. Meghan Campbell proposed contextualism as a potential corrective to immutability, highlighting how a contextual approach would be better aligned to the goals of equality law.
The workshop fostered engaging and intellectually stimulating discussions. The full program can be found here. The workshop was generously supported by the Volkswagen Foundation’s funding for the project "Who is the Court for? Bringing the Human (back) into Human Rights Research". A special issue is planned to feature the papers that were presented and discussed during the workshop.
Prof. Nußberger zu Gast bei FAZ-Einspruch
Prof. Nußberger war zu Gast in der Podcast-Sendung des FAZ-Einspruchs. Im Rahmen eines Gesprächs wurde das 75-jährige Bestehen der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention thematisiert.
Prof. Nußberger at the Constitutional Court in Vienna on Constitution Day 2025
Prof. Angelika Nußberger was invited to the Constitutional Court of Austria as a keynote speaker on October 13. The occasion was the Republic of Austria's Constitution Day 2025. The event was attended by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, National Council President Walter Rosenkranz, Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler, Ministers Gerhard Karner and Anna Sporrer, State Secretary Alexander Pröll and numerous other guests of honor.
The topic of Prof. Nußberger's speech was: International law is being undermined in a multipolar world.
You can watch the entire speech as a video here.
You can read the report of the Constitutional Court here.
Prof. Nußberger on ORF
Prof. Nußberger was a guest on ORF on 1 October 2025. She spoke there about the human rights situation on the occasion of Constitution Day 2025.