Event information

1 May 2017, 18:00-20:00

High Level Panel on the Policing of Assemblies and Human Rights: Freedom of Assembly, Prohibition of Torture and Right to Life

Event

Panelists will discuss the human rights that are at stake during the policing of assemblies, challenges posed by the use of specific weapons and other means by law enforcement agencies, and the role and potential of the revised Minnesota Protocol.

This high-level panel forms part of the annual expert seminars series on current challenges to human rights organized by the Geneva Academy and the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa. The 2017 Expert Seminar focuses on the rights affected by the use of force in law enforcement, in particular during the policing of assemblies.

Welcome Remarks

Robert Roth, Director, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

Panelists

Christof Heyns, Member of the UN Human Rights Committee and Professor of Human Rights Law at the University of Pretoria

Nils Melzer, Human Rights Chair at the Geneva Academy, UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment and Professor of International Law at the University of Glasgow

Anna Giudice, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, Justice Section Division of Operations, UNODC

Luís Miguel Ribeiro Carrilho, Chief Superintendent Senior Inspector at the Portuguese National Public Security Police Inspectorate

Moderation

Ambassador Valentin Zellweger, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations and the other international organizations in Geneva

After the High-Level Panel

A cocktail will be served after the event.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

SIDS Training GHRP News

Practical Training on Human Rights Council Procedures Strengthens SIDS/LDCs Engagement

21 July 2025

Sixteen diplomats from fifteen Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries participated in a two-day Practical Training on Human Rights Council Procedures.

Read more

GHRP EU News News

Bridging Geneva and Europe: advancing human rights in the digital age

2 June 2025

The Geneva Human Rights Platform has taken its work on strengthening the international human rights system to the heart of European policymaking.

Read more

Special Rapporteur Sign Event

Mandates in Dialogue: Strengthening Collaboration Across UN Mechanisms and Academic Institutions

4 September 2025, 18:00-19:30

This Human Rights Conversation will explore how cross-mandate cooperation can be enhanced, and how academia can play a more strategic and aligned role in supporting mandate holders.

Read more

Digital Globe Event

Information Management & Machine Learning for Human Rights: Digital Transformation in the Public Sector - Workshop at the 2025 LATSIS Symposium

12 September 2025, 13:30-15:30

This interactive, two-part workshop will explore how modern data-science tools – including machine learning and AI – can be leveraged to support the United Nations in promoting and protecting human rights.

Read more

A general view of participants during of the 33nd ordinary session of the Human Rights Council. Training

The Universal Periodic Review and the UN Human Rights System: Raising the Bar on Accountability

10-14 November 2025

This training course will explore the origin and evolution of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and its functioning in Geneva and will focus on the nature of implementation of the UPR recommendations at the national level.

Read more

Town Hall Meeting Training

Localizing International Human Rights

8-10 October 2025

This training course, specifically designed for staff of city and regional governments, will explore the means and mechanisms through which local and regional governments can interact with and integrate the recommendations of international human rights bodies in their concrete work at the local level.

Read more

Online folders Project

Digital Human Rights Tracking Tools and Databases

Started in March 2023

This initiative wishes to contribute to better and more coordinated implementation, reporting and follow-up of international human rights recommendations through a global study on digital human rights tracking tools and databases.

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2024

published on July 2025

Read more

Cover of the publication Publication

Briefing N° 25: Localizing Multilateralism

published on March 2025

Domenico Zipoli, Ludovica Chiussi Curzi, Kamelia Kemileva

Read more