This coming autumn, the human rights organization Civil Rights Defenders and the Faculty of Law at Uppsala University will invite law students to their Human Rights Clinic — a new project that focuses on human rights.

The Human Rights Clinic aims to provide participants with practical knowledge about how civil society works to strengthen human rights. It is aimed toward law students who want to work with human rights and freedoms with a strategic perspective.

The program consists of seven workshops that introduce the students to advanced practical legal writing, including complaints to regulatory agencies, legal investigations, shadow reports to international organizations and statements of opinion, as well as advocacy work and ethical issues. These workshops are run by researchers and lecturers from the Faculty of Law as well as representatives from Civil Rights Defenders.

From custodial care to terrorism

Additionally, the Human Rights Clinic offers the participants the opportunity to work on real legal issues and tasks close to Civil Rights Defenders. There will be a focus on the rights of vulnerable EU citizens, legal safeguards for suspects and the accused in criminal proceedings, the use of guns and lethal violence by police, custodial care with support from the law on compulsory psychiatric care, as well as Swedish terror laws.

The aim of the initiative is to create a platform for collaboration between researchers, lecturers, students and representatives from civil society. Through the Human Rights Clinic, students will be able to immerse themselves in an innovative way in practical legal training, advocacy work and ethical issues regarding human rights.

Read more about the Human Rights Clinic here.