New speaker for Röling Lecture: Rick Lawson talks about protecting human rights after peacetime

We are delighted that Rick Lawson, chair of the National Human Rights Institute and professor of European Protection of Human Rights at Leiden University, will be giving the second Röling Lecture on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Michael O'Flaherty will unfortunately be unable to attend, but we are proud to offer an engaging and relevant alternative in Rick Lawson.

On International Human Rights Day, he will give a lecture entitled: ‘Bulwark or Castle made of sand? Protecting human rights in a post-peace era’. His lecture promises to provide a sharp and expert view of current events and the relevance of human rights after peace and for peace.

Röling Lecture

The Röling Lecture is organized annually around the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (December 10, 1948) and is named after the Groningen legal scholar and founder of the Polemological Institute, Bernard Röling (1906–1985).

Practical information

Location: Auditorium, University Building, University of Groningen
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 – starts at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:15 p.m.)
Admission: free | Language: English

Program

• 7:15 p.m. – Doors open and reception
• 7:30 p.m. – Welcome by Prof. Wilbert Kolkman, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Groningen
• 7:40 p.m. – Röling lecture by Prof. Rick Lawson, Chair of the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights and professor of European human rights protection at Leiden University
• 8:20 p.m. – Interview by Prof. Paul van Sasse van IJsselt, human rights expert and professor of law and religion, Faculty of Law, University of Groningen
• 8:35 p.m. – Questions and answers with the audience
• 9:00 p.m. – Closing