Institute for Human Rights, Åbo Akademi University

03/09/2026

Dr. Viljam Engström, Senior lecturer and Adjunct professor of public international law, attended the annual European Society of International Law conference in Malaga, Spain. He presented today at the International Organizations interest group on the IMF expanding mandate.

03/09/2026

✨Alumni Update: Amelia Bondegård

💭Who are you?
My name is Amelia Bondegård and I am from Kristinestad, Finland. I graduated from the Master’s Degree Programme in International Law and Human Rights in winter 2024.

💭What do you do today?
Today I work as an Assistant Adviser at the Finnish Immigration Service. In my role I work within the field of Finnish Immigration law, applying both national and international legal frameworks in the decision making process regarding residence permit applications. I believe my studies have well prepared me to succeed in a multidimensional working environment.

💭How do you look back at your studies?
I look back at my studies with gratitude. I highly value being able to choose courses that align with my interests as well as being able to learn in an inspiring and intellectually engaging environment with encouraging professors. For me, it resulted in a specialisation within human rights and migration law.

💭Any words of wisdom?
My words of wisdom are to find your passion and get out of your comfort zone! I strongly encourage you to utilize opportunities, such as excursions, internships, or an exchange study abroad.

27/08/2026

Åbo Akademi University’s School of Law hosted a celebration to mark Professor Elina Pirjatanniemi's 60th birthday in which the academic leadership, colleagues and partners over the years participated. Elina is greatly appreciated by those who have had the pleasure of working with her, and in the celebratory speeches her capacity to work with great wisdom, willpower and humour in many challenging contexts was highlighted. ❤ We wish you many more happy and inspiring years as our colleague and friend!

27/08/2026

Celebrating the 60th birthday of Prof. Elina Pirjatanniemi, the Director of the Institute for Human Rights, the Tålking Rights Blog published yesterday the first blog symposium in a series of three. The topic of the first symposium is "International Law and Human Rights in Turbulent Times", curated by Magdalena Kmak and Pamela Slotte.

By Magdalena Kmak and Pamela Slotte Russo. This blog introduces the first symposium honouring Professor Elina Pirjatanniemi, on the theme of ‘International Law and Human Rights in Turbulent T…

21/08/2026

The MOPO-project held the first workshop with its collaborators at the start of the summer. The focus of the workshop was a mapping report detailing the current state of ex post evaluation practices and recommendations both domestically and at the international level. During the workshop, the research team presented a first draft of the report and discussed it together with the participants. The workshop generated valuable feedback and insights, which the research-team will utilise now to finalise the report.

Thank you to all who participated!


Collaborators:
Ministry of Justice of Finland
European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI)
Finnish League for Human Rights
Victim Support Finland

Collaborators The project collaborators are Ministry of Justice of Finland European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI) Finnish League for Human Rights Victim Support Finland  

07/08/2026

Conferencing with a tan

People often ask what it's like to do a PhD. Well, sometimes it means interrupting your vacation, packing your suitcase, and heading to a conference.

Grateful to have spent three inspiring days at CINETS 2026 in Leiden in July. This biennial conference was centered on the timely theme "Crimmigration in an Age of Authoritarian Drift." It explored how criminal law and migration law are becoming increasingly intertwined, and what this means for migrants’ rights. It was one of the largest conferences I've attended, with multiple keynote speakers and parallel sessions that made choosing where to go a challenge, often until the very last minute because every session looked fascinating.

The conference was also a special milestone for me, as I presented my academic poster at my very first conference since starting my PhD.

What made it even more memorable was the combination of outstanding academic discussions with artistic exhibitions and film screenings. They brought a human dimension to migration, complementing the legal debates and making complex issues more tangible and accessible.

It was a pleasure to exchange ideas with colleagues from around the world. Many thanks to the organizers for creating such a welcoming and inspiring event, and to Åbo Akademi University and the Swedish Cultural Foundation for making this experience possible.

Leaving sandy feet behind and swapping flip-flops for formal shoes was absolutely worth it. / Adrian

30/06/2026

📣 Check out this new article by Mikaela Heikkilä, Maija Mustaniemi-Laakso and Lisa Grans!

📄 The article, written within the ROVU project (https://blogs2.abo.fi/vulnerability/), was recently published (in Finnish) in the journal Oikeus. Focusing on forced marriage as a crime, it discussed genuine consent, coercion and vulnerabilities.

🔗 You can read the article here: https://oikeus.journal.fi/article/view/162390/126374

25/06/2026

📑 This month the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published its annual report on fundamental rights in the EU, to which the Institute has contributed!

📝 Katarina Frostell authored a national report on “Housing crisis and people experiencing homelessness”, which was part of the multidisciplinary research network FRANET’s national contribution to the FRA report. FRANET’s report examines the Finnish legal framework on the right to housing, its major developments in 2025, and statistics on the number of ex*****on orders and actual evictions for private households. In addition, Raija Hanski authored a national report on the use of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights at national level (publication forthcoming).

⚖️👥 FRA’s report “Fundamental Rights Report - Challenges and achievements in 2025” focuses on fundamental rights developments and gaps in the EU in 2025. These include:
🔹Europe’s housing crisis
🔹Employment challenges and labour exploitation
🔹Threats to fundamental rights online
🔹The EU’s foundational values

🔗 Find FRANET’s national contribution here:
https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/frr_housing_crisis_report_2025_fi_en.pdf
🔗 Find the full annual report by the FRA here:
https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fundamental-rights-report_challenges-and-achievements_2025.pdf

23/06/2026

📢 How are language politics formed, and what role does the Swedish language play in legislative and policy processes?

💡 “The Position of Swedish in Politics and Legislation: A Legal-Policy Analysis of the Status of the Swedish Language and the Rights of Swedish Speakers in Debates in Finland’s Parliament and in Legislative Materials, 1990–2025” (LAWPOL Språkrätt) is one of the Institute’s newest research projects. The project runs from 2026 to 2029 and aims to investigate the role of the Swedish language in politics and legislation in Finland.

⚖️ The focus is on attitudes towards the Swedish language as expressed in plenary debates in Parliament and in legislative preparatory materials. The project contributes to a deeper understanding of how and on what grounds the status of Swedish has changed over the past 35 years, as well as how language, power, and politics are interconnected in a bilingual society. It also offers insight into language policy trends and the types of arguments used to justify legislative changes affecting linguistic rights.

🔅 The project utilizes tools developed through the LAWPOL research infrastructure, which will continue to be further developed within the project.

👥 The project team is led by Professor Anne Alvesalo-Kuusi from the Faculty of Law at the University of Turku and includes Elina Pirjatanniemi (Åbo Akademi), Kimmo Elo (Turun yliopisto - University of Turku), Marjaana Sjölund (Turun yliopisto - University of Turku), and Frida Bergenwall (Åbo Akademi).

17/06/2026

🌟 As one chapter ends, another begins!

🎓 Today marked a milestone for many students studying Public International Law at Åbo Akademi University. At today’s graduation ceremonies, students within the Master’s­ Degree­ Pro­gramme in­­ Inter­national Law­ and­ Human­ Rights, a programme offered by the Institute, attained their Master’s Degrees in Social Sciences or in International and Comparative Law.

🎓 Also, students within the Bachelor’s Programme in Social Sciences and with the main subject of Public International Law, also had their graduation ceremony today. Many will continue with their Master’s studies within the Institute’s programme; congratulations, and see you again this fall!

🎉 To those now leaving Åbo Akademi and starting a new chapter, the whole Institute would like to wish you the very best for what the future may hold for you! Remember to always believe in yourselves, and be confident in your knowledge and competence!

🌻 Congratulations, and also lovely summer to staff, students and alumni!