The Human Rights Centre of the University of Potsdam (MRZ) has been publishing the journal MenschenRechtsMagazin (MRM) since 1996. For the biannual issues, we are looking for contributions in German or English dealing with current issues of universal, regional or national human rights protection. As an interdisciplinary journal, the MRM is open to authors from the field of law as well as philosophy, political science and history.
Copyright (c) 2026 Norman Weiß, Btissam Boulakhrif https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Franz-Xaver Lehmeyer, Strafrecht und Menschenwürde. Dogmatik und Funktion des Art. 1 Abs. 1 GG im Rahmen von Extremsituationen und Extremsanktionen. Duncker & Humblot (Schriften zum Strafrecht Bd. 445), Berlin 2025, 395 Seiten, ISBN 978-3-428-19497-1.
Copyright (c) 2026 Erol Pohlreich https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
This article offers a critical diagnosis of platform capitalism as a contemporary form of Systemic Colonisation of the Lifeworld, drawing on Habermas’s theory of communicative action and his genealogy of the public sphere. It argues that we are witnessing a Third Wave of Systemic Colonisation, characterised by the algorithmic platformisation of social life, the extraction of data as an economic and epistemic resource, and the structural undermining of human rights. Unlike previous waves driven by money and administrative power, this new wave operates directly on language, the communicative infrastructure of Lifeworld, and over memory, specifically through the deployment of Large Language Models (LLMs) that automate and de-subjectivise human interaction. The article traces the evolution from The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere to The Theory of Communicative Action, establishing the normative importance of communicative rationality for democratic legitimacy. It diagnoses how digital platforms intensify systemic logic, reshaping deliberation, socialisation, and collective memory. Drawing on contemporary critical theory, I analyse the epistemic injustices and pathological deformations of recognition under digital capitalism. Case studies illustrate the insufficiency of fragmented state responses to a transnational phenomenon. Finally, the article argues that the third wave of colonisation must be understood as a human rights crisis, requiring new normative and legal frameworks within international human rights law.
Copyright (c) 2026 Daniel Valente Pedroso de Siqueira https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Adis Selimi, Die Politische Philosophie der Staatenanerkennung. Schriften zum Völkerrecht Bd. 265, Duncker & Humblot Berlin 2025, 169 S., € 69,90
Copyright (c) 2026 Eckart Klein https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Human Dignity as a Limit to the Full Automation of Administrative Procedure
The article examines formal provisions of administrative procedural law whose automation through language-processing algorithms could be technologically feasible. The central question is whether there are fundamental constitutional objections to such an undertaking, particularly in light of the principle of human dignity. To this end, the administrative procedure, especially its communicative and argumentative procedural steps, is first analyzed in terms of its human rights dimensions. Subsequently, the article explores the extent to which these dimensions can be adequately addressed by language-processing algorithms within a fully automated administrative procedure.
Copyright (c) 2026 Charlotte Langer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Commentary on the Judgment Miembros de la Corporación Colectivo de Abogados “José Alvear Restrepo” v. Colombia
Summary – Unofficial Headnotes (1) The establishment of a regime of state intelligence and surveillance without prior adoption of clear laws and legal norms – defining procedures, limiting access and data sharing, and ensuring that intelligence activities serve purposes consistent with the normative standards of a democratic society – is incompatible with the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR). (2) The exercise of state intelligence inherently tends to interfere with the rights to privacy, confidentiality, data protection, and informational self-determination. Accordingly, for an intelligence framework to be compatible with the ACHR, it must establish objective structures that comply with human rights standards and, moreover, create space for the exercise of individual rights. (3) State surveillance structures must coexist harmoniously with the protection of human rights and with activities functionally linked to that purpose. States have not only a negative obligation to refrain from hindering the work of human rights defenders, but also a positive obligation to actively ensure safe and stable conditions in which such actors can carry out their activities without risks to their lives or those of their families. (4) The Republic of Colombia failed to establish an adequate normative framework for state intelligence, particularly with respect to ensuring and promoting the protection of privacy, data protection, and informational self-determination of human rights defenders (Art. 11 para. 2, 3, Art. 13 para. 1), as well as safeguarding their function and, consequently, the right to defend human rights in the country (Art. 1 para. 1, Art. 4 para. 1, Art. 5 para. 1, Art. 8 para. 1, Art. 13 para. 1, Art. 16 para. 1, Art. 25 para. 1 ACHR). (5) The Republic of Colombia, actively engaged in conduct that violated the human rights of human rights defenders, including their informational rights, as well as their rights to life (Art. 4 ACHR), personal integrity (Art. 4 para. 1, Art. 5 para. 1, 2 ACHR), freedom of expression and association (Art. 13 para. 1, Art. 16 para. 1 ACHR), honor (Art. 11 para. 1 ACHR), the right to know the truth (Art. 13 ACHR), freedom of movement and residence (Art. 22 para. 1 ACHR), protection of the family (Art. 17 para. 1 ACHR), and the rights of the children (Art. 19 ACHR), right of access to justice and judicial protection (Art. 8 para. 1, Art. 25 ACHR), and women’s rights and the corresponding duty to protect those rights, as set forth in the Convention of Belém do Pará (CBP) (Art. 1 para. 1, 2 CBP).
Copyright (c) 2026 Lucas Reckziegel Weschenfelder https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2026 Btissam Boulakhrif; Norman Weiß https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Work of Human Rights Defenders
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most important technologies of the present day. It is already influencing the day-to-day life of many people and is shaping the decision-making of enterprises, governments, humanitarian organisations and other actors. This article discusses the potentials of the use of AI by and against human rights defenders. On the one hand, AI can offer immense benefits for such individuals or groups with its timesaving, simplifying and analytical capabilities. On the other hand, AI can be used to track and attack human rights defenders and their activities. It offers an additional way, especially for governments, to curtail the rights of human rights defenders and to hinder them in their work.
Copyright (c) 2026 Manuel Brunner https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Autonomous Weapon Systems and its Fundamental Flaw
Highly autonomous weapons can make split-second decisions about life and death without any human involvement thereby avoiding human accountability in the decision-making process. Accountability is an essential component for the proper functioning of the law. All law is premised on human agency. Thus, human agency is essential to accountability. The lack of human agency poses a challenge to the regulation of artificial intelligence. Using Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS) as an example, this research paper will explore the challenge of regulating highly “intelligent” and “autonomous” AI-incorporated weapons using a sociolegal methodology employing doctrinal, theoretical and comparative methods of research. While incorporating AI into weapons is not inherently harmful, the paper concludes that it is impossible to regulate “fully” AWS (which incorporates sophisticated AI into the weapon system) because human agency is absent in the “decision” to apply “lethal force”, which undermines accountability. Furthermore, even when human involvement is present, it occurs at different stages of the process and does not necessarily include the decision-making phase. Thus, it is submitted that AWS carry with it the fundamental flaw that it cannot be regulated by law.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ruvini Katugaha https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Responsibility and Accountability for the use of AI in Law Enforcement in the European Union
This paper examines the EU AI Act’s application to law enforcement, highlighting how this sector is incorporated into the risk-based approach and assessing the extent to which such incorporation could weaken safeguards for individuals. It argues that, although the newly created accountability framework is complex, it offers only limited remedies for affected individuals. To ensure genuine protection of fundamental rights, the exceptions (‘backdoors’) embedded in the framework must be critically examined, contestability mechanisms must be strengthened, and the responsibilities of providers and deployers of high-risk AI must be clarified. Where appropriate, a rights-based approach should be integrated into the risk-based approach to underscore that fundamental rights are non-negotiable. This integration is essential to align the use of AI with the AI Act’s twin objectives of protecting fundamental rights and promoting innovation.
Copyright (c) 2026 Steven Kleemann, Milan Tahraoui https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Gizem Kaya https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
International Artificial Intelligence Law to the Test of Surveillance
This paper takes a broad look at the privacy implications of emerging supranational frameworks on artificial intelligence (AI), taking AI-driven surveillance by the private and public sectors as a case example of privacy-adverse practices. To do so, this paper first examines the relationship between AI technologies and surveillance practices, highlighting the privacy risks raised by corporate surveillance and state surveillance. The paper then recalls the scope and content of privacy, before pinpointing remaining gaps in emerging frameworks on AI that stand in the way of achieving robust privacy guarantees in the context of AI-driven surveillance.
Copyright (c) 2026 William Letrone, Tony Cabus https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Can climate protection be promoted by using procedures to enforce human rights?
In recent years, there has been an increase in lawsuits at the international human rights level alleging human rights violations due to inadequate government climate protection measures. In 2024, the ECtHR had to deal with several cases of this kind, and many more are pending. After a brief overview of the most important cases before international tribunals, this article analyzes the institutional, procedural, and substantive legal challenges in the context of human rights-based climate lawsuits and highlights differences in the jurisprudence of international tribunals. Against this background, the article examines the impact of recent case law on the further development of the climate law review standard of international tribunals and shows why climate protection can be promoted through human rights-based climate lawsuits.
Copyright (c) 2025 Lea Anna Gennari https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
„Das Beste, was die Menschheit zu geben hat“: Ein kinderrechtlicher Auftrag, der bleibt
This article takes a look at the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child of 1924 and the 2024 Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted to mark its 100th anniversary. It examines the guarantees contained in both declarations and the extent to which they have shaped or may still shape the modern understanding of children's rights.
Copyright (c) 2025 Stephan Gerbig https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A Landmark Climate Decision: Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland and the New Standard for Victim Status
This article explores the landmark decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland, addressing climate change within the framework of human rights. It critically examines the evolving standards for victim status, highlighting the Court’s contentious recognition of an NGO as a victim under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The discussion delves into the severity threshold for environmental harm and the complexities of attributing state responsibility for climate change. The analysis underscores the tension between legal interpretation and policy-making, raising important questions about the limits of judicial intervention in global climate governance.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gulnaz Alasgarova https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Music and Human Rights Since World War II
How can the articulation of human rights politics be explored through sound, musical practices, and reception? This article addresses the intersection of music and human rights on a global level since World War II. The two authors observe that historians have already examined human rights from a variety of perspectives—such as law, society, and cultural politics—yet the expression of human rights issues in sound aesthetics has so far received little scholarly attention. Musicologists and sound researchers, on the other hand, have extensively analyzed the symbolic and affective use of music and sound on the part of social movements, cultural institutions, liberal governments, authoritarian regimes, and individual activists. Yet, the theme of human rights has only been explicitly addressed in a few publications. Against this background, the authors argue and demonstrate that an interdisciplinary analysis combining theories and methods from history, music, and sound studies can open up new pathways to understanding the global history of human rights.
Copyright (c) 2025 Steffen Just, Jessica Gienow-Hecht https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2024 Norman Weiß, Theresa Lanzl https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
1994–2024: The international protection of human rights between rise, decline or stagnation
This article takes the 30th anniversary of the Human Rights Centre at the University of Potsdam as an opportunity to take stock of where the regional and universal systems of human rights protection stand today and where they could develop in the coming years. The article reflects on the historical development of human rights protection since the founding of the Human Rights Centre in 1994, from the changes in Europe after 1990 to contemporary global challenges. The article surveys how international human rights mechanisms have expanded since the Cold War, but also highlights stagnation in new treaty ratifications and emerging challenges such as climate change, new technologies like artificial intelligence, and evolving perspectives from States from the Global South.
Copyright (c) 2024 Andreas Zimmermann https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Marie-Sophie Adeoso, Eva Berendsen, Leo Fischer und Deborah Schnabel (Hrsg.): Code & Vorurteil. Über Künstliche Intelligenz, Rassismus und Antisemitismus
Copyright (c) 2024 Elisabeth Kaneza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the right to housing in Saydawi and Farah v. Italy
A domestic legal remedy that is not effective for remedying the alleged human rights violation must not be exhausted within the meaning of Art. 3 (1) OP-ICESCR. Forced evictions must be in accordance with the principles of proportionality and reasonableness, pursuant to Art. 11 (1), Art. 2 (1) and Art. 4 ICESCR read in conjunction. Accordingly, a forced eviction is justified if it is (1) determined by law, (2) pursues general welfare, is (3) suitable and (4) necessary for its achievement. Lastly, (5) it must be adequate in that the benefits of the restriction in promoting the general welfare must outweigh the effects on the enjoyment of the right to be restricted. The proportionality-assessment must take into account the availability of alternative housing, the personal circumstances of the persons concerned, their willingness to cooperate with the authorities and whether the property is owned by individuals or legal entities. If the persons concerned are unable to find alternative housing on their own, the State must take all appropriate measures within its available resources to provide alternative and adequate housing. The lack of an opportunity to review the proportionality of the eviction before an independent and impartial tribunal constitutes ipso facto a violation of the right to housing.
Copyright (c) 2024 Gregor Kreller https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
In the press, one often hears of people who are wanted worldwide with an "international arrest warrant". This colloquial term usually means a so-called "Red Notice" from INTERPOL, which, as will be shown, is not an actual, binding arrest warrant. However, if one considers the intensity of interference that this measure can sometimes have for those affected, it is quite comparable and possibly even more far-reaching due to the almost worldwide use of the INTERPOL system by the national authorities. While persons wanted with a national arrest warrant have various legal remedies and legal action against it, the attempt to subject a "Red Notice" to a judicial review and possibly to eliminate unjustified consequences that interfere with human rights is much more difficult for those affected. As this article will show, it is even impossible affected persons to take effective action directly against a "Red Notice" and behavior of INTERPOL in the event of a possible violation of their human rights. In this context, it is examined in more detail which problems and obstacles lead to this result, but also what options remain for those affected. A special focus is placed on the guarantees of the ECHR and the compatibility of the INTERPOL system with it.
Copyright (c) 2024 Jil Stölting https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
In a controversial context concerning the implications of freedom of speech, this paper argues that regulations are needed in order to prevent ideas and actions that aim to suppress freedom and equality. For this purpose, a review of the new challenges that highlight this need is conducted, along with some older yet still relevant justifications. With that established, it is proposed that the main challenge within this topic does not lie in the regulation or non-regulation of freedom of speech. Indeed, the real debate is found in determining the circumstances and conditions under which limitations can be justified in this domain, seeking lawful and proportionate resolutions. The aim of this text is not to provide a final answer to the discussion, rather a wider and clearer sight on important matters that must be taken into account for limiting speech, and some input on the later proposals that must be further developed.
Copyright (c) 2024 Marina Munoz Ayuso https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Christian Johann / Roya Sangi (Hrsg.), LkSG: Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz. Handkommentar, erschienen im Nomos-Verlag, Baden-Baden, 2023, 465 Seiten, ISBN 978-3-848-77230-8.
Copyright (c) 2024 Norman Weiß https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Beginnend mit dieser Ausgabe erscheint das MenschenRechtsMagazin als OpenJournal, mit eigener Webadresse und den Maßstäben unserer heutigen Zeit entsprechend. Nach insgesamt 65 gedruckten Heften und einem Jahr Übergangszeit auf dem Publikationsserver der Universität Potsdam wird diese Zeitschrift nun auf der Seite www.menschenrechtsmagazin.de zu finden sein. Einreichungen können über diese Webseite erfolgen. Aufsätze in der Rubrik „Abhandlung“ durchlaufen ein „double-blind“ Peer-Review-Verfahren. In der Rubrik „Beiträge“ bietet das MRM weiterhin die Möglichkeit, Kommentare, Kontroversen, Kurzbeiträge oder anlassbezogene Erörterungen zu veröffentlichen. Auch ist es uns ein besonderes Anliegen in dieser Rubrik, Studierenden die Möglichkeit zu geben, herausragende Seminararbeiten im Bereich der Menschenrechte (an die Form eines Aufsatzes angepasst) zu veröffentlichen. Einreichungen in der Rubrik „Beiträge“ sowie Entscheidungs- und Buchbesprechungen durchlaufen ein Redigat durch die Redaktion des MenschenRechtsMagazins. Auch hier sind maßgebliche Kriterien für die Entscheidung die inhaltliche Qualität, die Aktualität und der innovative Charakter des Beitrags.
Copyright (c) 2024 Normal Weiß, Theresa Lanzl https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Animal Welfare Beats Freedom of Religion
The judgment under review privileges animal welfare over freedom of religion. It revives the dubious theory of the "choice of society", shows unappropriate deference to national bodies and, for the first time and in deviation from extant case-law, applies the "living instrument" doctrine to restrict Convention rights without even finding a European consensus on this application. It also neglects the question of the appropriateness of the interference (restriction).
Copyright (c) 2024 Theodor Schilling https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Manfred Kittel, Die Zwei Gesichter der Zerstörung. Raphael Lemkins UN-Genozidkonvention und die Vertreibung der Deutschen. Duncker & Humblot (Forschungen zur Geschichte ethnischer Vertreibung Bd. 1), Berlin 2023, 181 Seiten, ISBN 978-3-428-18905-2 (Print)
Im Mittelpunkt des lesenswerten Buches steht die Frage nach dem richtigen Verständnis der UN-Konvention über die Verhütung und Bestrafung des Völkermords von 1948, die 1951 in Kraft getreten ist. An ihrer Erarbeitung hatte Raphael Lemkin (1900–1959), ein jüdischer, im Zarenreich geborener polnischer Jurist, erheblichen Anteil; es ist daher berechtigt, dass Kittel auf die Lemkinsche Interpretation immer wieder zurückkommt. Für die rechtliche Beurteilung kann allerdings nur die Konvention selbst maßgebend sein, die nach den im Völkerrecht anerkannten Interpretationsmethoden auszulegen ist. Davon geht auch der Autor, der Regensburger Neuhistoriker Manfred Kittel, zutreffend aus.
Copyright (c) 2024 Eckart Klein https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Human rights violations caused by ecocide
The World Health Organization estimates that at least 250,000 people could die each year from 2030 to 2050 as a result of climate change. With global warming of 1.5 degrees, around 350 million residents of metropolitan areas will suffer from a lack of water by 2050. In recent years, climate change has led to global harvest declines of four to ten percent. In addition, there are extreme weather situations such as floods, storms and earthquakes, which are already threatening the existence of millions of people. According to the International Panel on Climate Change experts, the world is not prepared for the further changes to come. Nevertheless, the containment of the climate crisis and its consequences in politics and the economy is progressing slowly. In the EU, an inadequate compromise had to be found for the end of combustion engines, an agreement is currently being negotiated with the so-called Mercosur states that does not address climate protection or human rights, and this year's COP is once again coming to an end without a clear impetus for action. Climate change is already endangering fundamental human rights. Anyone who intentionally damages or destroys the natural environment destroys livelihoods and thus violates human rights, but has so far not been held accountable for this. That is why there have been calls for ecocide to be recognized as a serious environmental crime in the statute of the international criminal court to close gaps in human rights protection.
Copyright (c) 2024 Lina Ebbecke https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The dynamic relationship between the Global Compact for Migration and Human Rights Law
Is the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM or “the Compact”) essentially a human rights instrument that complements and strengthens existing obligations under international law, as some people argue? Or does it entail the risk that States use it as an excuse to bypass obligations following from human rights treaties, and to introduce further requirements for regular migration, in fact bringing more migrants in a situation of irregularity? Contributing to the ongoing debate, this paper explores the dynamic relationship between the GCM and human rights treaties in order to understand the extent to which the GCM has the potential to reinforce and/or to undermine the human rights protection of migrants. The examination adopts two angles: it first assesses the substance of the Compact, i.e., its Objectives, in relation to human rights law, and then examines the GCM as a process, i.e., its institutional and procedural dimension in light of its review mechanisms.
Copyright (c) 2024 Jürgen Bast, Janna Wessels, Anuscheh Farahat https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Domestic violence against women is a far-reaching and widespread phenomenon. The main idea underlying this work is that domestic violence (in its extreme forms) should be considered within the international criminal framework for torture. In particular, the work explores how through the notion of acquiescence provided for in Art. 1 of the UN Convention against Torture, the state and its agents can be held responsible in cases of domestic violence. While acquiescence represents a powerful notion to allow for the application of the torture criminal definition to domestic violence, the practicalities of such an approach are complex, with many questions left unanswered. Ultimately, the root obstacle to a smooth application of Art. 1 to instances of domestic violence is not the state requirement provided for in the definition, but rather the sui generis nature of the UN Torture Convention.
Copyright (c) 2024 Victoria Priori https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0