Upcoming events

The Human Rights Institute proudly presents our event series, Legal Machinery of Repression—a series that brings together voices revealing how repression leaves traces of defiance, memory, and testimony that outlive the machinery itself. Join us for the fifth event in the series focusing on memory, political repression, and the struggle to preserve truth in Venezuela. Memory is never only about the past—it can also be a way of resisting silence, confronting impunity, and insisting that repression not be forgotten.

This event brings together Génesis María Dávila Vázquez, Venezuelan human rights lawyer and founder of Defiende Venezuela, and Jesús Armas, Venezuelan civic leader, former political prisoner, and Obama Foundation Scholar at Columbia University. Drawing from both lived experience and human rights advocacy, the discussion will explore how survivors, families, and civil society actors transform personal and collective trauma into public memory, legal advocacy, and resistance.

Speakers:

• Génesis María Dávila Vázquez: Founder and President, Defiende Venezuela
• Jesús Armas: Venezuelan democracy and human rights advocate; former political prisoner; Obama Foundation Scholar, Columbia University
• When: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | 12:10pm – 1:10pm
• Where: Columbia Law School | JG  107 

Lunch will be provided.

Co-Sponsors: Columbia Human Rights Law Review

Please register below:

• Register with my Columbia UNI
• Register as a Guest

Celebrating a Decade of Student Scholarship, Dialogue, and Faculty–Student Collaboration

The Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School is delighted to invite submissions for the Tenth Annual Columbia Law School Human Rights Student Paper Symposium, marking ten years of elevating innovative student scholarship and fostering rich intellectual exchange on urgent human rights challenges.

Co-organized by the Human Rights Institute, Human Rights Clinic, Columbia Law School Human Rights Association, Columbia Human Rights Law Review, and the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, this milestone anniversary symposium will bring together students, faculty, practitioners, and scholars for a full day of rigorous discussion, constructive feedback, and community building.

Founded by Professor Sarah Knuckey in 2017, for a decade, this symposium has served as a cornerstone of human rights engagement at Columbia—a uniquely collaborative space where students present their research and receive detailed commentary from leading academics and practitioners committed to mentoring the next generation of human rights thinkers. The 2026 symposium will also feature special programming reflecting on the evolution and future of human rights scholarship at Columbia Law School.

Event Details

Date: Friday, April 3, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM 
Location: Jerome Greene Hall (in-person)
Format: In-person sessions
Food: Light breakfast and lunch provided for all participants

Call for Submissions

We welcome submissions from Columbia Law School (J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D.) students engaging with any aspect of human rights—across law, policy, practice, advocacy, theory, and research methods. Papers may explore contemporary issues, historical inquiries, comparative perspectives, or forward-looking approaches to rights protection and accountability.

Selected presenters will:

• Present their research in curated thematic panels 
• Receive targeted, in-depth commentary from distinguished Columbia faculty and external practitioners

This year’s anniversary symposium will highlight the long-standing tradition of faculty–student partnership that has shaped human rights learning and mentorship at Columbia.

How to Apply

Application Deadline: February 16, 2026
Please submit your materials through the online submission form.

Required materials:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
2. Abstract (500–750 words)
3. (If available) Draft paper or a detailed outline

Applicants will be notified of selection decisions by February 28, 2026.
Selected presenters must submit a full draft (15–30 pages) by March 20, 2026 to allow time for faculty and practitioner reviewers to prepare feedback.