TrialWatch Clinical Network Forum Puts Law Students at the Forefront of Fair Trial Advocacy
From February 9–10, 2026, the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School convened the first TrialWatch Clinical Network Forum. Twenty-eight students, clinicians, and practitioners from university law clinics in Indonesia, the Philippines, Uganda, Thailand, South Africa, and Georgia gathered in Athens, Greece to connect, reflect and envision the future. Hosted in partnership with the Clooney Foundation for Justice, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and the Columbia Global Center in Athens, the Forum created a working space for students and clinical faculty to deepen collaboration, share methods, and reflect on the realities of trial monitoring under increasingly restrictive environments.
Across closed-door sessions and a public conversation on the criminalization of journalism and dissent hosted at the University of Athens, participants examined how criminal law and courts are being used to silence critical voices and how trial monitoring can document abuses, support those targeted for their speech or peaceful protest, and inform strategic advocacy. Clinical legal education was at the center of the Forum’s design and purpose. TrialWatch’s clinical model positions students as emerging practitioners in real cases involving journalists and raising key freedom of expression issues.
Reflecting on the Forum’s vision, Tejal Jesrani, Director of the TrialWatch Project and Acting Director of the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School, said: “Clinical education comes alive when students step into the realities of human rights work and help shape its response. Across our clinics, next generation advocates observe cases where speech is on trial and use documentation as a tool to demand justice and accountability. The Forum connected those student-led efforts across borders.” For Mreganka Kukreja, an LL.M. student in the Columbia Law School clinic who traveled to Athens, the Forum offered a powerful window into how clinics across regions confront shared challenges: "the fearlessness and maturity with which trial monitoring was conducted in sensitive cases was particularly inspiring, and revealed what was Forum’s most significant takeaway: a shared commitment among clinics to advancing justice and serving affected communities, even in the face of challenges."
The Forum marked a milestone for the growing TrialWatch Clinical Network, which links university-based clinics across regions to strengthen fair trial monitoring and clinical legal education. What started as a network became a community, grounded in trust, strengthened through shared learning, and ready to carry the work forward in defense of fundamental freedoms and while facing unprecedented challenges. Stephen Townley, Legal Director of TrialWatch at the Clooney Foundation for Justice, said “In the face of an expanding authoritarian playbook too often shared across borders, collaboration between law school clinics is a critical counterweight: These upcoming human rights lawyers are integral to the effort to stop the misuse of the courts to suppress free speech.
Amal Clooney, Co-Founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, added, “We're thrilled to be working with the next generation of free speech defenders.”
The Athens convening reflects HRI’s mission to connect scholars and practitioners across borders, equipping the next generation of lawyers with tools to document fair trial violations and advance accountability where it is most urgently needed. It also reflects the Columbia Global Center in Athens’ role in fostering exchange between global and local communities. Stefanos Gandolfo, Director of the Columbia Global Center in Athens, reflected on the significance of hosting the Forum in Athens:
“Athens, the historic cradle of democracy, reminds us that justice is never self-executing, it must be defended, renewed, and practiced. Welcoming the first TrialWatch Clinical Network Forum in the city where the idea of civic accountability first took root, underscores our shared commitment to safeguarding fair trial rights at a time when they face mounting pressure across the world.”
Read more about the TrialWatch Clinical Network Forum, please visit:
For more information about the HRI TrialWatch Project, please visit: https://hri.law.columbia.edu/our-work/equality-and-justice/trialwatch-project.
For more on CFJ’s global work, please visit: https://cfj.org/trialwatch.