Antoine Buyse, a professor of human rights and director of the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) at Utrecht University, is currently a visiting professor at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute.
His special areas of expertise are the European Convention on Human Rights (about which he hosts the ECHR Blog), human rights in post-conflict situations, and transitional justice. In the past years, he has worked on research investigating the linkages between the freedom of expression and violent conflict escalation. Currently, he is embarking on a project concerning reverse transitions from a human rights perspective, focusing on shrinking civic space, as evidenced by restrictions on civil society organisations, the media, and public protest.
In order to learn more about his work, we sat down with him and asked few questions.
Why do you think human rights are important nowadays?
“I believe that human rights protect the process of freedom, debate, contestation and dialogue which can address conflicts without violence. In addition, they of course form and reflect ethical values, as well as offering tools of protection which should be in the hands of everyone.”
What are your focus areas?
“My research interests are the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), human rights in post-conflict states, housing rights, the freedom of expression and transitional justice. Much of my research tries to link insights from non-legal disciplines such as conflict studies or history to the debates on human rights in law. This is also the explicit mission of my Chair that Utrecht University established, which aims to put human rights debates in a multidisciplinary perspective.
Tell us about the research you are currently working on?
“My current research concerns ‘reverse transitions’ and the political backtracking regarding human rights and especially civil society under pressure. In today’s world, many political transitions are either stalling or even going backwards. This has led to what many call ‘hybrid regimes’, which maintain a facade of democracy but in which human rights protection is deeply flawed.
Studying this phenomenon, I will focus on three sub-themes: the media, NGOs, as well as public protests. The current pressures on civic space are the common threads that link these themes. Taking the example of civil society organisations, many are directly threatened, put under pressure, and can eventually get their funding cut or worse, be prohibited. This issue needs to be addressed and researched from a human rights perspective.”