On 2 November 2023 Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) will host the annual conference devoted to human rights issues in Latvia, “Human Rights in Latvia and Europe”, with a particular theme this year – human rights in sports. The conference will take place from 10.30 – 14.30 at RGSL campus Strēlnieku 4 k-2 and livestream online from RGSL.
The speakers of the conference will be a Judge at the European Court of Justice, RGSL Professor Dr. Ineta Ziemele, Judge of the European Court of Human Rights Dr. Mārtiņš Mits, Legal Adviser to the President of Latvia, former Representative of Latvia before International Human Rights Organisations Kristīne Līce, lawyer, expert in sports law Edgars Gūte, Director of Latvian Anti-doping bureau Mārtiņš Dimants, and Head of Legal service at the Latvian Olympic committee Raitis Keselis. The conference will be opened by Latvian Minister of Justice Dr. Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, RGSL Rector Dr. Adam Czarnota and Dr. Mārtiņš Mits.
The period of serious crises continues in Europe and in the world, directly affecting the effectiveness of human rights protection. Last year, many human rights issues have made the headlines in Latvia. In the conditions of Russian aggression in Ukraine, the issue of national security comes to the fore also in Latvia. National security is a multi-factor formation. The protection of the rights of every resident stipulated in the Constitution and international human rights documents also constitutes national security. In this context, at the annual human rights conference, we will look back at current judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the EU Court of Justice.
This has also been a year of sports victories in Latvia, and victories are necessary in such turbulent times. But sports has many complex legal issues, including human rights. Therefore, for the first time in the conference tradition we will look at the sports from the perspective of human rights.
The conference will be in Latvian, and it will be broadcasted on RGSL website and Facebook page.
Please register your attendance here:
The conference programme is available here
The conference has a solid place in the range of academic and professional activities in Latvia. It is followed by representatives of various legal professions – judges of the Constitutional and general jurisdiction courts, prosecutors, lawyers, ministry officials, members of the Latvian Parliament and representatives of its Legal Bureau, representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office and NGOs, and students.
The conference seeks to consolidate the academic and professional aspects of challenges in application of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in Latvia, to raise awareness about current problems and their possible solutions. Therefore, the conference is primarily aimed at those whose professional activities are related to the observance of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, but at the same time this conference is a useful source of information on current issues of protection of human rights in Latvia for everyone interested.
Annual Human Rights conferences organized by RGSL has started in 2006, following a suggestion by then Judge of the European Court of Human Rights, RGSL Professor Ineta Ziemele. Since 2006 this conference has become an integral part of Latvia’s civil and legal discussion framework.