On this page you can find an overview of all our LL.M thesis topics or Master theses in English.
Do you want to write your LL.M thesis on a human rights topic? Choose one of these topics and contact the relevant supervisor. Do you want to write a Master thesis in English? First consult the Plato list.
All subjects in the domain of human rights or transitional justice in which the student applies a socio-legal perspective ann integrates a substantial empirical component (qualitative and/or quantitative) to examine the law “in practice”.
Across Europe and around the world, issues of memory and old monuments are being revisited. The shift of historical narratives resulted in the loss of social consensus about the past and interpretation of history. Since monuments are among the most visible expressions of history they have appeared in the middle of contestation and heated debates. […]
This research deals with the impact of prosecution of “minor offences” on people living in poverty in Europe. Through case studies (criminalization of beggars, SyRI case in the Netherlands etc. ), it explores whether minor offences – which are usually punished by outstanding fines with minimum procedural rights – are compatible with the ECHR (more […]
The sovereign debt crisis could have a direct impact on human rights, especially when they are framed within a programme of austerity, and tension between the ‘market justice’ and ‘social justice’ occurs. The aim of the thesis is to study the different human rights legal discourses surrounding the latest cases of sovereign debt restructurings.
Lately, the ‘Facebook Oversight Board’ and other private mechanisms of human rights accountability have been established. The Oversight Board of Facebook was created to review the lawfulness of certain ‘emblematic’ content moderation decisions taken by the social media platform. The Board comprises 20 representatives of civil society, including academics, human rights experts, and journalists. It […]
Regional human rights courts can organize so-called fact-finding missions when confronted with human rights violations. Both the Inter-American and African Court of Human Rights may, if necessary, organize such missions when confronted with cases involving gross and/or large-scale violations of human rights, while the European Court of Human Rights seems to have become rather reticent […]
Human rights defenders around the world are being killed, especially in Latin-American countries. How is the Inter-American human rights system responding to this cruel reality?
During the past years worldwide human rights defenders are being targeted for doing their job. Such attacks may be of a physical, but also of a psychological nature, and they may target the human rights defenders themselves and/or their families. This study aims to evaluatie what kinds of legal mechanisms exist under international law, i.e. […]
Particular focus on Myanmar/Sri Lanka or Cambodia. Language requirement ENG.
Focus on the Mediterranean or boat pushbacks in Southeast Asia. Language requirement Eng.
Study of the marginalisation of certain regions in the TJ process, looking into the importance of socio-economic rights in ICL. Language requirement ENG.
In 2010 Marie-Benedicte Dembour published an article entitled ‘What are Human Rights? Four Schools of Thought’ in Human Rights Quarterly. Her model posits that we do not all conceive of human rights in the same way, but that there are four main conceptions of human rights. She proposes that those who hold a ‘natural’ view […]
The summer of 2015 saw Europe hit by a refugee crisis – or some commentators say – more accurately a crisis in refugee protection. Marie-Benedicte Dembour asserts in an article forthcoming in Questions of International Law that, due to the relative weakness of its past jurisprudence concerning migrants’ rights, the European Court of Human Rights […]
Judges have to act in an impartial manner while deciding cases. The research will examine the breadth of the right to freedom of expression of judges from a cross-cutting international and regional human rights perspective, with possibly a case study.
Suggested by and with cosupervision from PICUM, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants. How does the package, comprised of the Council’s Facilitation Directive and the Framework Decision, impact undocumented children and families’ ability to secure adequate housing? This research would (i) look at the EU and national legal framework criminalising landlords renting to […]
For many centuries, citizenship has been regarded as the highest degree of affiliation between an individual and a ‘self-governing’ political community’. However, in the last years, the development of programs around the globe are seeking to attract flows of foreign capital by different incentives, including granting legal membership with society in exchange for diverse types […]
During the past decades social rights have become more prominently part of legal studies. However, most studies deal with substantial violations of social rights. This study takes a procedural turn by looking at the instrument of interim measures awarded by international monitoring bodies, thereby focussing on the different UN Treaty Bodies and regional human rights […]
In present-day society indigenous peoples are one of the most vulnerable groups. This study assesses to what extent such groups can rely on interim measures before international human rights monitoring bodies, both at the UN and regional level and to what extent such measures effectively protect their rights.
Worldwide, but especially in the America’s, women human rights defenders are being targeted. Such attacks may be of a physical, but also of a psychological nature, and they may target the human rights defenders themselves and/or their families. This study aims to evaluatie what legal mechanisms are available in the ambit of the Inter-American Human […]
Could be further narrowed down to a particular focus on the UN, European or Inter-American standards of protection. Language requirement ENG & Spanish.
‘Universal jurisdiction’ is a principle of international law based on the recognition that certain crimes are so horrific that they affect the international community as a whole. Universal jurisdiction is therefore a key component in the fight against impunity. This thesis will analyze specific recent cases (for example, concerning Syria) where the principle of universal […]
Study of development of strategic litigation, the possibilities and limitations of using this approach. Language requirement ENG & Spanish.
Case study of the Tunisian court establised to adjudicate cases related to gross violations of human rights. Language requirement ENG.
This thesis will explore the interaction of the United States with the Inter-American System. In particular, it will analyse the Inter-American approach regarding migrants who are minors.
The research should focus on a legal analysis of Strasburg case law on history, when the Court was asked to rule on the so-called ‘historical situations’ (to bring justice to those accused of war crimes, to protect the rights of mass atrocities victims and their relatives, to deal with Holocaust and genocide deniers, to punish […]
Needless to say, having evidence being declared inadmissible can be devastating to a case. Two cases which ended up before the European Court of Human Rights due to the inadmissibility being contested are Cwik v Poland and R.B. v Estoni. In Cwik, the ECtHR agreed that the tape of the interrogation by a gang of […]
