Rights in Crisis

At York Law School, we seek to make visible the everyday lived reality of violence, conflict, migration, and other crisis situations, and to understand, at a granular level and critically, how the law responds to, and therefore shapes, these experiences.

This research group brings together researchers working across public international law, international human rights law (IHRL), international humanitarian law (IHL), and international criminal law. Our work also addresses the profound current and future impacts of climate change, particularly regarding resource-driven conflict and displacement. We frequently work alongside people on the move, human rights defenders, and communities experiencing violence and armed conflict. Our research draws on doctrinal, theoretical, decolonial, participatory, and multi-disciplinary approaches to examine legal frameworks and their on-the-ground realities.

Key Research Themes

Our collective expertise pushes the boundaries of knowledge across several intersecting areas, anchoring international frameworks in local realities and lived experiences:

Violence, Armed Conflict & Humanitarian Law

Examining the on-the-ground lived experience of conflict, non-state armed groups’ behaviour, IHL compliance, civilian protection, and the mental and spiritual harms endured by communities.

Human Rights & Activism between Global and Domestic Contexts

Focusing on human rights defenders (HRDs), civil society, and grassroots activism; transitional justice; climate justice; and the practical, everyday application of international human rights law within local and domestic frameworks, including the UK context.

International and Transnational Criminal Law & Accountability

Analysing international criminal law, transnational crime, anti-torture initiatives, modern slavery, and how strategic litigation impacts victims and survivors in practice.

Migration, Equality & Minority Rights

Addressing the challenges of asylum and forced migration; disability rights and legal capacity; LGBTQI+ rights in conflict; and partnering through participatory action research with Indigenous populations and marginalised communities.

Project spotlights and Real-World Impact

Our work extends far beyond academia, driving policy change, empowering grassroots organisations, and shaping international legal practice.

Beyond Compliance Consortium & Generating Respect Hub Led by researchers including Prof Ioana Cismas, Dr Piergiuseppe Parisi, Samantha Holmes, Dr Hyunjung Park, and Dr Mattia Pinto. This work focuses on centring harm and needs toward fuller protection in armed conflict, and engaging with religious and traditional actors. Visit the Beyond Compliance Consortium | Visit the Generating Respect Hub
Human Rights Defender Studies (HRDx) Prof Martin Jones is leading an AHRC and BA-funded project conducting a decolonial scoping review of the current state of knowledge within the field of Human Rights Defender Studies.
The Disability Law Project Dr Jane Richards leads this initiative, partnering our students with Disabled People's Organisations (DPOs) in Singapore, Hong Kong, and China to produce original research that builds grassroots capacities.
Grassroots & Indigenous Justice Mechanisms Dr Piergiuseppe Parisi and Dr Mattia Pinto engage with grassroots and indigenous justice mechanisms. This includes the Ritualising Protection Project, led by Dr Parisi, which is a collaborative visual ethnography of the cultural and spiritual protection practices of the Nasa people in Colombia. This initiative features powerful documentary outputs produced in collaboration with Mandorla Films (Pervivir, Proteger, Resistir).
International Mandates & Policy Influence Our members hold significant roles in the international arena. Prof Tomoya Obokata served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery (2020-2026), while other members like Brian Frenkel actively serve as independent consultants for NGOs on IHRL/IHL and act as judges in international law competitions like the Jessup Moot Court.
EU Rights and Brexit Hub Prof Charlotte O'Brien, Dr Alice Welsh, and Professor Stephen Levett are involved in an interdisciplinary, inter-institutional, multi-method project investigating how Brexit affects the social rights of EU/EEA nationals in the UK. Visit the EU Rights and Brexit Hub

Group Co-Convenors

Researchers

Selected Recent Publications

Our researchers regularly publish in leading academic journals and presses. Recent highlights include:

Pinto, M. (forthcoming) Human Rights as Sources of Penality. Oxford University Press.
Richards, J. & Lai, E. (In press) "Academic Freedom in Hong Kong since the introduction of the National Security Law".
Holmes, S. (2026) "Incidental mental harm through a decolonial lens: A culturally and contextually sensitive implementation of the principle of proportionality", International Review of the Red Cross.
Cismas, I. et al. (2026) "The Beyond Compliance Approach: Centering Harm + Need Towards Full(er) Protection in Armed Conflict", Columbia Journal of Transnational Law.
Mavronicola, N, & Pinto, M. (2025) “Challenging punishment as the justice norm in the face of ongoing atrocities”, Leiden Journal of International Law.
Ruiz Pérez, V. & Parisi, P. (2025) “Futureproofing Human Rights Symposium: Learning from the Nasa Indigenous Justice System to Rethink Accountability”, Opinio Juris.
Parisi, P. & Ibarra Padilla, A. M. (2025) "The Colombian Catholic Church’s Quest for Legitimacy in the Colombian Armed Conflict", Journal of Human Rights Practice.
Cismas, I. et al. (2025) “Strengthening compliance with international humanitarian law and improving humanitarian access - Building evidence and strategies for action and change”, International Development Committee, House of Commons.

Research-Led Teaching & Student Opportunities

We believe in integrating our cutting-edge research directly into the student experience. Members of our group teach across a wide array of programs and lead practical, hands-on modules, including:

Undergraduate & Postgraduate Human Rights: Our LLB (Hons) in International Human Rights Law and our LLM in International Human Rights Law and Practice cover both foundational and applied modules, including Applied International Human Rights Law, International Human Rights 1: Theory, movement and institutions, and Legal Skills (Human Rights).
Clinical and Applied Legal Education: We provide active supervision in the Sustainability Clinic and the Baroness Hale Legal Clinic, as well as in the Human Rights Placement module, the Human Rights Defence Clinic, and the Disability Street Law Clinic, giving students practical experience in the field.
Foundations & Socio-Legal Studies: Our researchers also lead broader modules such as Foundations in Law and Human Rights: Law, Power and Global Challenges, using dynamic formats including problem-based learning (PBL).

Research degrees

Push the boundaries of knowledge in our supportive and stimulating environment.

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Masters degrees

Learn how to make voices heard with our MA in Applied Human Rights.

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