Human Rights Center (Potsdam)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The MenschenRechtszentrum (MRZ) of the University of Potsdam started its work on July 1, 1994 under the direction of its director at the time, Eckart Klein . It was the first independent human rights institution in the Federal Republic of Germany based on the foundations of academic freedom of academic study. The MRZ promotes interdisciplinary research, teaching and further education as well as political advice on questions of human rights and cooperates in a variety of ways with the faculties of the University of Potsdam. The MRZ is headed by a board of directors consisting of a lawyer and a philosopher. Andreas Zimmermann , who holds the chair for public law, in particular constitutional law, European and international law as well as European and international economic law, has been the managing director since November 1st, 2009 . Logi Gunnarsson , who holds the Chair of Ethics and Aesthetics at the Institute of Philosophy, is co-director . The MRZ maintains close cooperative relationships with the Council of Europe, with the institutes that deal with human rights issues, but also with the responsible departments of the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Foreign Office. There is an intensive connection to the German Institute for Human Rights (DIMR) established in March 2001 ; Zimmermann is a member of its board of trustees.

Focus of work

The main focus of the work of the MRZ is the suggestion, processing and advice of political and research projects as well as the initiation of research cooperation. Furthermore, the MRZ regularly organizes conferences and colloquia, which are intended to promote an exchange between different scientific disciplines as well as the dialogue between science and practice. Another focus of the work of the MRZ is the provision of a special teaching and further training offer, which is not only characterized by interdisciplinary treatment and multi-layered consideration of human rights issues, but also gives the university Potsdam training program an additional specific focus. The extensive publication and editing activity carried out by the MRZ is also of importance, which is reflected in the series of publications of the MRZ with conference documentation and dissertations (volumes 1 to 32) that was started in 1995, in the MenschenRechtsMagazin published since October 1996 and in the 15 studies published since 1998 on fundamental and human rights (SGM) as a forum for research on issues of international, regional and national human rights protection. The expansion of a comprehensive special library is also intended to ensure that scientific work can be promoted, the information needs of Potsdam and Berlin students as well as foreign scholars are taken into account, and inquiries from politics can be answered.

Publications

The MRZ publishes a series of publications that appear in the Berliner Wissenschaftsverlag . Since October 1996, the MRZ has published the MenschenRechtsMagazin , which appears three times a year and which is intended to make a contribution to informing parliamentarians, authorities, courts, lawyers and interested laypeople about possibilities and developments in international human rights protection. The series of studies on fundamental and human rights , also published by the MRZ, provides a forum for research work that deals with issues of international, regional and national human rights protection. An annual report provides detailed information on the activities.

So far, the following have appeared in the MRZ series:

  • Vol. 11: E. Strauss, Prevention of Human Rights Violations as a Task of International Organizations, Legal Bases and Approaches, 2001
  • Vol. 12: E. Klein (Ed.), Racial Discrimination, Forms of Manifestation and Ways to Combat, 2002
  • Vol. 13: D. Engel, The language law situation of members of minorities in international law, 2002
  • Vol. 14: E. Klein / C. Menke (Ed.), Humanity and Human Rights, Problems of Universalization and Institutionalization, 2002
  • Vol. 15: E. Reininghaus, encroachments on the right to respect for property in accordance with Article 1 of the Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights and its admissibility requirements, 2002
  • Vol. 16: T. Maikowski, State Cooperation Obligations vs. the International Criminal Court, 2002
  • Vol. 17: E. Küttler, The Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2003
  • Vol. 18: E. Klein (Ed.), Protection of Human Rights through Customary Law, 2003
  • Vol. 19: W. Dörre, The subject of the complaint in the proceedings of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, 2003
  • Vol. 20: C. Mahler / N. Weiß (Ed.), Protection of Human Rights in the Mirror of Science and Practice, 2004
  • Vol. 21: E. Klein / C. Menke (Ed.), Human Rights and Bioethics, 2004
  • Vol. 22: H. Stender, Overlaps in International Human Rights Protection, 2004
  • Vol. 23: F. Brinkmeier, The Influence of the Cold War on International Human Rights Protection, 2004
  • Vol. 24: A. Kern / C. Menke (Ed.), Raymond Geuss - Happiness and Politics - Potsdam Lectures, 2004
  • Vol. 25: E. Klein (Ed.), Global Demographic Change and Protection of Human Rights, 2005
  • Vol. 26: D. Lorenz, The territorial scope of fundamental and human rights, 2005
  • Vol. 27: E. Klein (Ed.), Separation of Powers and Human Rights, 2nd edition 2010
  • Vol. 28: E. Klein (Ed.), Freedom of Expression versus Freedom of Religion and Belief, 2008.
  • Vol. 29: P. Tiedemann, Human Dignity as a Legal Concept, A Philosophical Clarification, 2007
  • Vol. 30: E. Klein / C. Menke (Ed.), Universality - Protection Mechanisms - Prohibitions of Discrimination, 2008
  • Vol. 31: C. Menke (Ed.), A. Honneth - Justice and Society, Potsdamer Seminar, 2008
  • Vol. 32: B. Hofmann, Ending Human Rights Contracts - Legal and Factual Barriers, 2009
  • Vol. 33: E. Klein / C. Menke (ed.), The human being as a person and legal entity: Basis of freedom, 2011

Web links