We are delighted to announce that applications are open for the 5th Edition of the Summer School, which will take place online from 16 to 19 June 2026. Led by Prof Dr Clara Burbano Herrera (ERC-IMPACTUM, Ghent University) and Prof Dr Manfred Nowak (Former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Secretary General of the Global Campus of Human Rights), the Summer School offers an immersive and interdisciplinary exploration of the main challenges faced by persons deprived of liberty. The programme draws on international human rights law, public health, criminal law, and practice, and is designed to help participants better understand systemic prison-related issues and develop legal, political, and social strategies to strengthen rights protection locally and globally.
The course will feature contributions from leading academics and practitioners from Europe, Africa, and the Americas and is intended for Master’s and LLM students, PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers in law, political science, public health, and criminology, as well as civil society practitioners and policymakers working on detention-related issues.
Here is some practical information:
Dates: 16–19 June 2026
Time: 13:50–17:00 (Brussels time)
Format: Online via Microsoft Teams
Language: English
Fee: €100
Scholarships: A limited number are available for participants from the Global South
Application deadline: Monday, 4 May 2026
Notification of results: Friday, 8 May 2026
Application requirements:
Motivation letter (max. 1 page)
CV (max. 2 pages)
For scholarship consideration: an additional motivation letter (max. 1 page)
A Certificate of Attendance will be awarded to participants who attend all lectures and satisfactorily complete the course.
You can find the detailed programme here:
https://www.humanrightsincontext.be/international-human-rights-course
You can apply here:
https://cuppini.auleformazione.online/summer-school/
If you have any questions, please contact:
summerschoolprisons@gmail.com
The course is offered by the Programme for Studies on Human Rights in Context, the IMPACTUM_ERC project, and the Global Campus of Human Rights.