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UC Berkeley | Berkeley Law
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Pursuing justice through science, technology, and law.

 

Based at the world’s top public university, we investigate human rights violations and international crimes; set standards for practitioners; and train the next generation of human rights defenders.

Pillars of Work


Investigators work on a forensic dig.

Truth

To uncover, verify, and preserve the factual record of human-rights violations using scientific and technological methods.
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Justice

To ensure that truth leads to accountability — strengthening national and international justice systems to uphold the rule of law.
Three men and one woman work together at a table. In the background, other people stand and talk.

Community

To connect human rights practice to the people it serves — building capacity and co-developing knowledge.
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Gas or dust engulfs a mosque.

Explore our Projects

For thirty years, the Human Rights Center has spearheaded and contributed to complex projects that span the fields of international justice, public health, investigative journalism, and much more.

Click here to browse our archive
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Local and Global Partnerships

The Human Rights Center works across domains and disciplines to address the most pressing global challenges of our time. We work closely with top human rights organizations, legal institutions, universities, media platforms, tech companies, and beyond to unearth the truth and seek justice and accountability.
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MacArthur Foundation
Human Rights Watch logo
UN OHCHR logo
Save the Children logo
Reuters logo
PBS logo
SITU Research logo
WITNESS logo
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Explore our Partners

Media Inquiries

Journalists are encouraged reach out to connect with our expert sources, explore potential collaboration through our Investigations program and Lab, access professional reports and publications, and more.

Contact Us

What’s Happening

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A man with white hair standing behind a wooden podium bearing the official seal of Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos). He is gesturing with his right hand extended, wearing a black overcoat, white shirt, and patterned red tie, with the Mexican flag blurred in the background.

September 24, 2026

Persecution by Other Means: Mexico and the First Test of the ICC’s Cyber Policy

Former President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador speaks from the presidential podium. HRC in the News — Just Security: Persecution by Other

A group of demonstrators sits closely together at a rally, holding up black-and-white portrait photos mounted on wooden sticks. The portraits feature faces of various men and women. In the center, a person wearing a straw hat sits with hands clasped behind one of the signs. A red banner is partially visible across the top of the frame.

September 24, 2026

UC Berkeley Human Rights Center publishes investigation on cyber-enabled targeting of journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico

The Human Rights Center today published “Under Attack: Targeting of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders in Mexico,” a public platform presenting the findings of a multi-year investigation into the persecution of journalists and

A group of seven women and two men sitting in a room with large camera in the corner.

September 9, 2026

How human rights law programs prepare students to make an impact

HRC in the News — The National Jurist: How human rights law programs prepare students to make an impact, featuring HRC’s Investigations Lab collaboration with Human Rights Watch and

An overhead, top-down view of six children sitting side-by-side in a row on a floor, with each child actively using a tablet computer held in their hands.

September 9, 2026

Berkeley Human Rights Center finds threats to freedom of thought, access to information, and right to equality in human rights evaluation of LLMs

September 9, 2026 An International Analysis of the Human Rights Impacts of Large Language Models The Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley School of Law has released a novel human

A conceptual, architectural art installation set against off-white background panels and soft shadows. Thin black strings crisscross the space, connecting small black-and-white photos, textured paper fragments, glass panes, and tiny brass anchor pins in a web-like network. A small light-blue cube hangs suspended from above near the center. In the bottom-left foreground stands a white card featuring a light-blue silhouette map of Iran alongside Persian calligraphy and the English text

August 26, 2026

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center Publishes Persian Translation of the Berkeley Protocol

HRC in the News — Iran Human Rights Documentation Center: Iran Human Rights Documentation Center Publishes Persian Translation of the Berkeley Protocol, about the Persian translation of the

A man with white hair standing behind a wooden podium bearing the official seal of Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos). He is gesturing with his right hand extended, wearing a black overcoat, white shirt, and patterned red tie, with the Mexican flag blurred in the background.

September 24, 2026

Persecution by Other Means: Mexico and the First Test of the ICC’s Cyber Policy

Former President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador speaks from the presidential podium. HRC in the News — Just Security: Persecution by Other

A group of demonstrators sits closely together at a rally, holding up black-and-white portrait photos mounted on wooden sticks. The portraits feature faces of various men and women. In the center, a person wearing a straw hat sits with hands clasped behind one of the signs. A red banner is partially visible across the top of the frame.

September 24, 2026

UC Berkeley Human Rights Center publishes investigation on cyber-enabled targeting of journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico

The Human Rights Center today published “Under Attack: Targeting of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders in Mexico,” a public platform presenting the findings of a multi-year investigation into the persecution of journalists and

A group of seven women and two men sitting in a room with large camera in the corner.

September 9, 2026

How human rights law programs prepare students to make an impact

HRC in the News — The National Jurist: How human rights law programs prepare students to make an impact, featuring HRC’s Investigations Lab collaboration with Human Rights Watch and

An overhead, top-down view of six children sitting side-by-side in a row on a floor, with each child actively using a tablet computer held in their hands.

September 9, 2026

Berkeley Human Rights Center finds threats to freedom of thought, access to information, and right to equality in human rights evaluation of LLMs

September 9, 2026 An International Analysis of the Human Rights Impacts of Large Language Models The Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley School of Law has released a novel human

A conceptual, architectural art installation set against off-white background panels and soft shadows. Thin black strings crisscross the space, connecting small black-and-white photos, textured paper fragments, glass panes, and tiny brass anchor pins in a web-like network. A small light-blue cube hangs suspended from above near the center. In the bottom-left foreground stands a white card featuring a light-blue silhouette map of Iran alongside Persian calligraphy and the English text

August 26, 2026

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center Publishes Persian Translation of the Berkeley Protocol

HRC in the News — Iran Human Rights Documentation Center: Iran Human Rights Documentation Center Publishes Persian Translation of the Berkeley Protocol, about the Persian translation of the

A man with white hair standing behind a wooden podium bearing the official seal of Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos). He is gesturing with his right hand extended, wearing a black overcoat, white shirt, and patterned red tie, with the Mexican flag blurred in the background.

September 24, 2026

Persecution by Other Means: Mexico and the First Test of the ICC’s Cyber Policy

Former President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador speaks from the presidential podium. HRC in the News — Just Security: Persecution by Other

A group of demonstrators sits closely together at a rally, holding up black-and-white portrait photos mounted on wooden sticks. The portraits feature faces of various men and women. In the center, a person wearing a straw hat sits with hands clasped behind one of the signs. A red banner is partially visible across the top of the frame.

September 24, 2026

UC Berkeley Human Rights Center publishes investigation on cyber-enabled targeting of journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico

The Human Rights Center today published “Under Attack: Targeting of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders in Mexico,” a public platform presenting the findings of a multi-year investigation into the persecution of journalists and

Several people outside a building made with brick materials. The building is in a sandy, sunny place.

April 20, 2026

Landmark Case Filed Before African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights Over Alleged Violations in Mali Involving Armed Forces and Wagner Group

HRC in the News — TRIAL International: Landmark Case Filed Before African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights Over Alleged Violations in Mali Involving Armed Forces and

A picture of a women working at a broadcast desk, with white text in the middle

December 23, 2025

KQED Newscast on CECOT Segment

HRC in the News — KQED Newscast: about HRC’s Investigations Lab, which was set to be featured in a 60 Minutes segment “Inside CECOT” before it was pulled just hours

A women wearing all black speaks to a room of students

December 10, 2025

Investigating sexual and gender-based crimes online

Commentary — #Verified by the Human Rights Center: Investigating sexual and gender-based crimes online, Alexa Koenig interviewing Bellingcat researcher Kolina Koltai. Left: Koltina Koltai

A man bends down to tend crops in the middle of long rows of farmland during sunset.

September 1, 2025

Who controls California farmland? The hard-to-find answer is disturbing

Commentary — San Francisco Chronicle: Who controls California farmland? The hard-to-find answer is disturbing, co-authored by HRC Student Fellow Meredith Song. Left: Fresno County farmer

A person wearing a white T-shirt with bold black text that reads

July 23, 2025

Too Hot to Handle – Garment Workers in the Era of Extreme Heat

Student Fellowship in the News — WARDROBE CRISIS with Claire Press: Too Hot to Handle – Garment Workers in the Era of Extreme Heat, featuring 2024 student fellowship alumna Cara Schulte.

People sit around a table. They appear to be in conversation.

March 21, 2025

On the ground with UC Berkeley Public Health’s Bhavya Joshi in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp

Student Fellowship in the News — UC Public Health: “Reaching the furthest behind, first:” On the ground with UC Berkeley Public Health’s Bhavya Joshi in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp,

A woman carrying a large metal bowl walks through a refugee site with makeshift shelters made of fabric and tarps. The shelters are clustered closely together, and trees are scattered in the background.

November 4, 2024

Reproductive Health in Refugee Camps: A Lifeline Amid Compounded Crises

Student Fellowship in the News — UC Global Health Institute: Reproductive Health in Refugee Camps: A Lifeline Amid Compounded Crises, featuring 2022 student fellow Bhavya Joshi. Left:

A women with long hair standing at a podium

December 12, 2023

Fighting Uphill Battles, Human Rights Center Student Fellows Stay Resolute in Their Work

Spotlighting 2022 fellow alumnus and keynote speaker Anthony Ghaly and 2023 fellow Maria Fernanda Quintero Sirtori.

Explore all News