Study location	Latvia, Riga (online)
Type	Short duration course, distance learning
Nominal duration	4 weeks (1.5 ECTS)
Study language	English
Awards	Certificate

Entry qualification	Undergraduate diploma (or higher) The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Territory requirements	Applications are accepted from the following territories (based on citizenship): Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. Eligible candidates are professionals from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Candidates from other countries are not eligible for this call.

Language requirements	English As a substitute to a test, other proof of language proficiency may be provided (e.g. confirmation by current employer).

Other requirements	At least 1 reference(s) should be provided. The reference should be sought from a current employer. At least 2 years of professional experience in the public sector, non-governmental organisation or academia; Description of present job function (to be filled in the system); Copies of university diplomas; A short video (up to 1 minute) where the candidate states the reasons for applying.

More information	rgsl.edu.lv/..s/specialised-online-courses

Overview

The course will embark to discuss the main tenets of human rights. It will start by general introduction to historical and philosophical foundations of international human rights law and will then proceed with an examination of the principles of human rights implementation and the interaction between national and international levels in this regard. National, regional and international human rights protection systems will be explored. Further, the course will focus on the examination of the substantive human rights law, offering a comparative perspective involving a number of human rights protection instruments. Such rights as the right to life, prohibition of inhumane or degrading treatment, or torture, the right to liberty and security, the right to fair trial, the right to private life, freedom of expression etc. will be discussed and analysed, especially considering the contemporary and emerging challenges associated with digitalisation, climate change, global pandemic and global security threats.

The course will be taught by Dr Arina Melse and Ilze Tralmaka.
Dr Arina Melse is Visiting Lecturer at the Riga Graduate School of Law and Lead Researcher at the non-governmental organization Baltic Human Rights Society. She was Affiliated Researcher at the University of Copenhagen’s iCourts, Centre of Excellence for International Courts. She has worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Dr Melse specializes in and teaches International Human Rights Law, Public International Law, and International Humanitarian Law.

Ilze Tralmaka is Senior Legal and Policy Officer at the international non-governmental organization Fair Trials. She specializes in international and European human rights, with a particular focus on fundamental rights in criminal justice and European and comparative criminal law and procedure. She has previously worked as a Senior Legal adviser for the Latvian Parliament leading its litigation before the Constitutional Court of Latvia. Ilze holds an LLM in public international law from Leiden University and University of Latvia.

Programme structure

Each month has its own designated specialisation such as European Union Law, Good Governance or European Political Economy, etc. The students may only complete one course.

Each course has 32 teaching hours consisting of lectures and seminars. Within each course, the selected participants will undergo intensive studies and earn 1.5 ECTS credit points upon passing the exam.

Course sessions will take place on specified days via the Zoom platform. In total, the participants will meet about three times a week. All course participants will also have access to the RGSL study portal, where course materials will be available.

Participants are expected to fulfil the assignments as well as pass an exam upon completion of the course.