Nordic Rule of Law Forum

The Nordic Rule of Law Forum is an annual event in Stockholm aimed at strengthening the rule of law and human rights in Europe. It brings together lawyers, judges, civil society actors, decision-makers, and others interested in these issues to exchange knowledge and experiences around a current theme.

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A border with a tall fence with barbed wire during the night.

2025: Rights on the Move – Rule of Law in an Era of Restrictive Migration Policies

In response to growing legal and political pressures on migration governance, this year’s Nordic Rule of Law Forum gathers legal experts, judges, scholars, and civil society to examine how the rule of law is being reshaped across the Nordic region. Through keynotes, panels, and lived experiences, the event explores how legal frameworks both protect and restrict rights, and how institutions can uphold accountability in increasingly repressive environments.

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Previous years

2024: Rule of law and states’ use of human rights to defend and justify their actions

Europe has seen in recent years a growing number of far-right parties coming to power and the troubling rise of authoritarian tendencies.

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2023: Racism and the law – Combatting Issues of Racial, Ethnic and Religious Inequality

In Europe, more and more regulations, laws, and political decisions are being adopted and implemented with the intention of dividing people along ethnic and religious lines.

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2022: Criminal Policy and Procedure – The State of Play

Criminal policy and criminal justice procedures are changing rapidly in countries across Europe, with many governments taking steps to introduce harsher penalties and increasingly repressive measures.

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2021: Effective Remedies To Ensure Access To Justice

The first Nordic Rule of Law Forum was held in Stockholm in 2021. The theme was effective measures to ensure access to justice and was organised in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer foundation.

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Nordic Rule of law forum programmet på serbiska

Rule of Law Forum in the Western Balkan

Since 2014, Civil Rights Defenders has organised the Rule of Law Forum in the Western Balkans. The forum brings together judges, prosecutors, and lawyers to discuss the latest case law from the European Court of Human Rights. After many years of successful events, we brought the concept home to Sweden and the Nordic countries.

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