Foreign Relations & International Law

The Lawfare Podcast: A New United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counterterrorism

Hyemin Han, Ben Saul, Jen Patja
Thursday, December 14, 2023, 8:00 AM
What will Ben Saul do as the newest Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism?

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Ben Saul is the Challis Professor of International Law at the University of Sydney, Australia, whose internationally recognized work has focused specifically on the intersection of human rights, terrorism, and international law. The United Nations Human Rights Council voted to appoint Saul as the newest Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, which has become one of the most visible and urgent special rapporteur mandates at the Human Rights Council. He began his three-year tenure, which can be extended to six years, on November 1, 2023. Lawfare Associate Editor Hyemin Han sat down with Saul for an interview about his priorities for his tenure, the intellectual frameworks and perspectives he brings to his role, and to get his perspective as Special Rapporteur on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 


Hyemin Han is a J.D. candidate at Yale Law School. She was previously an associate editor at Lawfare and an eviction defense paralegal in Boston. She holds a BA in government from Dartmouth College.
Ben Saul is Challis Chair of International Law at The University of Sydney, an Associate Fellow of Chatham House in London and the International Centre for Counter-terrorism in The Hague, and a UN counter-terrorism adviser. He recently co-drafted the United Nations Model Law on Victims of Terrorism. He has taught at Harvard and Oxford.
Jen Patja is the editor of the Lawfare Podcast and Rational Security, and serves as Lawfare’s Director of Audience Engagement. Previously, she was Co-Executive Director of Virginia Civics and Deputy Director of the Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier, where she worked to deepen public understanding of constitutional democracy and inspire meaningful civic participation.
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