The Washington-DC based NGO Human Rights First has welcomed assistance from QUB International Human Rights Law LLM students in preparing a report on the targeted killing of human rights defenders in Ukraine. Human Rights First are one of the world’s leading international human rights organisations, championing both human rights and the rule of law.

The report, authored by Brian Dooley, an Honorary Professor of Practice at the QUB Mitchell Institute, charts the killing of 37 year old Tigran Galustyan while rescuing civilians from Ukraine’s eastern front. Galustyan was targeted and killed by a Russian military first person view drone on Sunday 6^th October 2024. His death is but one example of a wave of targeted killings of human rights defenders across the globe in recent times. The report details the incident as well as outlining the relevant legal protections and accountability pathways.

In response to the assistance received from QUB students, Professor Dooley stated:

“The students’ research brought vital legal analysis and OSINT expertise I just wouldn’t have been able to include in the investigation. The quality of their work made the report much deeper and stronger, something appreciated by me and by local Human Rights Defenders in Ukraine. Not only was the calibre of the research great, but so was their efficiency and clarity on the issues.”

One of the students involved in the project, Alexandra Morar, noted that:

“After really only seeing the war in Ukraine through a news viewer’s lens in the past, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to play a role in seeking justice and actually “doing something.” While it was a serious topic, I truly enjoyed my time on the research team. I felt like a detective researching news sources, legal documents, and translating to read Russian and Ukrainian. I developed new research skills and was impressed by my colleagues’ findings and diligent work efforts.  I am beyond thankful for this project and pray it can play a small part in achieving justice for Galustyan – his family, friends, and fellow human rights defenders.”

The report was drafted by a group of International Human Rights Law LLM students at the School of Law under the supervision of Dr Conall Mallory, the programme director for the International Human Rights Law LLM. It is the latest in a long-running initiative under the auspices of the QUB Human Rights Centre where students use their research and drafting skills to provide a material contribution to the work of human rights activists. The composition of the student group for assistance with this report was: Calvin Decker, Daniel Dines, Andrew Donnelly, Celine Masson, Brittany McCutchen, Caoimhe Mckay, Alexandra Morar and Lydia Stockdale.