Human Rights Conference

Sir Nigel Rodley

Sir Nigel Rodley is a member of the UN Human Rights Committee and a Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists.

Described by his colleagues as a "quintessential human rights lawyer", Sir Nigel has been an Expert Member of the UN Human Rights Committee since 2001. Prior to this he was the Founding Head of the Legal and Intergovernmental Organisations Office at Amnesty International from 1973 to 1990. Sir Nigel is also one of the world's leading authorities on the law of torture. From 1993 to 2001 he was the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, where he reported on cases of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Sir Nigel has taught human rights and international law at the University of Essex since 1990, and has also had appointments at the New School for Social Research in New York and the London School of Economics. He has published extensively on human rights issues, particularly focusing on the treatment of prisoners and the prevention of torture. He obtained his PhD from the University of Essex and holds MAs from both New York and Columbia Universities.

Professor Rodley was knighted in 1998 for his services to human rights and international law. In 2000 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Dalhousie University.