On 29 September 2025, a group of international human rights defenders visited the Nuremberg Academy. The visit was part of a programme offered by the Elisabeth- Selbert-Initiative to at-risk human rights defenders currently enrolled in a protection programme in Germany. The Elisabeth-Selbert-Initiative was founded in 2020 by the German Federal Foreign Office and is managed by the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa). It aims to support activists who, due to their peaceful commitment to human rights, are under threat in their home countries by providing them a temporary protected stay to process trauma, as well as offering trainings and opportunities to build networks.
Project Officers Dr Emma Brandon and Astrid Walter welcomed the group to the Nuremberg Academy and gave a presentation on the Academy’s various activities. The presentation was followed by an intensive exchange on the experiences of the human rights defenders. The participants talked about the difficulties that human rights activists face in authoritarian countries, where civil society is under threat and access to free media is often lacking. The discussion further addressed their needs to effectively carry out their work as well as the possibilities of the work of the Nuremberg Academy to support and strengthen human rights advocacy within conflict countries. (aw)