HRC alumnus Iain Byrne on a life changing trip to the University of Essex

As the HRC at Essex commemorates its 40th anniversary, Iain Byrne, a distinguished alumnus, reflects on how the institution played a pivotal role in shaping his remarkable journey in the field of human rights.

Raised in a rural area in Kent, Iain chose to study law in a completely different setting – Manchester University in a northern city which in the 1980s was still struggling to emerge from post-industrial decline.

However, what the city did offer was a political dynamism as a counterpoint to the conservative Thatcher government.

This resulted in many students including Iain becoming politically active on both domestic causes, such as the miners’ strike, but also international ones such as South African apartheid and human rights violations in Latin America.

For Iain, this included joining the University Amnesty International Group and beginning his long human rights journey. 

'My life and career changed forever'

After university, whilst working in local government in Cambridge, Iain continued with his human rights activism and particularly Latin American solidarity work with countries such as Chile which was still ruled by the dictator Pinochet.

Despite this, he remained unsure about how to channel his passion into a meaningful career.

Iain said: “I was unsure how this could translate into a career. This all changed after largely by chance I attended a weekend conference at Essex which suddenly opened my eyes to new possibilities. In the pre-internet age, I was totally unaware of the Human Rights Centre and the fact that you could obtain specialist qualifications in the field.

"After that weekend my life and career changed forever.”

In 1993, having resigned from his job, Iain embarked on his academic journey with the HRC at Essex. Enrolling in the relatively new MA Theory and Practice of Human Rights programme, he graduated with a distinction in 1994.

During his time at Essex, Iain found himself immersed in a highly stimulating academic environment, which challenged him not just intellectually but also philosophically.

One of his most cherished memories from his time at Essex was attending Michael Freeman's thought-provoking lectures on political theory.

Additionally, he was fortunate enough to engage with a group of scholars who were not just brilliant, academics but were also directly engaged in human rights activism.

Most significantly Iain began a long working relationship and friendship with Kevin Boyle, which had and continues to have a huge impact on his career.

Iain said: “In addition beyond academia, I got the chance to engage with many amazing human rights defenders from across the world – including one of whom who went on to become my wife.”

Since Iain's graduation from Essex nearly 30 years ago, he has devoted his career to the field of human rights, working with various NGOs and in academia.

Thanks to Kevin Boyle and Paul Hunt, Iain began to specialise in economic, social, and cultural rights, and has subsequently researched, taught and litigated in this area.

After working for a decade at INTERIGHTS as an international lawyer Iain is now a researcher and legal advisor at Amnesty International joining the organization 25 years after becoming a student member.

After managing and conducting extensive research into various human rights issues during his time at Amnesty International, including discrimination against the Roma and education in South Africa, Iain has shifted his focus towards developing the organization’s tax work – a new area of. focus for the NGO, bringing with it both challenges but also opportunities.

One of Iain's proudest accomplishments is his longstanding tenure as a Fellow of the Centre, which has spanned over 20 years.

He holds a deep appreciation for the institution and the people who played a significant role in shaping his professional trajectory and is delighted to remain associated with it to this day.

Iain said: “For me, Essex has continued to offer one of the best experiences for students with its innovative and evolving multi-disciplinary approach and ability to attract some of the top experts with associations beyond academia.”

This blog forms part of a special series celebrating the Human Rights Centre's 40th anniversary. We are catching up with members of our prestigious alumni who are reflecting on their time at Essex and how it helped launch their successful careers in human rights.