Tribute to Professor Françoise Hampson

Françoise Hampson was a towering figure at the Human Rights Centre and the School of Law at the University of Essex. She began her academic career at the University of Dundee in Scotland. Her father’s experience in World War II, and the emergence of legal protections for civilians thereafter, sparked her interest in the protection of human rights in conflict, an interest later deepened by the conflict in Northern Ireland. She joined the University of Essex in 1983 to develop teaching and research on the international law of armed conflict. She taught International Law of Armed Conflict and International Human Rights Law on the LLM and MA programmes, and supervised generations of doctoral researchers. She also played a full role in the life of the School of Law, inspiring undergraduates in Constitutional Law and serving as Dean for three years. She was deeply supportive of early-career academics, guiding their research and generously involving them in her projects. She will be remembered by students and colleagues alike for a teaching style that was uniquely her own, taking students on a rollercoaster journey of eye-opening insights, and training them to challenge their preconceptions on their way to becoming effective advocates.

Throughout her distinguished career, Professor Hampson made outstanding contributions to scholarship at the intersection of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and public international law. Beyond the university, her work had real-world impact. She represented hundreds of applicants and submitted third-party interventions to the European Court of Human Rights, notably in cases arising from armed conflict. For her work on cases concerning the Turkish Kurds, she was named Human Rights Lawyer of the Year in 1998 by Liberty, alongside her late colleague, Professor Kevin Boyle. Their litigation on the actions of the security forces in Turkey helped secure truth and justice for affected families and communities. From 1998 to 2007, she served as the UK-nominated independent expert on the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, and from 2017 to 2021, she was a member of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi.

Her emphasis on translating theory into practice made her one of the most influential figures in the fields of International Humanitarian Law and the protection of human rights during armed conflict. She supported numerous projects with leading organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, playing a key role in the development of law and policy to better protect victims of war. She engaged regularly with military forces worldwide, delivering legal training in military courses. She was deeply respected across NGOs, governments, and militaries alike, and her work frequently shaped practice in ways that advanced the aims of humanitarian law.

Her legacy endures in the human rights and humanitarian laws she helped strengthen, the students, colleagues, and practitioners she inspired, and the standards of excellence, integrity, and commitment she set in the pursuit of accountability for human rights violations in both peace and war, and for the rule of law during armed conflict.

Françoise was a close friend to many colleagues, and all who crossed her path were inspired by her integrity, passion, courage, curiosity, and warmth. She is irreplaceable and will be sorely missed.

Photo credit Violaine Martin/ United Nations 

Funeral details

The funeral will take place on 22 May 2025, at 13:45 at Colchester Crematorium, Mersea Road, Colchester, CO2 8RU. It will be followed by a reception on campus at 15:00 at Wivenhoe House, Wivenhoe Park, Park Road, Colchester, CO4 3FA. There is no black dress code, as Françoise revelled in colour.

While both the funeral and reception are open to attend, please RSVP to humanrightscentre@essex.ac.uk so we can plan accordingly.

Links

Further tributes to Professor Hampson are available here via the Human Rights Centre's LinkedIn page.

In memoriam: Professor Françoise Hampson

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