Legal Mobilization Platform

Using the law to advance social justice claims
Duck-Rabbit illusion - the mind's eye1892

The Legal Mobilization Platform (LMP) is a network bringing together academics, practitioners, activists, students and civil society organizations who want to critically understand how legal mobilization can contribute to addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Latest news and events

Justice, Law and the Possibilities for Systemic Change

Joint book launch with Nani Jansen Reventlow and Jeff Handmaker on 11 November 2026

Two book covers - Legal Mobilization and Radical Justice

Bridging the Gap, Renewing the Promise: International law and global solidarity in the Palestinian quest for justice

International law and global solidarity in the Palestinian quest for justice

Guernica - Picasso - Palestine colours

Legal Mobilization podcast

This podcast explores how legal mobilization can advance social justice and accountability

Legal Mobilization Podcast
Black Lives Matter demonstration
Karen Eliot, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

About the Legal Mobilization Platform

The Legal Mobilization Platform creates spaces for sharing and discussing research, experiences, and practices related to legal mobilization and its contribution to broader processes of systemic justice. 

Through exchange and joint learning practices, LMP seeks to deepen understanding of the role legal mobilization can play in struggles for justice, accountability and social change, while critically reflecting on the possibilities and limitations of law.

In particular, LMP explores how legal mobilization can contribute to:

  • Addressing climate and environmental crises, while advancing a just transition towards sustainable and equitable societies;
  • Advancing the realization of human rights, including access to housing, food, water, healthcare, reproductive rights and other conditions necessary for a life of dignity;
  • Challenging systemic racism and other forms of structural injustice, including those rooted in histories of slavery, colonialism, other forms of authoritarianism and exclusion.

Hosted at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) within the Crisis, Politics and Law Academic Team, the Platform provides a space for exchange, dialogue and collaboration across disciplines, sectors, contexts and regions.

Providing a space for exchange, dialogue, and collaboration across disciplines, sectors, contexts and regions

What the Legal Mobilization Platform does

The Legal Mobilization Platform supports learning, collaboration and exchange around legal mobilization through four interconnected areas of work.

Research exchange

The LMP creates spaces to share, discuss and critically engage with research on legal mobilization through seminars, workshops, presentations and other forms of academic and practitioner exchange.

Convening and dialogue

The LMP organizes seminars, conferences, workshops, book launches, expert meetings, art exhibitions and other activities that bring together academics, practitioners, activists, students and civil society organizations to exchange experiences, critically reflect on legal strategies and learn from diverse forms of legal mobilization across different contexts and regions.

Scholar and network development

The LMP creates networking spaces that connect PhD researchers, early-career scholars, practitioners and other members of the Platform. These connections allow opportunities for research collaboration, professional development and continued exchange to emerge.

Partnerships and joint initiatives

The LMP facilitates collaboration among members and partners, supports the development of joint initiatives and strengthens connections between academic and societal actors working on legal mobilization and systemic justice.

The Platform supports collaborative research on legal mobilization and strengthens the LMP as a space for collective learning and collaboration, contributing to programme development, monitoring and resource mobilization.

Beijing China, LGBT activist won the first advocacy litigation in December 2014
Beijing China, LGBT activist won the first advocacy litigation in December 2014
Muyi Xiao

LMP outputs

2026


Criminalizing Accountability: The US lawfare against the international justice system
23 April 2026 I Launch of the CICC Report

Organized by the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC), in collaboration with the Legal Mobilization Platform, the event brought together ICC Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard and representatives of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Al-Haq and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights. It launched the CICC report on US sanctions against the international justice system and explored their consequences for accountability, civil society and victims, calling for concrete state action to protect those affected

Monarchies of Extraction: The Gulf States in the Global Food System 
21 May 2026 | Book Launch 

This Development Research Seminar organized by the Legal Mobilization Platform and the Agrifood and Water Technologies Academic Team, Dr Christian Henderson presents his latest book Monarchies of Extraction: The Gulf States in the Global Food System. The event explored food systems, extraction, agrarian politics, and the role of Gulf States within the global political economy.

The Legal Advocacy on De-Pathologizing Homosexuality 
30 April 2026 | Panel Discussion 

Marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the de-pathologization of homosexuality in China, this panel explored the role of legal advocacy, strategic litigation, and social mobilization in advancing LGBTQ+ rights. The discussion situated developments in China within broader international debates on equality and legal reform. This panel was organized by the LMP and Chinese Initiative on International Law.

Realizing Palestinian Self-Determination and State Sovereignty: What Next?
13 February 2026 | Conference

Co-organized with Birzeit University, this conference examined legal and political pathways toward Palestinian self-determination and state sovereignty. Participants reflected on developments in international law, accountability mechanisms, and prospects for a just and durable peace.

2025
 

People’s Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan 
December 2025 | Public Tribunal 

The Platform collaborated with the People’s Tribunal for Women of Afghanistan (PTWA) and the Women’s International Justice Group (WIJG) to host at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague the closing event of the Tribunal, including the public reading of the Judgment on 11 December 2025. The event highlighted violations of women’s rights under Taliban rule and explored pathways toward accountability and justice, bringing together representatives from international organisations, academia, civil society, and the Afghan community.  

Intersectional Rewrites: European Court of Human Rights Judgments Reimagined 
25 November 2025 | Book Launch 

The Legal Mobilization Platform hosted the launch of the book Intersectionality and Human Rights: Reimagining European Court of Human Rights Judgments, edited by Nani Jansen Reventlow and the contributors to the Intersectional Rewrites Project. The volume brings together twelve European Court of Human Rights judgments rewritten through an intersectional lens by activists, practitioners, and academics. The event explored the project's contribution to rethinking human rights jurisprudence and addressing intersecting forms of discrimination.  

Palestine Through Art and Reflections 
3 October 2025 | Art Exhibition 

This exhibition, organized by PAX; Amnesty International, and ceramic artist Mary Ann Jaraisy, highlighted Palestinian experiences, resilience, and lived realities through artistic expression. The exhibition provided a space for reflection, dialogue, and public engagement around issues of justice, memory, and representation with ceramic artist Mary Ann Jaraisy and the Cmunity Action Center - Al-Quds University.  

Gender Justice in International Criminal Law Conference
29–30 September 2025 | International Conference

LMP, the Women’s Initiative for Gender Justice, and the Gender Justice Practitioner Hub co-organized a two-day conference gathering survivors, activists, academics, and legal practitioners from around the world to discuss gender justice in international criminal law. 100 key actors working in the field of Gender Justice were brought together. Through dynamic dialogue and shared strategies, they advanced feminist and intersectional legal approaches that moved beyond rhetoric into action.

Borders and Belonging: Toward a Fair Immigration Policy 
12 June 2025 | Book Launch 

This event featured Hiroshi Motomura’s book Borders and Belonging, which offers a nuanced examination of immigration, belonging, and policy responses to migration. 

Organizing partners: UCLA Law’s Promise Institute for Human Rights Europe, UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy.  

Justice in Times of Artificial Intelligence 
21 May 2025 | Annual Lecture 

The 2nd International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA) Annual Lecture with Judge Fergal M. Gaynor explored the implications of artificial intelligence, technology, and accountability in relation to conflict crimes. This event was organized by The Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre; KUNO Platform; International Humanitarian Studies Association.  

Conference on Protest and Legal Mobilization in Oñati, Spain
3–4 April 2025 | Conference

This 2-day conference brought together scholars examining protest movements, legal mobilization, civic space, and contemporary forms of resistance. It was organized by Erasmus School of Law; Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU); Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law.

Children in Armed Conflict 
1 April 2025 | Panel Discussion 

The event, organized by LPM, Save the Children Netherlands and The Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre, brought together leading experts, including Ann Skelton, Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (2023–2025), to examine the role of humanitarian organizations, international institutions, and legal actors in protecting children affected by armed conflict. Discussions explored accountability mechanisms and legal strategies for advancing children's rights.

Francesca Albanese at Erasmus University Rotterdam
14 February 2025 | Public Lecture 

Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, delivered a public lecture addressing developments in Gaza, international law, and the responsibilities of states and international organizations. 

Watch lecture

2024
 

Gaza at the ICC: Seeking Justice for Palestinian Displacement amid Genocide 
3 December 2024 | Panel Discussion 

The Legal Mobilization Platform, International Human Rights Clinic at Boston University and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, Al-Haq Europe, Al-Haq Organization organized a side event during the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The discussion examined the denial of Palestinians' right to return under international criminal law and explored legal avenues for accountability in the context of displacement and ongoing violence in Gaza. The event brought together academics, practitioners, and human rights advocates. 

Panel Discussion

Reproductive Violence in International Criminal Law
June 2024 | Conference

The Platform partnered with Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice and other organizations to convene discussions on reproductive violence within international criminal law. The conference examined legal accountability, survivor-centred approaches, and emerging challenges in the field of gender justice.

Protest Under Pressure Conference
25 January 2024 | Conference

The Legal Mobilization Platform and Tilburg University Law School organized this conference that brought together academics, lawyers, activists, and civil society organizations to examine growing restrictions on protest rights and shrinking civic space in democratic and authoritarian contexts. Discussions explored legal responses to repression, strategic litigation, and the role of solidarity networks in protecting the right to protest.

South Africa's Genocide Case Against Israel 
12 January 2024 | Public Briefing 

Briefing session on the potential implications of South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice for the ongoing military conflict in Gaza. Four experts of international law, human rights, and legal mobilization discussed South Africa’s case and its implications for ending the ongoing military conflict in Gaza through a ceasefire, the provision of humanitarian assistance and accountability questions.  

2023 


Book Talk with Hil Aked 
October 2023 | Public Event 

The Platform, Dutch Scholars for Palestine and SCHOLAS (the student association at ISS) organized a book talk at the ISS with Dr Hil Aked, who had published their book, Friends of Israel: The Backlash Against Palestine Solidarity, earlier that year. The conversation explored legal and political challenges facing Palestine solidarity movements and examined the role of advocacy in contested political environments.  

Yemen Justice Network Meeting 
June 2023 | Expert Meeting 

The LMP partnered with the Yemen Justice Network to host a meeting at the ISS. On the sidelines of the Second Yemen International Forum – the largest annual conference for Yemeni dialogue – the Legal Mobilization Platform hosted a convention that gathered Yemeni victims groups, civil society and international diplomats seeking to discuss matters of transitional justice in Yemen. ISS provided a safe environment for these relevant talks to take place.

Resisting Israeli Settler Colonialism 
March 2023 | Public Event 

During Israeli Apartheid Week 2023, organized every March, Dutch Scholars for Palestine and the Legal Mobilization Platform organized a panel titled Resisting Settler Colonialism at ISS. The panellists discussed the ways in which citizens are both confronted with and are resisting a range of international crimes arising from Israel’s long-standing regime of settler-colonialism, as well as how the Palestinian struggle relates to other, intersectional struggles and forms of resistance. The intersectionality of struggles was specifically emphasized by the panellists from the climate movement and racial justice movement. 

Launch of the Legal Mobilization Platform: Mobilizing for a Just World 
13 January 2023 | Launch Event 

The Legal Mobilization Platform was officially launched in The Hague. Bringing together scholars, practitioners, activists, and students, the event introduced the Platform’s mission of advancing collaboration around legal mobilization, strategic litigation, and social justice. Discussions addressed climate justice, racial justice, socio-economic rights, and community-led legal action. 

2025 


Thai Training Programme: Legal Culture and Inclusion in the Courtroom 
8 July 2025 | Training Programme 

The Platform contributed to a training programme for members of the Thai judiciary reflecting about, inclusive and sustainable development. The programme combined lectures, institutional visits, and exchanges with Dutch and international organizations.  

Challenges of Academia in Palestine 
10–18 May 2025 | Academic Exchange 

The Legal Mobilization Platform hosted a delegation from Birzeit University as part of the Mobility+ Project. The visit explored challenges facing Palestinian higher education and opportunities for international academic collaboration.  


2023 
 

Delegation to South Africa 
February 2023 | Partnership Development 

A delegation that consisted of colleagues from the Legal Mobilization Platform, the ISS, the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights and Al-Haq, travelled to South Africa. Visited universities, legal clinics, civil society organizations, and public institutions across South Africa. The delegation sought to strengthen international partnerships and explore opportunities for collaborative teaching, research, and public engagement.  

Palestine Partnerships and Al-Haq Summer School 
June 2023 | Capacity Building and Partnership Development 

Representatives of the Platform visited Birzeit University and participated in the Al-Haq Summer School. The visit strengthened ties with Palestinian academic institutions and legal practitioners while facilitating knowledge exchange around legal mobilization and human rights advocacy.  

Current projects 


Reproductive Rights and the Transnational Dynamics of Legal Mobilization (REPRO-NETS) 
2025–2027 | Marie Curie Research Project 

Led by Dr Karolina Kocemba, the Reproductive Rights and the Transnational Dynamics of Legal Mobilization (REPRO-NETS) project examines how conservative and progressive non-state networks influence reproductive rights in Europe through strategic uses of law. 

The project adopts a comparative and transnational approach to understanding legal mobilization. It investigates both "high-profile" legislation and court judgements and "low-profile" laws (e.g. healthcare regulations and WHO guidelines); explores and compares pro-life and pro-choice legal strategies and tactics; and examines cross-border and transnational processes and knowledge transfers. 

The findings will provide new insights into the legal strategies driving reproductive rights changes at national, European and global levels. 

The 2-year (2025–2027) project is funded by the European Union as part of its Horizon Marie Curie programme. 

More details of the REPRO-NETS  

Protest Under Pressure

This ongoing LMP project examines protest as a human right and a means of advancing the realization of human rights.
Through workshops and conferences in 2023, 2024 and 2025, it has brought together research on protest, legal mobilization and democratic change.

Finalized projects 

Research Commission on Colonial Dehumanization 
2024 | Research and Partnership Initiative 

In collaboration with partners including the Black Jacobins, the Platform contributed to efforts to develop a research commission on colonial dehumanization and slavery. The initiative explored questions of historical accountability, public memory, and reparative justice.

Intersectional Rewrites Project
2024

For this project, Systemic Justice and the LMP brought academics and practitioners together to explore how judgements of the European Court of Human Rights might be reimagined through intersectional approaches to justice and legal reasoning.

2026 
 

Law, Dispossession, and Plunder in Black Homeownership 

In this episode we host a conversation with Professor Bernadette Atuahene, led by Dr. Jeff Handmaker, on the findings of her latest book, Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America. The discussion explores how legal and administrative systems governing property taxation have functioned as mechanisms of racialized wealth extraction in the U.S.  
 

2025 
 

Advancing Substantive Equality in South Africa 
October 2025 | Podcast 

In this episode, we feature a conversation with Dr. Thandiwe Matthews, hosted by Dr. Jeff Handmaker. Drawing from Dr. Matthews’ doctoral research, Advancing Substantive Equality in South Africa: Elite Contestations Surrounding Constitutionalism, Gender, and the Right to Social Assistance, the discussion explores how legal ideals of equality intersect with the realities of power, politics, and policy.  

2024 
 

The UN, International Law, and the Question of Palestine 

This episode examines the legal and political dynamics surrounding Palestine’s engagement with international law, focusing on Ardi Imseis' book, The United Nations and the Question of Palestine: Rule by Law and the Structure of International Legal Subalternity. Moderated by Jeff Handmaker, the discussion with international law experts Ardi Imseis, Giulia Pinzauti, and Melissa O'Donnell explores how the United Nations has historically approached the question of Palestine, the legal mechanisms it has employed, and the shifting standards that have shaped Palestinian legal claims.  

Academic Boycott as Legal Mobilization 

We share a thought-provoking and timely Teach-In recorded at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam on 13 March 2024. Scholars Omar Barghouti, Pepijn Brandon, Gloria Wekker, and Jeff Handmaker explore the role of academic boycotts as a tool for justice—drawing connections between the Palestinian-led BDS movement and historical precedents like the boycott of apartheid South Africa 

2026 | Student discussion between Dr Jeff Handmaker and students Osama Al Shamleh and Emmylou Savage - Making Sense of the Genocide in Gaza

Staff-student discussion in DevISSues (Vol. 28 No. 1) 

2025 | Report on the Book Launch Borders and Belonging: Towards a Fair Immigration Policy with Professor Hiroshi Motomura 

Written by: Annaliese Herms, Ani Shvelidze, Shahjahan Tahir, LMP interns 2025 

2025 | Report Children in Armed Conflict: The Protective Role of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and Other Institutional Responses 

Written by Daniela Raad and Lee Anne de la Hunt 

2024 | Report on the Protest Under Pressure Conference 

Written by Madeleine Walker and Joaquin Fuentealba, LMP consultants 2024 

2023 | Report on the Protest Under Pressure workshop

Written by Marthe Heringa, LMP coordinator 2023

2023 | Special Issue on Legal Mobilization

Published in the Journal of Human Rights Practice, this Special Focus on Legal Mobilization brings together contributions examining the role of law, legal actors, and legal strategies in advancing social change, human rights, and justice.  Journal of Human Rights Practice, Vol. 15 (2023), pp. 1–5. Introduction to the Legal Mobilization Special Focus

2018-2025 | Legal Mobilization Series in BLISS

The following articles are a selection of LMP Members’ contributions to the ISS Blog BLISS 

Recent publications by our research partners, including:

Organization and Collaboration

  • The LMP is a collaborative, non-hierarchical anti-patriarchal platform.
  • The LMP works with societal and academic partners
  • It is inclusive, interdisciplinary and critical

Collaborate with us!

Email address
LMP@iss.nl

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About the header image

Wittgenstein (1892) – Visualizing the interplay of law and politics to transition from conflict to cooperation. 'To persist in asking the question "but is the jurist or the politician right?" is like asking whether the image really is that of a rabbit or a duck. All depends on the background assumptions against which we examine the image, the vocabulary through which we try to grasp its meaning.' (Koskenniemi 2019:27)

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