Dr Andrew Forde Awarded 2025 Kevin Boyle Book Prize at IALT Conference

Dr Andrew Forde, Assistant Professor of European Human Rights Law, has been awarded the 2025 Kevin Boyle Book Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship at the Irish Association of Law Teachers (IALT) Conference in Derry.

The prize recognises outstanding legal scholarship, and Dr Forde’s book, 'European Human Rights Grey Zones:
The Council of Europe and Areas of Conflict' was commended for its clear-eyed examination of how the Council of Europe’s system functions in conflict-affected regions.

His work explores the position of tens of millions of people living in so-called human rights “grey zones”, arguing that these areas should not sit outside Europe’s human rights framework. He sets out why Council of Europe Member States carry a shared responsibility to ensure the European Convention on Human Rights is applied as effectively as possible in such contexts.

Taking the Council of Europe’s engagement with Kosovo as a key reference point, Dr Forde identifies lessons that could inform a more proactive approach to other contested or conflict-impacted regions.

The presitgous Award, issued only every two years, marks an important acknowledgement of his contribution to debates on safeguarding human rights where protection is most at risk.