Current projects
Project “Militant Democracy: friend or foe of democracy in europe? Rethinking the century-old concept”
The aim of the project is to attempt to redefine the century-old concept of “militant democracy” (“a democracy capable of defending itself”) by considering both historical experience and contemporary challenges facing liberal democracy and liberal constitutionalism. The research team seeks to demonstrate how the instruments of “militant democracy” can and should be formulated and applied today, and how they ought to be adapted to the current political and social realities of European states. The innovative character of the research lies in the attempt to propose new instruments of “militant democracy” that would complement or offer alternatives to its traditional means. The project aims to develop arguments for setting new boundaries for “militant democracy” and to introduce new potential defensive measures into legal and political science discourse. Another innovative element of the project is its inclusion of contemporary threats to liberal democracy that were unknown to the first theorists of “militant democracy.” This reflection is accompanied by an effort to reconcile the need for effective defensive mechanisms with the requirements stemming from international human rights protection standards.
Source of funding: Narodowe Centrum Nauki, PRELUDIUM 22
Project number: 2023/49/N/HS5/02674
Webpage of the project: https://projekty.ncn.gov.pl/index.php?projekt_id=599499
Principal Investigator: prof. Aleksandra Gliszczyńska-Grabias
Research team: Dr. Michalina Marcia, Rafał Stronk
Duration: 2024-2027
Project “OMBUDSMEN AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONS AS NATIONAL MECHANISMS FOR THE PREVENTION OF TORTURE IN THE LIGHT OF THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE”
The aim of the project is to examine the national mechanisms for the prevention of torture established by the States Parties to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which operate within the structures of ombudsmen and human rights commissions. The project has two main objectives. The first objective is to map the national torture prevention mechanisms of the analyzed group. The second objective is to reconstruct a matrix of requirements for national prevention mechanisms, based on the requirements interpreted from the guidelines of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention and good practices of countries.
Source of funding: Narodowe Centrum Nauki, PRELUDIUM 22
Project number: 2023/49/N/HS5/02674
Webpage of the project: https://projekty.ncn.gov.pl/index.php?projekt_id=592219
Principal Investigator: mgr Joanna Grygiel-Zasada
Supervisor: dr Grażyna Baranowska
Duration: 2024-2027
Project “Education or indoctrination? The misuse and abuse of history education as violation of children’s rights during the russia-ukraine war”
The aim of the project is to explain how history education is being misused during the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war (2014–present) and to prove that such misuse may violate relevant instruments of the international human rights protection system. The project focuses on the needs and best interests of each child and aims to examine whether the individual rights of children are respected in educational institutions when teaching history. In addition to the academic community, the proposed project and its concept of “mnemonic indoctrination” may be useful for practitioners, such as national authorities responsible for developing history curricula in educational institutions.
Source of funding: Narodowe Centrum Nauki, PRELUDIUM 23
Project number: 2024/53/N/HS5/00119
Webpage of the project: https://projekty.ncn.gov.pl/index.php?projekt_id=616045
Principal Investigator: Anastasia Vorobiova, LLM
Duration: 2025-2027
Completed projects
Project „Memory Laws in European and Comparative Perspective (MELA)”
The project aims at analyzing memory laws, which are affect society in various and often controversial ways. They sometimes impose criminal penalties on speech or conduct deemed offensive to the plight of national heroes or tragic victims. In that punitive form, memory laws impose limits on democratic freedoms of expression, association, the media, or on scholarly research.
Source of funding: Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA)
Agreement number: HERA.15.94
Webpage of the project: http://melaproject.org/
Principal Investigator: dr Aleksandra Gliszczyńska-Grabias
Research Assistants: dr Grażyna Baranowska, mgr Anna Wójcik
The project is realized in cooperation with research teams from: Queen Mary University (London, Great Britain), T.M.C. Asser Institute (The Hague, Netherlands)), University of Bologna (Bologne, Italy)
Duration: 2016 – 2019
Project „The impact of universal human rights standards on the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. A critical analysis.”
The main research objective of the proposed project is to examine the functioning of the interpretation rules in the adjudication practice of the ECtHR with respect to human rights agreements concluded under the auspices of the United Nations.
Source of funding: Narodowe Centrum Nauki, OPUS
Project number: 2016/21/B/HS5/02057
Principal Investigator: prof. dr hab. Roman Wieruszewski
Contributors: dr Katarzyna Sękowska-Kozłowska, dr Aleksandra Gliszczyńska-Grabias, dr Grażyna Baranowska, mgr Anna Hernandez-Połczyńska
Duration: 2017 – 2019
Project “Enforced disappearances in Europe. Development of legal standards”
The goal of the project was the analysis of the development of international standards regarding enforced disappearances in Europe and addressing the issue of how well these standards meet the victims’ needs. In effect of the project a monograph was published by C.H. Beck (2017)
Monograph
Source of funding: Narodowe Centrum Nauki, PRELUDIUM
Project number: 2013/11/N/HS5/04044
Project description on the NCN webpage: https://projekty.ncn.gov.pl/index.php?s=10158
Principal Investigator: dr Grażyna Baranowska
Duration: 2014 – 2016
Projekt The UN Human Rights Protection Mechanisms – A Systemic Analysis
The goal of the project was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms functioning within the framework of this system, to explore to what extent these mechanisms are coherent and to consider their impact on the protection of human rights at national levels. In effect of the project a monograph edited by R. Wieruszewskiego was published by C.H. Beck (2017).
Monograph
Mechanizmy ochrony praw człowieka w ramach ONZ. Analiza systemowa
Source of funding: Narodowe Centrum Nauki, OPUS
Project number: 2012/07/B/HS5/03727
Project description on the NCN webpage: https://projekty.ncn.gov.pl/index.php?s=7641
Principal Investigator: prof. dr hab. Roman Wieruszewski
Contributors: prof. dr hab. Zdzisław Kędzia, dr Katarzyna Sękowska-Kozłowska, dr Aleksandra Gliszczyńska-Grabias, dr Anna Natalia Schulz, dr Grażyna Baranowska
Duration: 2013 – 2017
Project “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – a Commentary”
The goal of the project was the preparation of the first in the Polish literature legal commentary to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The effect of the project is a publication edited by R. Wieruszewski was published by Wolters Kluwer (2012).
Monograph
Międzynarodowy pakt praw obywatelskich (osobistych) i politycznych. Komentarz
Source of funding: Komitet Badań Naukowych
Project number: 1935/B/H03/2008/34
Principal Investigator: prof. dr hab. Roman Wieruszewski
Contributors: prof. dr hab. Leszek Wiśniewski, dr Aleksandra Gliszczyńska-Grabias, dr Katarzyna Sękowska-Kozłowska, dr Witold Sobczak
Duration: 2008 – 2012
