Fionnuala Ní Aoláin Closed Now

Fionnuala Ní Aoláin is an internationally respected scholar, human rights advocate, and practitioner in the fields of transitional justice, human rights law, gender and conflict, and counter-terrorism accountability. An Irish legal expert with a distinguished academic and policy career, she is recognized globally for her groundbreaking work on how post-conflict societies address legacies of violence, promote justice, and ensure equality in transitional processes.

Ní Aoláin has served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism (2017–2023), a mandate under which she led critical investigations into human rights violations in the context of global counterterrorism efforts. Her work highlighted how state security policies can undermine justice and reconciliation, particularly in post-conflict and transitional societies.

She is a Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota and Queens University Belfast, where she co-founded the Transitional Justice Institute (TJI)—one of the leading academic centers dedicated to research and education on post-conflict justice, truth commissions, and reparations. Her scholarship has significantly influenced international frameworks on gender-sensitive transitional justice, ensuring that women’s experiences of conflict and violence are meaningfully recognized in legal and policy responses.

Ní Aoláin has published extensively, including influential works such as Law in Times of Crisis: Emergency Powers in Theory and Practice and On the Frontlines: Gender, War, and the Post-Conflict Process. Her interdisciplinary approach blends legal theory with field-based analysis, making her a key voice in both academic and policy discussions on post-conflict transformation.

Over her career, she has advised numerous governments, UN bodies, and civil society organizations on designing transitional justice mechanisms that balance accountability, reconciliation, and social inclusion. Her advocacy emphasizes that sustainable peace requires addressing structural inequalities and embedding human rights principles in every stage of transition.