Human rights are not aspirational, rather they are meant to be realised. Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a growing number of treaties, declarations, resolutions and other materials has been produced and a wide array of international institutions have been created to monitor the implementation of human rights. Through these documents and institutions the realisation of human rights begins. However, the struggle to ensure the rights and freedoms of individuals is never an easy one. It requires the commitment of those who believe in the core nature of human rights. One such person has been Leo Zwaak. The idea behind The Realization of Human Rights: When Theory Meets Practice is that throughout Leo Zwaak's professional life he dedicated himself to the realisation of human rights. Whether acting as an encylopaedia of knowledge when teaching human rights at the university or providing judicial trainings on the five continents, Leo Zwaak has impacted the world of human rights in many ways.
This book is organised into six parts: International Human Rights Law in General; European Human Rights Law; Inter-American and African Human Rights Law; International Human Rights Law, International Criminal Law and International Humanitarian Law; International Human Rights Law, Extraordinary Rendition and Forced Disappearances; and the International and National Protection of Human Rights. As the book reflects, Leo Zwaak's work has touched on a wide range of fields, spanning the universal, regional and national levels.