{"id":7097,"date":"2026-01-26T18:35:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T16:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iidh.org\/tribute-day-to-rene-cassin-1887-1976-20-february-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T18:35:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T16:35:31","slug":"tribute-day-to-rene-cassin-1887-1976-20-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iidh.org\/en\/tribute-day-to-rene-cassin-1887-1976-20-february-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribute Day to Ren\u00e9 Cassin (1887\u20131976) (20 February 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tribute Day to Ren\u00e9 Cassin (1887\u20131976)<\/h2>\n

50th anniversary of his death \u2014 Institut de France, Paris<\/h3>\n

On Friday, 20 February 2026<\/strong>, the Institut de France will host a tribute day to Ren\u00e9 Cassin<\/strong> (1887\u20131976): a symbolic date to recall, fifty years after his death, the strength of a legacy that continues to shed light on our time.<\/p>\n

An exceptional jurist, a key architect of Free France, and a patient builder of fundamental guarantees, Ren\u00e9 Cassin did not merely defend principles: he helped give them legal form<\/strong>, universal scope,<\/strong> and, above all, effectiveness<\/strong>. Through him, a certain vision of human rights <\/strong>is being honored\u2014one in which law protects, limits arbitrariness, and transforms moral indignation into enforceable obligations. <\/p>\n

A day supported by major institutions<\/h2>\n

Organized jointly by the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences<\/strong>, the Council of State, <\/strong>the European Court of Human Rights<\/strong>, and the Ren\u00e9 Cassin Foundation \u2013 International Institute of Human Rights,<\/strong> this day will take place in Paris, at the Andr\u00e9 and Liliane Bettencourt Auditorium <\/strong>(Institut de France, 3 rue Mazarine, 75006).<\/p>\n

Elle sera plac\u00e9e sous la pr\u00e9sidence de Bernard Stirn<\/strong>, Secr\u00e9taire perp\u00e9tuel de l\u2019Acad\u00e9mie des sciences morales et politiques.<\/p>\n

Pourquoi comm\u00e9morer Ren\u00e9 Cassin aujourd\u2019hui ?<\/h2>\n

L\u2019ambition de ce rendez-vous n\u2019est pas de figer Cassin dans une comm\u00e9moration : elle est d\u2019ouvrir un espace de transmission<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ren\u00e9 Cassin appartient \u00e0 ces rares figures dont l\u2019\u0153uvre oblige \u00e0 penser le pr\u00e9sent. De la guerre \u00e0 la paix, de l\u2019engagement \u00e0 l\u2019institution, de la fid\u00e9lit\u00e9 \u00e0 la R\u00e9publique \u00e0 l\u2019invention d\u2019outils internationaux de protection, son parcours dessine une trajectoire o\u00f9 l\u2019exigence du droit rencontre la n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 de l\u2019histoire. <\/p>\n

At a time when human rights are being tested by violence, disinformation, the temptation of permanent exception, or the weakening of the rule of law, returning to Cassin means reaffirming a simple conviction: there is no lasting peace without guarantees, no living democracy without oversight, and no genuine freedom without institutions capable of defending it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A programme linking history to the contemporary challenges of human rights<\/h2>\n

Throughout the afternoon, the presentations will highlight several facets of Ren\u00e9 Cassin, and the coherence of a single struggle: that of making human dignity justiciable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The sessions devoted to \u201cRen\u00e9 Cassin in the face of History<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cRen\u00e9 Cassin in his time<\/strong>\u201d will recall his role in Free France, his intellectual and public action, and the way his work is embedded in the upheavals of the 20th century.<\/p>\n

The screening of archival footage (INA)<\/strong> will give substance to this narrative: not a mere illustration, but a living memory that conveys the depth of a commitment and the gravity of an era.<\/p>\n

For more information, we invite you to consult the detailed programme.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cassin\u2019s legacy: a method, a course, a standard of rigor<\/h2>\n

The day will then lead to what constitutes the core of Cassin\u2019s message: the rule of law as the practical condition for human rights.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By bringing together voices from major institutions and academic reflection, it will connect Cassin\u2019s experience to decisive contemporary challenges:<\/p>\n