Frank William La Rue

Frank La Rue is a Guatemalan labor and human rights law expert and served as UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, from August 2008 to August 2014. Along with American Human Rights attorneys, Anna Gallagher and Wallie Mason, Mr. La Rue is the founder of the Center for Legal Action for Human Rights (CALDH) and has been involved in the promotion of human rights for over 25 years. He was nominated for (but did not win) the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize by Mairead Corrigan, Northern Irish peace activist and 1976 laureate. Currently, Mr La Rue is the Executive Director of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Europe.

As the UN Special Rapporteur Mr La Rue promoted and protected the right to freedom of opinion and expression from 2008 to 2014. During his tenure he wrote and presented 10 landmark reports on the state of freedom of expression to the UN Human Rights Council and UN General Assembly. The reports presented important findings on topics such as the protection of journalists, freedom of expression exercised through the internet, and the impact of state surveillance on privacy and freedom of expression.