Balázs Dénes
Executive Director
Human rights, justice and open societies seemed like good things to fight for in law school, and they still do today. If our rights and freedoms were fully protected, I might be a gardener or open a small business. But as that day seems far away, I feel fortunate to have such a meaningful job.
About me
Balázs is a lawyer and human rights activist from Budapest,
Hungary. He holds a law degree from ELTE University and was a visiting fellow
at Columbia University in New York. Balázs started his career as an intern with
the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU), a Budapest-based human rights
group. He spent the next 15 years at HCLU, eventually rising to become
executive director. After leading the organization for eight years, he joined
the Open Society Foundations as a division director of the Open Society
Initiative for Europe. In 2017, he helped found Liberties and currently serves
as the organization’s executive director.
My topics
I guide Liberties’ efforts to become a leading voice on
human rights issues in Europe. To support this, I am responsible for building a
dynamic, energetic team to engage with the public, decision makers and
stakeholders to improve human rights protections in all EU member states.
Human rights, justice and open societies seemed like good things to fight for in law school, and they still do today. If our rights and freedoms were fully protected, I might be a gardener or open a small business. But as that day seems far away, I feel fortunate to have such a meaningful job.