Rein Müllerson

Rein Müllerson (born 23 March 1944) is an Estonian legal scholar and former politician known for work on public international law, human rights, and international politics. He served as First Deputy Foreign Minister of Estonia in 1991–1992, and was a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 1988–1992. Müllerson was professor and chair of international law at King's College London, and later held senior academic roles in Tallinn University's law and social sciences units. He is a member of the Institut de Droit international (Institute of International Law), and served as its president (2013–2015). Tallinn University biographies describe him as holding a PhD and a doctorate (1985) from Moscow State University.

Career

Academic and advisory roles (USSR) From the late Soviet period, Müllerson worked in Moscow in international law scholarship and policy advisory roles; the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law biography describes him as head of the International Law Department of the Institute of State and Law (Academy of Sciences, Moscow) and an adviser on international law to Mikhail Gorbachev during 1987–1991.

Tallinn University and University Nord Biographies published by Tallinn University describe Müllerson as holding leadership roles connected to its law school structures and related units, and also as rector of Tallinn University Nord (often rendered as University Nord) during 2009–2017. Tallinn University also published announcements about his election to leadership in international legal organizations while affiliated with the university.

United Nations The United Nations Audiovisual Library biography describes Müllerson as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (1988–1992). Democracy – A Destiny of Humankind? A Qualified, Contingent and Contextual Case for Democracy Promotion (Nova Science Publishers, 2009). The same report noted that critics have accused him of acting as an apologist for Russian actions, including regarding Crimea. In September 2024, ERR reported that Tallinn University's senate revoked his professor emeritus status, citing the university's post-2022 policy of ending cooperation with Russian state institutions and finding that his participation in a conference organized by Russia's Ministry of Justice violated those principles and caused reputational harm to the university.