About Torkel Opsahl
Lived 1931 – 1993 (aged 62). Torkel Opsahl was a Norwegian human rights defender and jurist.
Torkel Opsahl (17 March 1931 in Stavanger — 16 September 1993 in Geneva) was a Norwegian human rights scholar, professor of the University of Oslo since 1965 and head of the board of its Human Rights Institute since 1987. From 1970 to 1984, he was a member of the European Commission of Human Rights. Between 1977 and 1986, he was a member of the UN Human Rights Committee. In 1992-1993 he chaired an independent commission exploring ways forward for Northern Ireland, out of which came the influential book 'A Citizens' Inquiry: the Opsahl Report on Northern Ireland'. Opsahl died from a heart attack at his office in Geneva on 16 September 1993. At the time of his death, he was chairing the UN commission on war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Torkel Opsahl's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Torkel Opsahl?
Human rights scholar (1931-1993)
When was Torkel Opsahl born?
Torkel Opsahl was born on 17 March 1931 in Stavanger, Stavanger.
When did Torkel Opsahl die?
Torkel Opsahl died on 16 September 1993 in Geneva.
What was Torkel Opsahl's occupation?
Torkel Opsahl was a human rights defender and jurist.
What nationality was Torkel Opsahl?
Torkel Opsahl was Norwegian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Torkel Opsahl. https://biography.guide/torkel-opsahl/
MLA: "Torkel Opsahl." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/torkel-opsahl/.
Chicago: "Torkel Opsahl." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/torkel-opsahl/.
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