On Monday, June 22, 2026, at 6:30 PM, experts will discuss the question “Where is democracy headed?” in the Main Ceremonial Hall at the University of Vienna. The discussion will focus on the early detection of authoritarian trends and the question of what measures can strengthen the resilience of democratic systems. The event marks the conclusion of the University of Vienna’s “Semester Question” and is organized by the “Research Network Democracy and Human Rights”, a cooperation partner of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Fundamental and Human Rights (LBI-GMR), as well as Rudolphina, the University of Vienna’s science magazine.

As part of its “Semester Question” initiative, the University of Vienna dedicates each semester to a key current social issue. At the closing event, high-profile experts will speak on the topic: Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, will deliver the keynote address titled “Human Rights as a Prerequisite for an Open Society.” He will then be joined in a panel discussion by Barbara Prainsack (Professor of Comparative Policy Analysis), Christian Göbel (Professor of Sinology with a focus on social sciences and member of the Scientific Council of the new research network Democracy and Human Rights), and Maria Mayrhofer (Executive Director of the NGO #aufstehn).

Michael Lysander Fremuth, Scientific Director at the LBI-GMR and Co-Director of the research network, research network Co-Director Silvia Kritzinger, and Sebastian Schütze, Rector of the University of Vienna, will deliver opening remarks and introduce the “Research Network Democracy and Human Rights”.

The event will also be livestreamed. Registration is required.