Robert Esser

Professor Robert Esser holds the Chair of German, European and International Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law and White-Collar Crime at the University of Passau's Faculty of Law since 2007. He heads the Human Rights in Criminal Proceedings (HRCP) Research Center, which he founded in 2010 as a specialized research and advanced training center for international human rights protection in criminal proceedings.

His research focuses on the systematization of European Court of Human Rights adjudication and UN human rights committees' decision-making practices within criminal law contexts. Professor Esser specializes in developing minimum standards for criminal law proceedings based on the European Convention on Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, with particular emphasis on East and Southeast Asian jurisdictions including China, Japan, Nepal, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

His scholarly work demonstrates consistent trends in transnational criminal justice, with publications spanning human rights protection in policing, European Public Prosecutor's Office challenges, asset forfeiture reform, and media relations in criminal proceedings. His research bridges theoretical legal scholarship with practical implementation in diverse legal systems across Europe and Asia.

Professor Esser organizes interdisciplinary guest lectures, expert conferences, workshops, and continuing education events on human rights protection for judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and criminal defense attorneys. His work includes significant international policy advice and capacity building, particularly in Nepal and Vietnam where he has led multi-stakeholder cooperation projects.

His research activities include: analysis of ECHR and UN Human Rights Committee decisions (since 2007), European Public Prosecutor's Office research (since 2021), transnational recognition of government decisions research network (2021-2025), Criminalization of Torture in Nepal project (2019-2023), German-Taiwanese Criminal Law Forum (biennial conference), and reform of criminal law in Vietnam (since 2011).