The Italian Yearbook of Human Rights and the Human Rights Centre ‘Antonio Papisca’ of the University of Padova are delighted to present this special compilation, a selection of contributions originally published in the online edition of the Italian Yearbook throughout the year 2025.

This publication is divided into four parts:

1. Adapting to Human Rights International Law - dedicated to a comprehensive overview of the significant legislative measures adopted by Italy in the field of human rights to incorporate, transpose, and implement international treaties and European Union (EU) legislation concerning fundamental human rights and freedoms;
2. The Italian Human Rights Infrastructure - comprises summaries and analyses of reports produced by State agencies, independent bodies, or highly authoritative civil society organisations and research centres, focusing on critical aspects of human rights policies in Italy;
3. Italy in Dialogue with International Institutions - addresses several themes that characterized the interaction between Italy and international human rights bodies throughout 2025, such as the Universal Period Review, the UN Human Rights Council, the International Criminal Court and more;
4. National and International Case Law - presents a selection of judicial decisions drawn from the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union during 2025. It also incorporates a limited number of cases originating from Italian domestic courts, including the Constitutional Court, where human rights considerations were particularly salient. 

The selection of the ‘best’ stories published in 2025 was guided by two central criteria, designed to provide a cohesive and illuminating narrative for the year. The first criterion was to identify and analyse recurring patterns in the ways Italian institutions, at all levels of governance, and civil society actors, comply with and respond to their human rights obligations, responsibilities and challenges. The second criterion focused on identifying and shedding critical light on novel features, emerging trends, and areas of concern that either newly arose or significantly intensified during the year 2025. This ensures the Yearbook remains at the cutting edge of human rights monitoring, anticipating future challenges and documenting their initial appearance in the Italian context.

The year 2025 was marked by a disheartening number of wars, atrocities, and human rights violations globally. While the Italian Yearbook's constrained geographical scope prevents it from fully reflecting the global human rights community's profound sense of urgency and outrage, the events discussed in this "Best of" selection clearly and indirectly echo these worldwide crises.

This publication is designed to serve as a complement to the online journal, offering readers a tool for a comprehensive and reflective reconstruction of the pivotal events that shaped the year 2025 for Italian institutions and society, all examined through the analytical lens of human rights.

This 2025 compilation, closed for press in March 2026, encourages the dedicated readership of the Italian Yearbook of Human Rights to deliberately pause, engage in critical reflection, and look retrospectively over the preceding twelve months. It is an invitation to acknowledge, with clear-eyed objectivity, the collective successes achieved in upholding human rights principles, alongside the setbacks and persistent challenges encountered.

The full publication is available below in the Documents section.