The RIEK Network was established in 2025 through the convergence of various scholarly initiatives devoted to the study of Hans Kelsen’s thought, particularly those associated with the publication in Colombia of the Spanish translation of Hans Kelsen: Biographie eines Rechtswissenschaftlers, written by Thomas Olechowski. In that context, the academic dialogue between researchers from Latin America and Europe revealed the opportunity to establish a stable collaborative network.
The initial proposal for institutional structuring and for the drafting of statutes was formulated in 2025 within the framework of the academic exchanges that gave rise to the Network and was further developed in dialogue with colleagues from the Hans Kelsen-Institut (Vienna) and with specialists from European and Latin American academic circles dedicated to the Kelsenian tradition.
A decisive milestone in the consolidation process of the Network was the holding of the First RIEK Conference in 2026, which took place in Bogotá and Medellín, together with the Network’s Inaugural Meeting, during which the foundations of its institutional configuration and international orientation were presented.
Since then, the RIEK Network has constituted itself as a cooperative academic forum aimed at strengthening scholarly connections between Latin America and Europe with regard to Hans Kelsen’s thought and to the other representatives of the Vienna School of Legal Theory.