Human rights pioneer Professor Sir Nigel Rodley has died, aged 75. 

Sir Nigel was a founding father of the University of Essex Human Rights Centre. He made a significant contribution to international institutions, not least the United Nations.

Before joining Essex in 1990, he was legal adviser to Amnesty International. From 1993-2001 he served as the UN's special rapporteur on torture. He was a member of the UN's Human Rights Committee, which he chaired from 2013-14, and was president of the International Commission of Jurists. He had spoken at the Independent Jewish Voices group.

Paying tribute, university vice-chancellor Professor Anthony Forster said Sir Nigel was "a global champion of human rights, writing influential books on international human rights law while also undertaking incredibly important work on behalf of the United Nations. He was an inspiration to many, many students and colleagues."