International Humanitarian Law (IHL)

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Ukrainian officers of the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC) and OSCE employees watch as people walk across a destroyed bridge between the Ukraine-controlled territory and territory held by Russia-backed separatists at a checkpoint near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska, in Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine on August 1, 2019.

Ukraine’s Pandemic-Era Obligations to Civilians in Crimea and Donbas Under Humanitarian Law

Russia is not the sole State with such responsibilities. As the displaced sovereign, Ukraine retains certain residual obligations towards its citizens.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a primetime address to the nation from the East Room of the White House March 11, 2021 in Washington, DC. He holds a finger up as a “one” gesture or in making a point. Flags line the walls behind him. He does not wear a face mask, but no one stands around him.

At 100 Days, Grading Biden’s Progress Toward a More Responsible US Arms Trade Policy

As we near the 100-day mark of this administration, and with the president delivering a “State of the Union”-like address this evening, now is a good moment to assess its arms…
Security Council members hold a videoconference in connection with Maintenance of international peace and security.

National Security Last Week at the United Nations (April 2-9)

United States Lifts Sanctions Against ICC Officials On April 2, President Joe Biden reversed one of former President Donald Trump’s executive orders, which imposed sanctions…
NZDF troops remove the New Zealand flag from a base in Afghanistan.

Opportunity Missed: New Zealand Defense Force’s Order on Civilian Harm in Wartime

On Feb. 11, 2021, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) announced new rules on responding to civilian harm. Defence Force Order 35 (DFO 35) introduces NZDF-wide procedures for responding…
A war memorial at Jaffna University before it was demolished, in Jaffna. The memorial is a statue of hands reaching toward the sky coming out of a pile of rubble.

UN Human Rights Council Outlines Sri Lanka Abuses, But Demurs on Action

It’s not the robust independent mechanism victims campaigned for, or the referral to the ICC that they deserve, but it is a potential path to justice.
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapakse and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, neither who wear face masks, are surrounded by others, many who wear face masks, as they leave the new cabinet swearing-in ceremony at the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth in the ancient hill capital of Kandy, some 116 km from Colombo on August 12, 2020.

When War Criminals Run the Government: Not Too Late for the International Community to Vet Sri Lankan Officials

Developing such a list of individuals would signal to survivors some measure of recognition of the atrocities they have suffered.
A AFP journalist views a video on January 25, 2019, manipulated with artificial intelligence to potentially deceive viewers, or "deepfake" at his newsdesk in Washington, DC.

Protecting the Information Space in Times of Armed Conflict

What, if any, limits exist concerning digital information operations in armed conflict? Does the humanitarian legal framework adequately capture the protection needs that arise…
A Judge holds golden scales of justice with Sri Lanka waving flag background.

Sri Lanka’s Evasion of Accountability Tests the Limits of the International Human Rights System

Twelve years of failed justice must trigger an honest debate on the ability of these mechanisms to prevent violations and deal with historical atrocities.
Members of the security forces walking at the site of a NATO airstrike which destroyed two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban in northern Kunduz on September 4, 2009.

Kunduz Airstrike Before European Court of Human Rights: Future of Jurisdiction and Duty to Investigate

The future of European Human Rights Court's jurisdiction and the future of States' duty to investigate civilian casualties in wartime.
Sri Lankan Army Major General Jagath Dias points to a map where security forces are located during a presentation for Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse at the city of Kilinochchi on April 16, 2009.

Universal Jurisdiction — the Most Difficult Path to Achieve Justice for Sri Lanka

The record shows that, if this is the only feasible route to accountability for now, countries will require additional support at the UN level to achieve accountability.
Families of victims and rights activists demonstrate outside Sri Lanka's main prison, demanding justice for the 27 inmates shot dead by security forces in 2012, in Colombo on September 12, 2017.

Emblematic Cases Expose the Long Road to Justice in Sri Lanka

For more than a decade, in one atrocity case after another, justice is delayed, denied, or even reversed, as the government pursues impunity.
A Sri Lankan demonstrator holds a portrait of a missing relative during a protest outside the United Nations office in Colombo on March 13, 2013.

Tamils – and Justice – Can’t Wait: The Need for Decisive UN Action on Sri Lanka

The credibility of the Human Rights Council and the UN system, given its “grave failure” in the past, depends on accountability for Sri Lanka’s atrocities.
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