Human rights, conflict and transitional justice

The perpetration of international crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression usually cause extensive harm to individuals, communities and societies more broadly.  Such crimes have occurred in different parts of the world since time immemorial, and they are likely to reoccur. Therefore, research on the relations and interplay between human rights, conflict and transitional justice (i.e., the full range of processes and mechanisms associated with society’s attempts to come to terms with a legacy of large-scale past abuses) is crucial to achieving accountability, promoting reconciliation and preventing future harm.

Within our Centre, we focus on both historical and contemporary cases of gross human rights violations. In that regard, we have developed a variety of lines of research to explore these issues. One area of research within our Centre focuses on the development of rules and principles related to the law of armed conflict, i.e. international humanitarian law, international criminal law, and related issues – such as the understanding of peace and justice. Individual research projects explore issues such as the use of force.

Another area of research focuses on the aftermath of conflict, including international and domestic prosecutions for international crimes, as well as the question of remedies and reparation for victims of gross violations of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law.

A significant portion of our research activity aims to enable a better understanding of the causes of gross or systematic human rights violations and their effects on individuals, communities and societies. Our researchers examine these issues on different levels of analysis. They also pay close attention to the gender dynamics of violence and the position of children in conflict zones. Researchers engage with different fields – from social and psychological perspectives, to explore determinants of behaviour, manipulation, propaganda and public opinion; to political science and international relations, which explore the role of democracy, democratization, civil society, authoritarianism, and various forms of insecurities, such as economic, political and social insecurities.