The KGF is currently running an Art Competition to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The aim of this Art Competition is to promote awareness of IHL, in particular the Geneva Conventions. Thus, the KGF’s wants to use this Art Competition to provide a unique and engaging medium for IHL enthusiasts, or anyone interested in IHL and the Geneva Conventions, or war and peace more generally, to promote the humanitarian values and norms that are binding in times of armed conflict.
Prizes: The KGF’s will select three (3) submissions as winners of the Art Competition. The winning submissions will be announced on 16 December 2019. All three winners will each receive a an IHL related book prize valued at approximately 150 Euros each.
Information about contest dates, who can enter the competition, technical specifications about submitting artwork, prizes, judging, and copyright can be found in the competition rules on our website:
http://kalshovengieskesforum.com/art-competition/
Thank you for your interest in IHL – we are excited to receive your submissions!
Last week, 10 new case studies were published on the "IHL in Action" database. One of them dealt with the identification of human remains. This case study was prepared by former Leiden International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Clinic students, as part of the IHL in Action project which documents instances of IHL compliance.
You can read it online at:
https://ihl-in-action.icrc.org/case-study/new-argentinauk-identification-human-remains.
In the coming weeks, we will regularly present one of these new case studies.
#changethenarrative #IHL
Our IHL Clinic students had a great visit to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) last week.
We were given an excellent talk on the history of the prohibition of chemical weapons, the daily activities of a legal officer at the OPCW, why riot control gases are banned in armed conflict but not within national jurisdictions, and recent accusations of chemical weapons being used in Syria, amongst many other interesting topics.
We thank the OPCW for having us and sharing its important mission with us!
The KGF is pleased to announce that ten new case-studies documenting compliance with IHL have been launched on the "IHL in Action: Respect for the law on the battlefield" database hosted by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Six of these ten cases-studies were prepared by our IHL Clinic students.
The aim of the IHL in Action project is to change the narrative surrounding compliance with IHL by collecting clear instances that demonstrate respect for IHL. The research is conducted by the Leiden IHL Clinic and its partner IHL Clinics. Discover the new case studies at https://ihl-in-action.icrc.org/ and help us to #ChangeTheNarrative.
IHL in Action | Respect for the law on the battlefield
IHL in Action is a collection of real case studies documenting compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL) in modern warfare.
Very interesting new publication on “Guidelines for Investigating IHL Violations” by our colleagues from the Geneva Academy...
Guidelines on Investigating Violations of IHL: Law, Policy, and Good Practice - The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
These Guidelines aim to bring much needed clarity and support for the conduct of effective investigations into violations of international humanitarian law. They are the result of a five-year project initiated in 2014 by the Geneva Academy and joined in 2017 by the International Committee of the Red...
Our IHL Clinic is kicking off today! The KGF staff is excited to start working with our new students on the ICRC's 'IHL in Action' project and our own 'Digitally Derived Evidence' project! Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies Leiden Law School
Event Reminder!
"Fighting double standards before the ICC: Torture by UK forces in Iraq"
This event will be hosted by ECCHR - European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights at The Hague Humanity Hub on 1 October 2019!
Don't miss the discussion of this highly interesting and relevant topic, with an impressive line-up of speakers!
You can register for the event here:
https://www.ecchr.eu/en/event/fighting-double-standards-before-the-icc-torture-by-uk-forces-in-iraq/?fbclid=IwAR0EwaJ5lqCo0d85-EEV0nUKOkUh9o8Gk36278h4-G9uPudCgSfAqfYmx0o
Last Friday, Dr. Robert Heinsch presented the KGF's IHL Clinic report on ‘The Situation of Drug-Related Violence in Mexico from 2006-2017: A Non-International Armed Conflict?’ at an event in The Hague hosted by the Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CMDPDH). The Report has also been submitted by the CMDPDH to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as additional documentation to support one of their previous communications to the ICC.
The KGF is pleased to invite you to a “Discussion About Allegations of Crimes Against Humanity & War Crimes in Mexico” tomorrow in The Hague, at 12:30.
Please see below for details about the discussion and its location.
Date: 20 September 2019
Time: 12:30
Location: Bezuidenhoutseweg 99A, 2594AC, The Hague, The Netherlands
"In December 2006, the former Mexican President declared a ‘war on drugs’, and launched a policy which intended to increase security of the State and its population. Yet, in reality, it has led to an escalation of violence and human rights abuses. With evidence emerging that the violations have become widespread and systematic, civil society has turned to the International Criminal Court (‘ICC’) on the understanding that Mexico may be experiencing crimes that fall within the Court’s jurisdiction.
On at least five occasions, different actors have submitted information to the Office of the Prosecutor (‘OTP’) of the ICC alleging the commission of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Mexico. The information submitted to the ICC Prosecutor demonstrates that high-ranking officers, both civilian and military, were aware of the crimes that were being carried out and did not do anything to prevent them or bring those responsible to justice.
All this evidence should enable the ICC Prosecutor to announce the opening of a preliminary examination into the situation in Mexico, to assess the seriousness of the allegations. This would serve the broader interests of positive complementarity, namely encouraging States to meet their primary responsibility to investigate and prosecute crimes committed by high-level officials on their territory.
The main objective of this meeting is to discuss the alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes being committed in Mexico, and disseminate the information of the communications submitted to the ICC, among the delegations and NGOs present in The Hague.
Hope you can join us!"
Last Friday, our KGF and IHL Clinic Director, Dr. Robert Heinsch, was taking part in a panel discussion on “Promoting norms through innovative teaching” at the ICRC’s Advanced International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Seminar hosted at the Geneva Academy. Dr. Heinsch gave a presentation concerning “A universal teaching trend? Setting up and running an IHL clinic: opportunities, obstacles and solutions”. He shared his experiences at the Leiden and Bochum IHL Clinic, and discussed how to create and run an IHL Clinic; how the IHL Clinics allow interested law students to conduct practical work for cooperating partners; as well as the benefits of an IHL clinic for students, lecturers, and universities.
If you are interested in learning more about IHL or how to establish an IHL Clinic at your university, follow our page and check out our website!
Website: www.kalshovengieskesforum.com
