This Live Seminar examined mechanisms and strategies to promote accountability for IHL violations committed during counterinsurgencies, focusing on the case of Sri Lanka. Against the backdrop of domestic and international efforts to address IHL violations committed during the counterinsurgency in Sri Lanka, this Live Seminar addressed the following questions:
What aspects, if any, of counterinsurgency doctrine have the potential to affect adherence to IHL principles?
What accountability mechanisms—judicial or otherwise—exist regarding IHL violations committed during non-international armed conflicts?
What accountability mechanisms are currently being implemented, and what potential mechanisms are under consideration?
What legal and political challenges arise in the context of multiple, simultaneous accountability mechanisms aimed at addressing the same counterinsurgency situation?
What role, if any, should humanitarian actors play in promoting adherence to international norms in counterinsurgency situations?
These questions will be examined by reference to the situation in Sri Lanka. [Click to listen in full ~ Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research - Harvard University]
