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Mind the Gap: Exploring the Legal Void at the Intersection of Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law in States of Emergency

Edin, Samantha LU (2024) JURM02 20241
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Det nuvarande skiftet från mellanstatliga konflikter till inomstatliga konflikter har förändrat hur våld uttrycker sig nationellt. Nutida konflikter kännetecknas av utdragen lågintensiv krigföring, till skillnad från de fullskaliga
inbördeskrigen som bidrog till att utforma definitionen av intern väpnad
konflikt enligt humanitär rätt. Dagens nationella konflikter hamnar därmed i
gråzonen mellan lagar som gäller i fredstid respektive krigstid, eftersom de
betraktas som fredstida kriser enligt regelverket för mänskliga rättigheter
samtidigt som de faller utanför den humanitära lagstiftningens tillämpningsområde. Folkrätten misslyckas således med att upprätthålla mänskliga rättigheter när de är som mest kritiska. Förevarande uppsats... (More)
Det nuvarande skiftet från mellanstatliga konflikter till inomstatliga konflikter har förändrat hur våld uttrycker sig nationellt. Nutida konflikter kännetecknas av utdragen lågintensiv krigföring, till skillnad från de fullskaliga
inbördeskrigen som bidrog till att utforma definitionen av intern väpnad
konflikt enligt humanitär rätt. Dagens nationella konflikter hamnar därmed i
gråzonen mellan lagar som gäller i fredstid respektive krigstid, eftersom de
betraktas som fredstida kriser enligt regelverket för mänskliga rättigheter
samtidigt som de faller utanför den humanitära lagstiftningens tillämpningsområde. Folkrätten misslyckas således med att upprätthålla mänskliga rättigheter när de är som mest kritiska. Förevarande uppsats syftar till att undersöka det rättsliga tomrum som uppstår när undantagstillstånd införs för
att bemöta lågintensiva nationella konflikter som misslyckas med att uppfylla rekvisiten för intern väpnad konflikt.

Syftet uppfylls med hjälp av den rättsdogmatiska metoden som tillämpas för
att fastställa det positiva innehållet i undantagslagar enligt regelverket för
mänskliga rättigheter, samt definitionen av intern väpnad konflikt enligt
humanitär rätt. En empirisk metod används därefter i syfte att tillämpa det
relevanta internationella ramverket på konflikten i sydöstra Turkiet. Konflikten mellan PKK och den turkiska regeringen utnyttjas därigenom som
fallstudie för att klargöra orsakerna och konsekvenserna av det rättsliga
tomrummet, samt för att undersöka hur lagstiftningen kan omarbetas för att
bemöta problemet. Uppsatsens resultat visar att definitionen av intern väpnad konflikt enligt humanitär rätt måste omformuleras och anpassas till karaktären av nutida konflikter. Den nuvarande klyftan mellan regelverket för
mänskliga rättigheter och humanitär rätt kan enbart överbryggas genom att
ersätta den binära distinktionen mellan fred och krig med ett mer flexibelt
tillvägagångssätt som möjliggör för samtidig tillämpning av båda rättsområden. (Less)
Abstract
The shifting paradigm from conflicts between countries to conflicts within countries has changed how national violence unfolds. Contemporary conflicts are characterized by protracted low-intensity belligerency, unlike the full-scale civil wars that shaped the understanding of non-international armed conflict under humanitarian law. Modern internal conflicts thus fall into the grey area between the laws of peace and the laws of war, as they are considered emergencies under human rights law while falling outside the scope of humanitarian law. As a result, international legislation is struggling to enforce human rights standards when they are at their most necessary. This thesis aims to investigate the legal void caused when states of... (More)
The shifting paradigm from conflicts between countries to conflicts within countries has changed how national violence unfolds. Contemporary conflicts are characterized by protracted low-intensity belligerency, unlike the full-scale civil wars that shaped the understanding of non-international armed conflict under humanitarian law. Modern internal conflicts thus fall into the grey area between the laws of peace and the laws of war, as they are considered emergencies under human rights law while falling outside the scope of humanitarian law. As a result, international legislation is struggling to enforce human rights standards when they are at their most necessary. This thesis aims to investigate the legal void caused when states of emergency are invoked to manage low-intensity internal conflicts that fail to satisfy the criteria of non-international armed conflict.

The purpose of the thesis is fulfilled by applying the legal doctrinal method to ascertain the positive content of emergency law under the legal regime of human rights, and the definition of non-international armed conflict under humanitarian law. After establishing the international framework pertaining to the issue, the thesis employs an empirical research method by applying the legislation on the conflict in South-East Turkey. By using the conflict between the PKK and the Turkish government as a case study, the thesis seeks to clarify the causes and effects of the legal void for the purpose of identifying how the legal framework can be revised to address the issue. The findings of the thesis suggest that the definition of non-international armed conflicts in humanitarian law must be redefined to accommodate the nature of contemporary internal conflicts. In order to bridge the gap between IHRL and IHL, the binary distinction between peace and war must be superseded by a more flexible approach that allows the simultaneous application of both legal regimes. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Edin, Samantha LU
supervisor
organization
course
JURM02 20241
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
public international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, state of emergency, non-international armed conflict
language
English
id
9152839
date added to LUP
2024-06-12 08:19:08
date last changed
2024-06-12 08:19:08
@misc{9152839,
  abstract     = {{The shifting paradigm from conflicts between countries to conflicts within countries has changed how national violence unfolds. Contemporary conflicts are characterized by protracted low-intensity belligerency, unlike the full-scale civil wars that shaped the understanding of non-international armed conflict under humanitarian law. Modern internal conflicts thus fall into the grey area between the laws of peace and the laws of war, as they are considered emergencies under human rights law while falling outside the scope of humanitarian law. As a result, international legislation is struggling to enforce human rights standards when they are at their most necessary. This thesis aims to investigate the legal void caused when states of emergency are invoked to manage low-intensity internal conflicts that fail to satisfy the criteria of non-international armed conflict. 

The purpose of the thesis is fulfilled by applying the legal doctrinal method to ascertain the positive content of emergency law under the legal regime of human rights, and the definition of non-international armed conflict under humanitarian law. After establishing the international framework pertaining to the issue, the thesis employs an empirical research method by applying the legislation on the conflict in South-East Turkey. By using the conflict between the PKK and the Turkish government as a case study, the thesis seeks to clarify the causes and effects of the legal void for the purpose of identifying how the legal framework can be revised to address the issue. The findings of the thesis suggest that the definition of non-international armed conflicts in humanitarian law must be redefined to accommodate the nature of contemporary internal conflicts. In order to bridge the gap between IHRL and IHL, the binary distinction between peace and war must be superseded by a more flexible approach that allows the simultaneous application of both legal regimes.}},
  author       = {{Edin, Samantha}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Mind the Gap: Exploring the Legal Void at the Intersection of Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law in States of Emergency}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}