Mark Lattimer, Professor Philippe Sands

The aim of this book is to assess recent developments in international law seeking to bring an end to impunity by bringing to justice those accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The book was originally conceived while the editors were engaged, in different capacities, in proceedings relating to the detention of Senator Pinochet in London. The vigorous public debate that attended that case - and related developments in international criminal justice, such as the creation of the International Criminal Court and the trial of former President Milosevic - demonstrate the close connections between the law and wider political or moral questions. In the field of international criminal justice there appeared, therefore, a clear need to distinguish legal from essentially political issues - promoting the application of the law in an impartial and apolitical manner - while at the same time enabling each to legitimately inform the development of the other.The essays in this volume, written by internationally recognised legal experts: scholars, practitioners, judges - explore a wide range of subjects, including immunities, justice in international and mixed courts, justice in national courts, and in a particularly practical section, perspectives offered by experienced practitioners in the field."This is a welcome collection of papers on criminal justice both at the international and the national level...a book which fills many gaps and adds considerable value by discussing wider policy and moral issues; it is to be recommended to all who are interested in the development of international criminal justice."Elizabeth Wilmshurst, International Affairs

The high civilian death toll in modern, protracted conflicts such as those in Syria or Iraq indicate the limits of international law in offering protections to civilians at risk. A recent conference of states convened by the International Committee of the Red Cross referred to ''an institutional vacuum in the area of international humanitarian law implementation''. Yet both international humanitarian law and the law of human rights establish a series of rights intended to protect civilians. But which law or laws apply in a particular situation, and what are the obstacles to their implementation? How can the law offer greater protections to civilians caught up in new methods of warfare, such as drone strikes, or targeted by new forms of military organisation, such as transnational armed groups? Can the implementation gap be filled by the growing use of human rights courts to remedy violations of the laws of armed conflict, or are new instruments or mechanisms of civilian legal protection needed?

This volume brings together contributions from leading academic authorities and legal practitioners on the situation of civilians in the grey zone between human rights and the laws of war. The chapters in Part 1 address key contested or boundary issues in defining the rights of civilians or non-combatants in today''s conflicts. Those in Part 2 examine remedies and current mechanisms for redress both at the international and national level, and those in Part 3 assess prospects for the development of new mechanisms for addressing violations. As military intervention to protect civilians remains contested, this volume looks at the potential for developing alternative approaches to the protection of civilians and their rights.

The high civilian death toll in modern, protracted conflicts such as those in Syria or Iraq indicate the limits of international law in offering protections to civilians at risk. A recent conference of states convened by the International Committee of the Red Cross referred to ''an institutional vacuum in the area of international humanitarian law implementation''. Yet both international humanitarian law and the law of human rights establish a series of rights intended to protect civilians. But which law or laws apply in a particular situation, and what are the obstacles to their implementation? How can the law offer greater protections to civilians caught up in new methods of warfare, such as drone strikes, or targeted by new forms of military organisation, such as transnational armed groups? Can the implementation gap be filled by the growing use of human rights courts to remedy violations of the laws of armed conflict, or are new instruments or mechanisms of civilian legal protection needed?

This volume brings together contributions from leading academic authorities and legal practitioners on the situation of civilians in the grey zone between human rights and the laws of war. The chapters in Part 1 address key contested or boundary issues in defining the rights of civilians or non-combatants in today''s conflicts. Those in Part 2 examine remedies and current mechanisms for redress both at the international and national level, and those in Part 3 assess prospects for the development of new mechanisms for addressing violations. As military intervention to protect civilians remains contested, this volume looks at the potential for developing alternative approaches to the protection of civilians and their rights.