2018 Theses Master's

Human Rights in Non-International Armed Conflicts

Malek-Ahmadi, Pegah

By analyzing the types of human rights’ violations in non-international armed conflicts, the evolution of human rights and humanitarian law, and the behavior of armed groups, the thesis will develop different ways - inspired by the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross and NGOs - for protecting the civilians’ basic rights in these conflicts. Human rights’ violations and non-international armed conflicts are, to a certain extent, often interdependent. Numerous non-international armed conflicts are born because of human rights’ violations: armed groups and local militias involved in these conflicts were formed in reaction to the violation of the basic rights of local minorities. Once these armed groups were created, initially to protect the oppressed minorities, they often become those who will commit human rights’ violations against the population. In other terms, human rights’ violations and non-international armed conflicts nourish each other. Also, for protecting civilians and providing them humanitarian help, NGOs need to dialogue with armed groups, and, sometimes, even to collaborate with them. But by doing this, they indirectly give a certain legitimacy to armed groups and weaken states’ authority. In the long-term, this can create more conflicts and weaken the rule of law in the country concerned, leading to more human rights’ violations. The thesis’ recommendations will focus on this issue.