Investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in armed conflict are crucial to the implementation of these bodies of law.

There are, however, numerous legal and practical challenges that arise when considering a State’s obligations under international law with regard to such investigations.

These include establishing the bases and scope of the duty to investigate under both bodies of law, and determining the way in which these investigations must be carried out.

Furthermore, addressing the framework for investigations in armed conflict necessarily requires an examination of the interplay of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

In her new chapter in the latest edition of the Research Handbook on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Dr. Claire Simmons, a researcher at the Essex Armed Conflict and Crisis Hub (under Essex’s Human Rights Centre), focuses on the concept of effectiveness of investigations under international law.

Dr. Simmons addresses, in particular, the legal and practical challenges surrounding the conduct of investigations in armed conflict, taking into account the complementary way in which both bodies of law interact.

Chapter full citation: Claire Simmons, ‘Investigations in Armed Conflict’, in Robert Kolb, Gloria Gaggioli, and Pavle Kilibarda (eds), Research Handbook on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law: Further Reflections and Perspectives (Elgar 2022).