Protecting Mass Graves to advance Truth and Justice

在冲突和严重侵犯人权行为之后，受害者有权知道其亲人的遭遇，并有权伸张正义。在世界各地，往往埋葬着大量人类遗骸的乱葬岗，是人类损失、痛苦和难以想象的残忍行为的场所。为什么万人坑需要受到保护，有令人信服的理由。他们持有对将肇事者绳之以法所需的刑事调查至关重要的证据。与此同时，死者家属有必要和权利知道他们所爱的人发生了什么。这需要辨认和遣返身体。尽管有调查失踪者的指导方针，以及国际法规定的法律义务，但关于如何法律保护乱葬坑以及由谁保护，没有连贯的框架。也不清楚有效的调查可能需要什么。不保护和调查乱葬坑的后果是惊人的：幸存者继续遭受痛苦，因为他们不知道亲人发生了什么，这本身就构成了不人道和有辱人格的待遇，为查明身份和起诉提供便利的证据可能会丢失。乱葬坑经常受到干扰和污染，危及幸存者获得真相和伸张正义的权利。该研究金将解决目前法律、政策和程序方面的空白，解决如何最好地保护乱葬坑以确保幸存者获得真相和正义的问题。该奖学金通过将来自法医学、刑事调查、法律专业、非政府组织、国际组织、安全部门和幸存者团体的专家和利益攸关方聚集在一起来实现这一点。在Klinkner博士的领导下，通过与这些专家的磋商和圆桌讨论，将制定群葬坑保护准则，一旦定稿，将翻译并分发给利益攸关方。让从业者作为专家参与者参与制定切合实际的准则的过程，将有助于获得对准则的支持，更重要的是，通过准则所属的机构、其网络和影响范围来实施准则。此外，国际失踪人员问题委员会(失踪人员委员会)是该研究金的项目合作伙伴，通过其在与利益攸关方沟通和为利益攸关方举办活动方面的专门知识，将有助于传播准则。这将确保他们接触到世界各地关心万人坑和幸存者人口的组织和机构。通过她的机构伯恩茅斯大学、指导小组、项目合作伙伴ICMP和一名研究助理，Klinkner博士获得了奖学金。凭借她在乱葬坑、法医证据、国际刑法和过渡时期司法方面的广泛专业知识，她将组织和指导编制、传播和确认乱葬坑保护准则，以帮助保障幸存者的权利和促进司法需求。

Following conflict and gross human rights violations, victims have a right to know what happened to their loved ones and a right to justice. Across the world mass graves, often containing a multitude of human remains, are sites of human loss, suffering and unimaginable acts of cruelty. There are compelling reasons for why mass graves need to be protected. They hold evidence that is important for the criminal investigations needed to bring perpetrators to justice. At the same time, the families of the dead have a need and right to know what happened to their loved ones. This requires identification and repatriation of the bodies. Despite guidelines for investigations of the missing, and legal obligations under international law, there is no coherent framework on how mass graves are legally protected and by whom. Nor is it clear what an effective investigation might entail. The consequences of not protecting and investigating mass graves are striking: survivors continue to suffer by not knowing what happened to their loved ones, which in itself constitutes inhumane and degrading treatment, and evidence to facilitate identifications and prosecutions might be lost. All too often, mass graves are disturbed and contaminated, compromising survivors' rights to truth and justice.This fellowship will address the current gap in law, policy and procedure by addressing the question of how best to protect mass graves to secure truth and justice for survivors. The fellowship does this by bringing together experts and stakeholders from the forensic sciences, criminal investigations, legal profession, NGOs, international organisations, security sector and survivor groups. Under the leadership of Dr Klinkner, and through a process of consultations and round-table discussions with these experts, mass grave protection guidelines will be developed and, once finalised, translated and disseminated to stakeholders. Involving practitioners as expert-participants in the process of creating realistic guidelines will help gather support for the guidelines and, crucially, operationalise the guidelines through the institutions they belong to, their networks and spheres of influence. Furthermore, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) is a project partner to this fellowship and through its expertise in communicating with and holding events for stakeholders will help disseminate the guidelines. This will ensure that they reach the organisations and institutions that are concerned with mass graves and survivor populations across the world.Throughout the fellowship, Dr Klinkner, is supported by her institution Bournemouth University, a steering group, project partner ICMP and a research assistant. With her extensive expertise on mass graves, forensic evidence, international criminal law and transitional justice she will organise and direct the production, dissemination and validation of mass grave protection guidelines to help safeguard survivors' rights and advance justice needs.