Protecting Mass Graves to advance Truth and Justice

在发生冲突和严重侵犯人权行为后，受害者有权知道他们所爱的人发生了什么事，有权伸张正义。在世界各地，万人坑往往埋有大量遗骸，是人类损失、痛苦和难以想象的残酷行为的场所。有令人信服的理由说明为什么需要保护万人坑。他们掌握的证据对于将犯罪者绳之以法所需的刑事调查至关重要。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。这就需要对尸体进行辨认和遣返。尽管有调查失踪人员的指导方针和国际法规定的法律的义务，但在如何对乱葬坑进行法律保护以及由谁对乱葬坑进行法律保护方面没有连贯一致的框架。也不清楚有效的调查可能需要什么。不保护和不调查乱葬坑的后果是惊人的：幸存者继续遭受痛苦，不知道他们的亲人发生了什么事，这本身就构成了不人道和有辱人格的待遇，而且可能会丢失有助于查明身份和起诉的证据。万人坑经常受到干扰和污染，损害了幸存者了解真相和伸张正义的权利，本研究金将通过解决如何最好地保护万人坑以确保幸存者了解真相和伸张正义的问题，填补目前法律、政策和程序方面的空白。该研究金通过汇集来自法医学、刑事调查、法律的专业、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来实现这一目标。在Klinkner博士的领导下，通过与这些专家的协商和圆桌讨论，将制定万人坑保护准则，一旦定稿，将翻译并分发给利益攸关方。让从业人员作为专家参与制定切合实际的准则的过程，将有助于为准则争取支持，而且至关重要的是，通过他们所属的机构、网络和影响范围使准则具有可操作性。此外，失踪人员国际委员会是该研究金的项目伙伴，并将通过其与利益攸关方沟通和为利益攸关方举办活动的专门知识，帮助传播准则。这将确保它们能够到达世界各地与万人坑和幸存者群体有关的组织和机构。在整个奖学金期间，Klinkner博士得到了她所在机构伯恩茅斯大学，指导小组，项目合作伙伴和研究助理的支持。凭借她在万人坑、法医证据、国际刑法和过渡时期司法方面的广泛专业知识，她将组织和指导万人坑保护指南的制作、传播和验证，以帮助保障幸存者的权利和推进司法需求。

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.