Mass grave protection for truth and justice

About the project

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.

Mass grave protection guidelines

The project will develop mass grave protection guidelines to improve practice in relation to safeguarding and investigating mass graves. It fills an important knowledge and practice gap by providing policy makers with reasoned legal principles to implement the effective operationalisation of mass grave protection. To help meet the needs of survivors and enhance the chance of achieving justice, in what are often highly politicised, sensitive and complex contexts, an academic-led approach, transcending institutional mandates, is vital.

An accompanying commentary will ensure the reasons, justifications and discussions underpinning the guidelines are captured, providing a rich repository of deliberations to inform future research.

Developing the guidelines

Expert participants will take part in two round-table discussions to collectively develop the guidelines.

To capture the origins, rationale and purpose of each guideline, they will be referenced by supporting academic commentary ensuring that the cross-disciplinary approaches to issues associated with mass graves and their protection are documented.

The first roundtable took place in Bournemouth on 23 - 24 October 2019 with the second one scheduled for June 2020.