Mass grave protection for truth and justice

Mass graves are often a legacy of conflict and human rights abuses. As well as the need for survivors to know the truth about the fate of their loved ones and to receive their human remains to allow them to be buried and commemorated, there is a need to investigate and preserve mass grave evidence. To realise survivors’ rights to truth and justice, an effective protection regime for the maintenance and investigation of mass graves is needed. The Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation will help ensure truth and justice for survivor populations.

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.

The Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation

The project has developed a Protocol 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 Protocol are captured, providing a rich repository of deliberations to inform future research.

The Protocol can be viewed here.

Please cite as: Klinkner, M. and Smith, E., The Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation,Bournemouth University (2020)

Download the protocol directly from issuu.

Translations

Albanian translation

Arabic translation

Bosnian translation

Dari translation

French translation

Georgian translation

Kurdish translation

MY Burmese translation

Portuguese translation

Russian translation

Simplified Chinese translation

Spanish translation

Swahili translation

Ukrainian translation

Audio version of the protocol

Bournemouth Uni · The Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation

Special thanks go to: Kate Adie, broadcaster, author and the University’s fifth Chancellor for introducing the Bournemouth Protocol; Alastair Danson, radio and screen actor, for voicing the text; Alex Wegman, demonstrator in film and television at Bournemouth University for his expert recording; and Rudy Noriega, freelance radio producer and Lecturer in Journalism at Bournemouth University for producing the audio version of the Bournemouth Protocol.”

Academic Commentary to The Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation

The Academic Commentary to the Protocol reflects on the underpinnings, debates and reasoning that led to the various provisions contained in the Protocol. It also offers insights into the processes of creating the Protocol.

Klinkner, M. and Smith, E., Academic Commentary to the Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation, Bournemouth University (2021).

ICMP actively supports the development of guidelines on mass grave protection. It is delighted to be a project partner with BU, as the project can deliver valuable support to societies that are dealing with the legacy of large numbers of missing persons

Research project staff

Dr Melanie Klinkner

Dr Melanie Klinkner is the AHRC Research Leadership Fellow and lead researcher for the project. She is a Principal Academic in International Law at Bournemouth University with over ten years’ experience in researching and writing on mass graves. She has conducted funded research into the right to the truth, is joint author of ‘The Right to Truth in International Law’ and was a Research Visitor at Oxford University’s Bonavero Institute of Human Rights.

Dr Ellie Smith

Dr Ellie Smith has 15 years of experience within the international human rights, international criminal law and humanitarian law fields, gained through legal practice, civil society engagement and academic research. She has particular expertise in working with trauma, including within the post-conflict and justice-seeking contexts, as well as in the field of gender violence, investigation and prosecution.

Publications and resources

Steering Group Members

Professor Louise Mallinder is an expert in drafting guidelines, having worked for the Belfast Amnesty guideline project and numerous AHRC funded projects.
Professor Dinusha Mendis is a member of Bournemouth University’s Law Department, has extensive expertise of leading externally funded research projects in law.
Professor Roger Brownsword is an experienced adviser to Parliamentary committees and, from 2011-2015, was Chair of the Ethics and Governance Council of UK Biobank. Currently, he is an adviser to two EU-funded projects, BRAINTRAIN and SIENNA.
Dr Annelen Micus is the Head of Programmes of the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights. She has worked as an international advisor on transitional justice as well as business and human rights issues in Colombia.