1. Subject-Matter of Workshop

The workshop will address what happens when a State has competing and sometimes contradicting human rights obligations during different types of armed conflicts (including for example, low threshold fighting, high threshold fighting, international armed conflict, and non-international armed conflict), as well as during counter-terrorism operations.

International human rights law (IHRL) continues to apply during armed conflicts and counter-terrorism operations. However, while clashes between different human rights of different groups or individuals often take place during peacetime, such clashes become much more complex when there are questions of national security at stake. One example of such clash is about the right of freedom of expression on the one hand, and the prohibition on incitement to hate crimes, and hate speech on the other hand.

The workshop will focus on “Balancing Contradicting Human Rights Obligations in Armed Conflicts and Counter Terrorism” from legal, moral, technological, comparative, and doctrinal perspectives.

A non-exhaustive list of possible topics within the subject-matter includes:

• International law aspects of balancing contradicting human rights obligations – current aspects and upcoming/potential developments.
• The interplay between international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
• Ethical considerations related to balancing contradicting human rights obligations in armed conflicts and counter terrorism.
• Technological developments that could affect balancing of human rights.
• Protection of civilians in conflict related environment.
• Direct and indirect implications of armed conflict and terrorism on the human dimension.

2. Purpose of Workshop

The purpose of this workshop is to convene a group of scholars for a high-level discussion on enduring and emerging questions on law and policy related to balancing contradicting human rights obligations in terrorism / belligerency. This workshop will offer participants a balanced combination of rigorous scholarly discussion and more relaxed social interaction.

3. Structure of Workshop

This workshop will feature up to twelve papers selected through this call. The expected formation will include researchers both from Israel and abroad. The workshop will be held over a 3-day period; participants from outside of Prague region will be offered accommodation and travel support.

Workshop Sessions: The participants will convene for three full day sessions of presentations and discussions. During each session, selected participants will present their papers to the workshop group (approx. 20-30 minutes). Senior researchers and practitioners will be invited to the sessions to provide feedback and guest presentations. Following each presentation there will be an open discussion among the workshop participants.

4. Eligibility

Submissions are invited from both experienced researchers, and early career researchers (namely PhD candidates, Post-Doctoral fellows, and scholars up to 5 years since the completion of their PhD). The organizing committee aims to ensure a good balance between experienced researchers and early career researchers among the participants of the workshop.

5. Submission Instructions

Interested scholars should email an abstract of up to 500 words along with current CV by Monday, August 12, 2024, to the following address: minervaextreme@univ.haifa.ac.il. Abstracts should reflect papers that have not been published. Researchers should identify their submission with the following subject line: “Minerva Center — Terrorism and Belligerency Prague Workshop 2024.”

6. Notification and Participation Requirements

Successful applicants will be selected by a Symposium Organizing Committee and notified no later than Monday, September 2, 2024

7. Conditions

An invitation to participate in this Symposium will be issued to a participant on the following conditions:

(1) The participant agrees to submit an original, unpublished paper between 8,000 words and 12,000 words

(2) The participant agrees to submit a full pre-workshop draft by Monday, November 18, 2024.

(3) The participant agrees to submit a full post-symposium final draft by March 3, 2025; and

(4)  The participant agrees to acknowledge in future publication of his or her relevant paper, “the Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions, Faculty of Law and the School of Environmental Sciences, University of Haifa“.

8. Costs

There is no cost to participate in the Workshop.

Travel: The Minerva Center will provide partial assistance to cover travel expenses. A request letter should be included in the submission.

Accommodation: Participants who arrive from outside of Prague will be offered accommodation at a local hotel in Prague for the duration of the workshop (December 1 – 5, 2024). Researchers who choose to extend their stay or to arrange their own accommodation will be required to secure their own funding.

Food: Light refreshments, lunch and dinner will be provided on the workshop sessions dates.

9. Streaming

In accordance with the ongoing practice of the Minerva RLEC, all the workshop sessions will be live streamed and recorded online. We believe that almost any academic event should be live streamed, recorded, and available to the public. However, this is not a mandatory requirement, and every speaker can choose to opt-out from this option for his or her own presentation. For previous recordings please visit the Minerva RLEC website.

10. Questions

Please direct inquiries in connection with this Workshop to Dr. Ido Rosenzweig by email at ido.rose@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +972-(0)-525516596. Please circulate this call widely.

11. Workshop Organizing Committee

• Prof. Eli M. Salzberger, The Director of the Minerva Center RLEC
• Prof. Amnon Reichman, Principal Investigator, Minerva Center RLEC
• Prof. Deborah Shmueli, Principal Investigator, Minerva Center RLEC
• Prof. Alexandre (Sandy) Kedar. Principal Investigator, Minerva Center RLEC
• Prof. Itamar Mann, Principal Investigador, Minerva Center RLEC
• Prof. Dr. Stafan Oeter, Principal Investigator, Minerva Center RLEC
• Dr. Yahli Shereshevsky, Principal Investigator, Minerva Center RLEC
• Dr. Jakub Harašta, Assistant Professor, Masaryk University
• Dr. Ido Rosenzweig, Director of Research (Cyber, Terrorism & Belligerency) Minerva Center RLEC
• Dr. Michal Ben Gal, Research coordinator, Minerva Center for RLEC

12. About The Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions

The Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions at the University of Haifa Faculty of Law and the School of Environmental Sciences, is an international venue and transnational forum – together with the University of Hamburg, for study, research, training, education and publication. It fosters multifaceted empirical and theoretical research in the study of the rule of law as a social sphere during belligerencies, natural disasters and socio-economic acute crises. Challenges to the rule of law under extreme conditions may vary under different constitutional and political regimes. The Center concentrates on democracies. The analyses examine institutional, cultural, socioeconomic and policy dimensions. Its mission includes encouraging scholars, young scientists, and students to develop data and cultivate an interactive dialogue for research and training around these issues. The Center fosters dialogue with students, scholars, experts, policy and decision makers through symposia, colloquia, seminars, conferences and a series of publications based on its research and findings. For more, please visit: http://minervaxtremelaw.haifa.ac.il

13. About the Institute of Law and Technology

The Institute of Law and Technology is an academic institute within the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University. It is the first academic and research center in the Czech Republic to focus on the legal aspects of modern technologies. Since 2010, the research team has been involved in research and teaching on topics such as electronic evidence and investigatory powers, cybercrime and cybersecurity, copyright, personal data protection or e-government and open data. The Institute of Law and Technology is one of the three founding European Law and ICT Academy members. For more, please visit: https://cyber.law.muni.cz/en