“Enforcement of International Humanitarian Law Beyond the Battlefield”

The editorial board invites authors to submit papers to be published in the 2nd issue of 2026

The Journal of International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict / Humanitäres Völkerrecht (JILPAC / HuV) specialises in the legal analysis surrounding armed conflicts. The journal focuses on contemporary challenges of international humanitarian law and related fields, including international human rights law and international criminal law as well as on practical challenges of humanitarian aid and peace missions. It publishes papers, commentaries, case notes, book reviews, and conference reports on current events and future developments of the law and of humanitarian action in both English and German.

In recent years, the enforcement of international humanitarian law has increasingly shifted beyond the battlefield. Alongside traditional mechanisms of international criminal justice, a growing range of legal tools and actors have come to shape accountability and compliance with IHL, raising fundamental questions about the scope, limits, and coherence of contemporary enforcement regimes.

For the upcoming issue, we particularly invite submissions of articles focusing on the following topics:

• sanctions as tools of international humanitarian law enforcement;
• frozen and seized assets and contemporary reparations debates;
• universal jurisdiction in Europe and beyond: legal and political limits;
• the relationship between state responsibility and individual criminal liability;
• the role of private actors in enforcement and accountability processes.

Submissions focusing on other topics are equally welcome.

Contributions can be submitted in English or German and should be approx. 6,000 words inclusive of footnotes and must conform with the house style guide of the JILPAC (which is available on the website of the IFHV as well as on the website of the Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag). Articles focusing on other topics within the overall themes of the journal are equally welcome as are conference reports, book reviews (upon request), and case notes. Submissions, including a brief abstract and statement of affiliation, should be sent via e-mail to editing-ifhv@ruhr-uni-bochum.de.

The deadline for submissions of contributions is the 15th of June 2026. All articles are subject to a double-blind peer-review process by the editorial and advisory board.

Contact: Stanislau.Lashkevich@ruhr-uni-bochum.de and Dilara.Yaman@ruhr-uni-bochum.de

Website: https://biblioscout.net/journal/huv | www.ifhv.de/huv-jilpac/about

Editorial Board
Ruhr University Bochum | Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV)
Editorship: Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Heintze, Prof. Dr. Pierre Thielbörger
Permanent Members: Prof. Dr. Robert Heinsch, Lisa Cohen