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European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) - Faculty of Law LLM - Master of International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) - Faculty of Law

LLM - Master of International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany

3 up to 6 Semesters

English

Full time, Part time

01 Sep 2024*

01 Oct 2024

EUR 7,900 **

Blended

* Students that need to secure a visa should apply at least by August 1st, 2024

** Tuition Fees cover the entire study (one single payment). The Semester Contribution of aprox. 175 EUR must be paid separately each semester.

Introduction

Overview

This postgraduate program provides advanced study of the international protection of fundamental human rights. The curriculum integrates general human rights protection in times of peace and war with the special protection of basic rights in situations of armed conflict (under international humanitarian law). Such an approach is especially important as the boundary between war and peace becomes increasingly blurred. Such a blurring of the boundary is the result of many different circumstances including the rise of terrorism, the diversity in its cause and nature and wide scope of possible reactions to it; the often unclear boundary between situations of civil war, external aggression, guerrilla action and even domestic policing; the reliance on both official (Security Council-sanctioned) and unofficial (sometimes invited) peace-keeping forces in a broad range of conflict situations.

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Fotos © Heide Fest / European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (ODER)

Confusion in drawing a clear line may even emerge from humanitarian military intervention in the name of the defense of human rights itself. Responses to various forms of civil unrest (often itself provoked by alleged breaches of human rights) or states of emergency (whether of political or natural origin) including, for example, the establishment of a state of martial law, or merely reliance upon domestic or even foreign military forces to assert control or provide assistance expands the range of situations which are difficult to categorise. Beyond this, national intelligence services may conduct operations (whether at home or abroad) with (quasi-)military character but which formally, not invoke the regulatory framework of the humanitarian law. Reliance on mercenary forces and other forms of military outsourcing in diverse contexts of belligerency expands this list even further.

All these examples show that a rigid and dogmatic attempt to identify situations where the international humanitarian law does or does not apply and thus how it interacts with the generally applicable regime of human rights protection is at least problematic and may even be counterproductive.

Admissions

Curriculum

Program Outcome

Scholarships and Funding

About the School

Questions