European Commissioner points to impossibility of amnesties within peace process for serious violations of humanitarian law – memo

Balazs Barabas

Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, notes that discussions on achieving peace in the Russian-Ukrainian war may raise the issue of amnesties. However, international law does not allow for general amnesties for serious violations of international humanitarian law. Such violations are not subject to a statute of limitations. "There is a growing trend in international law to regard amnesties for grave breaches of fundamental human rights as unacceptable, because