[Human Rights Abuses in Middle East Conflicts]

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Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

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Abstract

This research will address arguments relating to the relationship between human rights and sustainable peace, examining whether human rights provisions assist or hinder the search for peace. It will draw on recent peace agreements and identifies which human rights provisions they have included, with some background as to how and why these provisions were included. In considering these arguments, it focuses on three main areas: What human rights frameworks did the agreements provide, and what mechanisms for implementation did they include? To what extent were these provisions important to achieving peace? To what extent were there tensions between establishing human rights frameworks and what was viewed as important during negotiations?

Table of Content

Chapter 1: Introduction1

Background2

The Problem of the Study4

The Research Questions5

Chapter 2: Literature Review6

Human Rights and Islam: Are they compatible?6

Gender Equality in the Middle East12

Chapter 3: Methodology14

Qualitative methods15

Sources of knowledge15

References17

Chapter 1: Introduction

Human rights provisions are found in international and regional human rights conventions, which aim to ensure national protection of human rights, and provide for international supervision. They include civil and political rights, social, economic and cultural rights, and also a right to self-determination (often said to be a 'group' right). They also impose binding legal obligations (sometimes called 'hard law').

They acknowledge that protection of rights is more difficult in a situation of war or “public emergency which threatens the life of the nation” by allowing states to 'derogate' from, or suspend, some human rights commitments during such situations. However, some rights, such as the right to life and the right not to be tortured are considered so fundamental that they cannot be derogated from under any circumstances. Situations of conflict also call the actions of non-state actors into question, even though the latter are not covered by human rights conventions - unless these actors have some of the forms and functions of governments.

While this remains somewhat of a 'grey' area in international law, the actions of non-state groups and state actors in internal conflict are regulated by aspects of international humanitarian law, which contains basic rights that apply in conflict situations, and establish the state, and in some circumstances individuals, as responsible for violations.2 In addition, 'soft law' standards such as guidelines - while not always legally binding or having the same 'enforcement' mechanisms as human rights conventions - also suggest good practice.

An increasing number of these standards exist in the area of impunity, victims of conflict, and institution building (relating to policing, criminal justice, prosecution standards, and national human rights ...