Book launch: Tort Liability in Warfare - States' Wrongs and Civilians Right
When: Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Where: Room 313, 327 Mile End Rd Bethnal Green London E1 4NS
The International State Crime Initiative (ISCI) invites you to a launch of Dr Haim Abraham’s new book, Tort Liability in Warfare: States' Wrongs and Civilians' Rights (Oxford University Press, 2024).
The book develops a novel account of the tortious liability of states for wrongs they inflict on civilians during combat. It challenges orthodoxy by illustrating that ordinary domestic tort law doctrines could apply, as private law rights remain relevant during warfare and their wrongful violation triggers ordinary corrective justice duties. The book asserts that barring tort remedies for losses inflicted during warfare is not necessitated by theory or doctrine but is driven by policy considerations. These policy considerations, in turn, fail to provide adequate justifications for states’ near blanket immunity from tort liability in warfare. This calls for enabling civilians to turn to tort law as a mechanism for accountability and vindication of their rights.
Panellists:
- Prof Carla Ferstman – Director of the Human Rights Centre, Essex Law School
- Professor Emmanuel Voyiakis – LSE Law School
- Dr Haim Abraham – UCL Faculty of Laws
Chair:
- Dr Hedi Viterbo – Queen Mary School of Law