On 22-24 January, the research group on Crime Control and Security Law (CCSL) conducted an International Seminar on 'Collecting Digital Evidence during Armed Conflicts' at UiT-The Arctic University of Norway.
News archive
06.02.2024:
Exploring Digital Evidence Collection During Armed Conflicts
Exploring Digital Evidence Collection During Armed Conflicts
On 22-24 January, the research group on Crime Control and Security Law (CCSL) conducted an International Seminar on 'Collecting Digital Evidence during Armed Conflicts' at UiT-The Arctic University of Norway.
The seminar brought together experts from various fields, including international law, cyber security, and computer science, as well as practitioners from institutions such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Ukrainian NGO “Truth Hounds”. Truth Hounds received the Sakharov Freedom Award from the Norwegian Helsinki Committee in 2023.
These diverse participants engaged in interdisciplinary discussions, focusing primarily on recent changes in evidence collection and preservation. More specifically the role of technology in accelerating investigations at the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The keynote presentations also addressed the role of open-source intelligence (OSINT) in documenting war crimes, and the current efforts to strengthen EU sanction tracing against transnational high-level corruption.
Following these discussions the seminar yielded immediate outcomes, among other things, plans for the eventual publication of select presentations in an edited volume dedicated to digital documentation of international crimes and hybrid warfare.
Additionally, the seminar facilitated the establishment of a collaborative network comprising practitioners, scholars, and students. This network aims to undertake similar projects in the future, focusing on documenting international crimes and countering hybrid threats.
The seminar also marked the inception of a series of meetings under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Project 'Hybrid Cyber Warfare and Common Security in Europe,' spearheaded by the research group member, Artem Galushko. This project, which received financial support from the European Commission's HORIZON Europe research and innovation program last year, will set the stage for collaborative efforts in addressing contemporary security challenges.
The international network established during the seminar will actively participate and contribute to the future events such as a training for civic activists and public officials, a research colloquium, joint publications, and activities aimed at security proofing of laws and policies in Europe.
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05.10.2023:
Exploring Legal Hermeneutics and Technology: Two Upcoming Events You Don't Want to Miss!
On October 9th and 10th, we are hosting a masterclass and an interdisciplinary workshop in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law.
Exploring Legal Hermeneutics and Technology: Two Upcoming Events You Don't Want to Miss!
On October 9th and 10th, we are hosting a masterclass and an interdisciplinary workshop in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law.
To attend any or both of the events please register by sending an e-mail to nandor.knust@uit.no.
October 9th: Masterclass - What does it mean to apply the law? Insights from Legal Hermeneutics
Featuring Ralf Poscher from the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security, and Law.
Applying the law is a practice which encompasses a variety of different analytical instruments. Most of these distinctions are deeply rooted not just in the legal methodological but also in the doctrinal and even institutional tradition. Likewise, and contrary to monistic accounts, hermeneutics is a set of distinct practices that are of variable relevance for different hermeneutical situations. It follows that when a lawyer applies the law to a given case, they will rely on a diverse range of hermeneutical activities. The complexity of legal hermeneutics is linked to the complexity of legal contexts, like legal interpretation, rule-following, legal construction, association, the exercise of discretion, and judgments on the significance of a legal provision. By highlighting how all of these distinct practices are linked to particular debates in analytic philosophy, this workshop seeks to shed light on a question that is vital to all lawyers: What does it mean to apply the law?
October 10th: Interdisciplinary Workshop - Modern Technologies and Self-Determination
Big data promises to radically expand our cognitive reach, allowing us to collect and process data and thus to generate knowledge on a scale we have never done before. This creates, according to a commonly held belief, an abundance of opportunities for furthering human agency such as more efficient policing, better protection of the environment, or a more targeted delivery of state services. It also, however, challenges a set of commonly held values of our legal orders. As we introduce automation into them, some of the values we hold dear may forever be transformed or even eroded.
This is why, in our workshop, by embarking on an interdisciplinary research endeavor, we want to assess how our legal societies can reap the benefits of modern technologies while still maintaining human self-determination. We do so by exploring challenges for legal concepts which are typically regarded as emanations of human self-determination, such as data protection, the transparency and explainability of legal decisions or the connectedness of legal processes to human communication
This exploration is clustered into three thematic sessions the diversity of which reflects both the fundamental ambivalence and discipline-transcending impact of technological progress. In a first session, scholars from the legal and philosophical disciplines will analyze how such technological innovations could pose a challenge for human self-determination. In a second session, computer scientists will presenting some of the technological innovations which could transform our field. The third session forms the synthesis of the first two. In it, we will discuss specific projects which aim at reaping AI’s promise while at the same time reigning in its peril.
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20.03.2023:
[Workshop in Buenos Aires] Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law
Research group leader and Associate Professor Nandor Knust will attend the event on behalf of the UiT research group on Crime Control and Security Law.
[Workshop in Buenos Aires] Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law
Research group leader and Associate Professor Nandor Knust will attend the event on behalf of the UiT research group on Crime Control and Security Law.
Our partner research group at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law lead by Emmanouil Billis has been invited by the International Association of Penal Law - AIDP (Argentine Group) to organize in Buenos Aires a panel on “Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law” within the framework of the AIDP International Colloquium on “AI and Administration of Justice: Predictive Policing and Predictive Justice”, to take place at the University of Buenos Aires (Faculty of Law) on March 28-31.
The strong and close collaboration of the Crime Control and Security Law Group (CCSL) of UIT Law with the Otto Hahn Research Group on Alternative and Informal Systems of Crime Control and Criminal Justice allows us to present and discuss CCSL research projects within an amazing group of speakers and commentators: Julian Roberts (University of Oxford), Katalin Ligeti (University of Luxembourg), Nandor Knust (UiT- The Arctic University of Norway), Elizabeth Tiarks (Northumbria University), Christian Thönnes (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law), Tatiana Tropina (Leiden University), and Linus Ensel (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law).
For more details on the workshop program and the presentation abstracts: read more on the Max Planck Institute for the study of Crime, Security and Law websites [LINK] or download a PDF here!
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16.03.2023:
Hybrid warfare in cyberspace
Artem Galushko, a member of the research group on ‘Crime Control and Security Law’ (CCSL), has received the Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowship (MSCA-PF) to conduct research on cyber warfare and critical infrastructure.
Hybrid warfare in cyberspace
Artem Galushko, a member of the research group on ‘Crime Control and Security Law’ (CCSL), has received the Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowship (MSCA-PF) to conduct research on cyber warfare and critical infrastructure.
His research will focus on hybrid actors, who engage in various disruptive activities in the digital domain, including, but not limited to cyber-attacks against government institutions, private companies, and objects of civilian infrastructure.
Experts in the field often use the concept of ‘hybrid warfare’ to describe the simultaneous deployment of conventional and irregular forces within the same armed conflict, Artem explains. He further points out that states engage hybrid actors to avoid responsibility and reputational losses.
Hybrid cyber warfare has not only become an integral part of modern warfare, but it is also an increasing threat for civilians and critical civilian infrastructure now.
Artem mentions two trends to substantiate his claim.
- The first trend has manifested itself over last years through cyber-attacks against civilian infrastructure such as power plants, healthcare facilities, financial institutions, and e-governance systems.
He refers to the cyber-attacks against Norwegian healthcare institutions as well as the malicious attack on the computer systems of the UK postal service as recent examples of this trend.
The digital battlefield is just a click away.
The second trend is a very recent phenomenon, which involves a stronger engagement of civilians in cyber operations during military conflicts. An example of it would be a situation when civilians use mobile applications to send information about movements of hostile troops. This could be used as a pretext to attack civilians and engage them in military hostilities outside of cyberspace, Artem suggests.
There is no clear threshold to determine if or when during an armed conflict civilians involved in cyber operations could lose their specific protections provided under the IHL Treaties such as the Geneva Convention (III) relative to the prisoners of war and the Geneva Convention (IV) relative to the protection of civilian persons.
Because the involvement of civilians in cyber warfare is a relatively recent development, the treaty law does not provide a clear legal solution of the problem. It is also one of the tasks of my research to identify those situations when civilians and critical civilian infrastructure are the most vulnerable, he explains.
Next steps and research cooperation.
The overall goal of the project is to develop a common European approach to countering hybrid cyber warfare by mapping and analyzing the best cyber practices, policies and norms that could lay the foundation for digital security in Europe.
Achieving this research goal necessitates an interdisciplinary approach.
This is where I benefit a lot from being a member of the Research Group on Crime Control and Security Law (CCSL) at UiT – the Artic University of Norway, Artem elaborates.
Through his participation in the CCSL research activities Artem can also collaborate with the UiT Faculty of Computer Science, the Otto Hahn Research Group on Alternative and Informal Systems of Crime Control and Criminal Justice, the European Criminology Group on Atrocity Crimes and Transitional Justice and other interdisciplinary research groups and networks.
We wish Artem good luck on his research and look forward to following his project activities at UiT!
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18.01.2023:
Report on the Academic Conference on Crime Control, Security and New Technologies
August last year, the research group on Crime Control and Security Law organized a conference in Tromsø on Crime Control, Security and New technologies. Christian Thönnes, Doctoral Researcher at the Max Planck Insitute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany has written a report on the conference for the New Journal of European Criminal Law.
14.11.2022:
New book on Constitutions and Transitional Justice!
“Constitutionalizing Transitional Justice - How Constitutions and Constitutional Courts Deal with Past Atrocity”
New book on Constitutions and Transitional Justice!
“Constitutionalizing Transitional Justice - How Constitutions and Constitutional Courts Deal with Past Atrocity”
This book explores the complicated relationship between constitutions and transitional justice. It brings together scholars and practitioners from different countries to analyze the indispensable role of constitutions and constitutional courts in the process of overcoming political injustice of the past.
Issues raised in the book include the role of a new constitution for the successful practice of transitional justice after democratization, revolution or civil war, and the difficulties faced by the court while dealing with mass human rights infringements with limited legal tools.
The work also examines whether constitutionalizing transitional justice is a better strategy for new democracies in response to political injustice from the past. It further addresses the complex issue of backslides of democracy and consequences of constitutionalizing transitional justice.
The group of international authors address the interplay of the constitution/court and transitional justice in their native countries, along with theoretical underpinnings of the success or unfulfilled promises of transitional justice from a comparative perspective. The book will be a valuable resource for academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the areas of Transitional Justice, Comparative Constitutional Law, Human Rights Studies, International Criminal Law, Genocide Studies, Law and Politics, and Legal History.
Read more about the book here!
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12.11.2022:
A Union or, rather, a Dis-Union of Nations?
Research group member Artem Galushko has contributed a chapter to the anthology
"State-Building, Rule of Law, Good Governance and Human Rights in Post-Soviet Space".
A Union or, rather, a Dis-Union of Nations?
Research group member Artem Galushko has contributed a chapter to the anthology
"State-Building, Rule of Law, Good Governance and Human Rights in Post-Soviet Space".
A hierarchy of “titular nations” and other informal Soviet practices have a threefold influence on the current situation with human rights in the former USSR.
First, although constitutions of newly independent post-Soviet states guarantee formal rights protection of various minority groups in accordance with international human rights instruments, these provisions often remain inoperable.
Second, Russian communities that played an unofficial role of the Soviet primary titular nation complain that they lost their privileged status in the post-Soviet states. This, in turn, leads to conflicting interpretations of international law and human rights by the “kin state,” Russia, and those post-Soviet states, where “kinsmen” of Russia comprise a significant proportion of the population.
Third, the old Soviet legacies of national enclaves and politicized ethnicity remain a source of inter-ethnic hostilities and conflict in the region.
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22.08.2022:
Academic Conference: Crime Control, Security and New Technologies
The conference will be held on August 29th and 30th in Tromsø.
22.08.2022:
Masterclass: Legal Research Methodology and Scientific Writing
The masterclass is organized by Nandor Knust in collaboration with Prof. Valsamis Mitsilegas (Queen Mary University London) and Dr. Emmanouil Billis (Max Planck Institute Freiburg).
21.04.2022:
Illegal advocacy in collaboration with foreign intelligence services [Article in Norwegian]
Associate professor Martin Hennig has published an article on the subject in Nordisk Tidsskrift for Kriminalvidenskab (Nordic Journal of Criminal Science).
11.11.2021:
Prof. John Winterdyk will speak for the research group on November 18th
On November 18th, Professor John Winterdyk will speak on the subject of “Red Light human trafficking: The elusive enigma of modern-day slavery” for the research group on Crime Control and Security Law. Winterdyk is a professor in criminology at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Canada.
Prof. John Winterdyk will speak for the research group on November 18th
On November 18th, Professor John Winterdyk will speak on the subject of “Red Light human trafficking: The elusive enigma of modern-day slavery” for the research group on Crime Control and Security Law. Winterdyk is a professor in criminology at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Canada.
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02.11.2021:
What is the proper balance between security and fundamental personal freedoms?
A new interdisciplinary research group based at the Faculty of Law is trying to find the answer.
What is the proper balance between security and fundamental personal freedoms?
A new interdisciplinary research group based at the Faculty of Law is trying to find the answer.
The research group "Crime Control and Security Law" is led by Nandor Knust, associate professor at the Faculty of Law. During the inaugural meeting of the research group Knust highlights that the raison d’être of public authority, that is, the safeguarding of freedom and human dignity of the individuals, is reflected in the concepts of the social contract and the rule of law. The fundamental idea of the concept of the social contract is for the state to ensure security for its citizens. In a liberal democracy this must be done in a way that does not disproportionally interfere with certain fundamental rights, he says.
In the face of threats to society, most people think that it is acceptable for the state to intervene into fundamental rights of the individuals to ensure security and social order. Knust points out that the problem even multiplies when it comes to safeguarding fundamental rights in a society that is under constant threat, from, for example, terrorism or a global pandemic. How, then, to balance on the one side the security of the individuals and of the society as a whole; and on the other side the protection of fundamental rights, freedoms and privacy?
When talking about security in 2021, one cannot escape digitalization and new technologies. Therefore, founding member of the research group on crime control and security law is Dag Johansen and his team of the UIT research group of cyber security. Dag Johansen is a professor at the Department of Computer Science at UiT and is one of the research groups computer savvy members. He points out that typically a technology comes into use years before the legislation that is intended to regulate its use.
- Our vision must be to close this gap between technology and legislation, Johansen states.
In addition to gathering researchers from many different institutions and projects, such as the Max Planck Otto Hahn Research Group on Alternative and Informal Systems of Crime Control and Criminal Justice and the law faculty of the University of Bergen. The group has also strong collaborations with actors outside academia, including The Norwegian Fishermen’s Sales Organization and Sparebank 1 Nord-Norge. - This gives us a unique opportunity to test our theories in practice, Knust points out.
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09.06.2021:
New book "Proportionality in Crime Control and Criminal Justice"!
An online book launch took place on June 17th.