International Seminar on War Crimes at Amity Law School, Lucknow: Submit by October 5!

Amity Law School, Lucknow is organising an International Seminar on war crimes in modern conflict on 6–7 October 2026 in hybrid mode. Submissions are open.

About Amity Law School, Lucknow

Established in 2007, Amity Law School (ALS), Lucknow Campus, is committed to innovation-driven legal education, professional excellence, legal scholarship and interdisciplinary research. The School offers UGC-recognised undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and provides an academically rigorous and globally oriented environment. With a diverse community of more than 1,300 students, ALS promotes internationalisation, cross-border academic engagement and knowledge exchange, and regularly organises national and international seminars, conferences, law summits, workshops and moot court competitions under the leadership of Director Prof. (Dr.) Tapan Kumar Chandola.

About the Seminar

Contemporary armed conflicts are increasingly shaped by emerging technologies, cyber operations, artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, asymmetric warfare, algorithmic decision-making and large-scale environmental destruction, challenging traditional approaches to war crimes, attribution, accountability, state responsibility and civilian protection. Drawing upon Geoffrey Samuel’s observation that law is shaped by the cultural values and norms of the society in which it operates, the International Seminar 2026 seeks to critically examine whether traditional definitions and legal frameworks governing war crimes remain adequate for contemporary forms of conflict.

The Seminar brings together legal scholars, jurists, policymakers, practitioners, researchers and students to examine the evolving relationship between International Humanitarian Law (IHL), International Criminal Law (ICL), International Human Rights Law (IHRL), state sovereignty and multilateral accountability. Discussions will focus on adapting international legal frameworks while preserving the foundational principles of distinction, proportionality, military necessity, precaution, sovereignty and individual accountability.

Theme

“Expanding the Definition of War Crimes to Reflect Modern Conflict: Balancing State Sovereignty with International Accountability”

Dates, Mode and Venue

• Dates: 6–7 October 2026.
• Mode: Hybrid.
• Venue: Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow Campus.

Technical Sessions

Session I: Invisible Battlefields: Cyber Warfare, Artificial Intelligence, and Autonomous Weapons Systems (6 October, 2:00 PM–4:00 PM)

This session covers legal thresholds for armed conflict and war crimes in cyberspace, accountability and command responsibility for AI-driven military operations and autonomous weapons, state sovereignty and attribution for state-sponsored and proxy cyber operations, protection of civilian digital infrastructure under IHL, the legal and ethical implications of lethal autonomous weapons and meaningful human control, the application of distinction, proportionality, military necessity and precaution to cyber and AI-enabled warfare, regulation of emerging military technologies, cyber espionage and disinformation, multilateral cooperation in regulating digital conflict, and the human rights implications of AI-enabled surveillance and algorithmic targeting.

Session II: Collateral Damage in the 21st Century: Environmental Warfare, Ecocide, and Ecological Protection (6 October, 2:00 PM–4:00 PM)

This session examines environmental destruction as a potential war crime or crime against humanity, the emerging international discourse on ecocide, state responsibility and reparations for conflict-related environmental damage, protection of persons displaced by environmental destruction, the intersection of international environmental law, IHL and IHRL, protection of biodiversity, forests, oceans and sensitive ecosystems, environmental consequences of nuclear, chemical and biological warfare, corporate accountability for conflict-related environmental harm, post-conflict environmental restoration and transitional justice, and climate change, resource scarcity and ecological degradation as conflict drivers.

Session III: Psychological Violence, Asymmetric Conflict, and the Changing Nature of Modern Combatants (7 October, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM)

This session addresses psychological warfare, propaganda and misinformation under international law, cyber propaganda and digital manipulation during armed conflicts, national security and the protection of fundamental human rights, the legal status of non-traditional combatants, journalists, humanitarian workers and medical personnel, accountability of non-state armed groups and irregular fighters, the application of IHL to hybrid warfare, child soldiers and forced recruitment, social media manipulation and the weaponisation of digital communication, distinguishing civilians from combatants in urban conflicts, and international cooperation and accountability mechanisms for emerging security threats.

Session IV: The Sovereignty Dilemma: Universal Jurisdiction, State Responsibility, and International Accountability (7 October, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM)

This session discusses state sovereignty and the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, universal jurisdiction for prosecuting grave international crimes, domestic reforms, hybrid courts and international tribunals, political immunity, diplomatic protection and the enforcement of international arrest warrants, state cooperation, extradition and enforcement challenges, revisiting the Rome Statute in light of emerging forms of warfare, the UN Security Council’s role in referrals and sanctions, selective prosecution debates, reparative justice and victim participation, and future directions for global accountability in evolving armed conflicts.

Who Can Submit

Submissions are invited from legal scholars, academicians and faculty members; advocates, arbitrators, practitioners and corporate counsels; policymakers, diplomats and international civil servants; research scholars and postgraduate students; and undergraduate law students. Comparative, critical, empirical and interdisciplinary research integrating law, technology, international relations and environmental studies is particularly encouraged.

Submission Guidelines

Abstract

• Length: 300–500 words, in English.
• Format: Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1.5 spacing, justified.
• Must include the research problem, objectives, scope, methodology, principal arguments/findings and conclusion, along with the title, author(s), affiliation, email and contact number.
• Bluebook or ILI citation style is preferred where applicable.

Full Paper

• Length: 4,000–8,000 words, inclusive of footnotes.
• Main text: Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1.5 spacing; footnotes: Times New Roman, 10 pt, single spacing; margins: 1 inch on all sides.
• Citation: Bluebook 20th/21st Edition or another uniform legal citation style; footnotes are mandatory and endnotes are not permitted.
• Suggested structure: Abstract and Keywords; Introduction; Statement of Problem and Objectives; Methodology and Literature Review; Substantive Analysis; Findings and Recommendations; Conclusion; References/Bibliography.

Registration and Charges

Registration must be completed through the official QR code provided in the brochure. The processing and registration charges are:

• Amity Students and Research Scholars: ₹500/- (GST inclusive)
• Amity Faculty: ₹750/- (GST inclusive)
• National Delegates: ₹1,000/- + GST
• Foreign Delegates: ₹1,500/- + GST

Co-authorship is limited to a maximum of two authors per paper, and each co-author must register and pay separately.

General Instructions

Submissions must be original, unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere, and plagiarism must remain within the permissible 10–15% threshold. Abstracts and papers will undergo blind peer review, and the Organising Committee may make necessary editorial or stylistic modifications. The Best Research Paper and Best Paper Presenter awards will be given in each technical session, and selected high-quality papers may be considered, subject to peer review and editorial discretion, for an edited book, conference proceedings or reputed partner journals.

Important Dates

• Abstract Submission: 28 September 2026
• Registration: 28 September 2026
• Abstract Acceptance: 29 September 2026
• Full Paper Submission: 5 October 2026
• Seminar: 6–7 October 2026

Contact

Email: intseminaralsl@gmail.com

Faculty Conveners: Dr. Arvind K. Singh (+91 9140197074) and Dr. Reshma Umair (+91 8318851168).

Application Procedure

Submissions must be emailed in Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) format to intseminaralsl@gmail.com. The subject line for abstracts should be “Abstract Submission – [Name of Author]” and for full papers “Full Paper Submission – [Name of Author]”. The file name should contain the primary author’s name and a concise paper title. Registration must be completed through the official QR code provided in the brochure.