Agnieszka Wedeł-Domaradzka 2024

Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz/Institute of Justice, Poland

Cemeteries and war graves in the light of international and national law and practice – the experience of Poland and neighbouring countries [v]

Europe has been the arena for various armed conflicts over the centuries, including two called world wars. As a consequence of these armed conflicts, it was and is also the place where we are confronted with the location of many war cemeteries and individual and mass graves. These places are the burial grounds for the country’s citizens on whose territory they are located, the citizens of allied countries, and the citizens of those countries with which the armed conflict took place. The aim is to present and evaluate the regulations of international law (multilateral agreements and bilateral agreements) that relate to the location, ensuring respect and care of cemeteries and graves left after armed conflicts. The analysis will cover Poland’s legal regulations and practical experience as an example of a country with several thousand sites of this type, especially near the border with Ukraine and Slovakia. The regulations of internal law will be indicated, as well as examples of actions taken to maintain and adequately secure cemetery areas and grave sites. The regulations presented will also be assessed in the context of the new challenges faced by the law of armed conflict. The extent to which the solutions developed previously, and their application are adequate and possible solutions proposed to optimise protection will also be analysed.

Events

The Cemetery Research Group runs two events a year: in May and in November. Follow the links and send in an abstract