Interaction of paradigms of international human rights law and international humanitarian law through the prism of obligations of the occupying power
Authors: Falalіeіeva Liudmyla 
Published: August 2023

Falalіeіeva Liudmyla. Interaction of paradigms of international human rights law and international humanitarian law through the prism of obligations of the occupying power

The article highlights theoretical and practical significance of complying or ensuring compliance with the norms of international human rights law in occupied territories and the obligations of the occupying power in accordance with international humanitarian law. Being distinct and having different implementation mechanisms, these bodies of law are applied in parallel, complementing each other to ensure proper protection of guaranteed rights. This study reveals the essence of and peculiarities of the interaction between the paradigms of these two fields of international law, as one of the most important factors contributing to the fulfillment by the states of their obligations to observe/protect human rights, especially fundamental rights in times of armed conflicts, for instance, during Russian unprovoked aggression against Ukrainein its existential and civilizational dimensions, and during the occupation. The applicability of international human rights law in the context of armed conflicts and occupation is highlighted.

The article includes analysis of the legal regime of occupation, especially the obligations of the occupying power. It assesses the existing problems with the fulfillment of such obligations by the Russian Federation as the occupying power,which destroys the national identity of Ukrainians and weakens their European identity in the parts of the territories of Ukraine that are being temporarily occupied. The article includes proposals how to overcome these and other related problems.

The author concludes by noting that compliance with the obligations under international human rights law in the occupied territories, as well as with the obligations of the occupying power under the law of occupation, internationonal humanitarian law, with respect to various categories of human rights, constitute acomplex and multifaced issue. The Ukrainian doctrine of international law already examines this issue in an interdisciplinary dimension, specifically by analyzing the limits of the rights and obligations of the occupying power in the context of fulfillingits obligations as concerns human dignity and human rights. The scientific researches into the issues related to the scope, nature and limitations of such obligations, legal instruments for their implementation and response in case of their violation can become the theoretical and methodological basis for the development of conceptual approaches to the establishment of relevant practices aimed to ensure that human rights are applied and respected during armed conflicts and occupation. Similarly they can serve as a basis for improvement of the existing mechanisms of bringing states to international legal responsibility for committing internationally wrongful acts and violations of international obligations to observe/protect human rights, given that the latter form the hard core of the civilizational values. Civilizational values embody the universal nature of human rights. They most fully reflect the achievements of mankindin this area and are of the pivotal methodological and practical significance for construction and establishment of an optimal post-war model of international legal order.

Key words: international human rights law, international humanitarian law,principle of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, principle of non-useof force or the threat of force, armed conflict, regime of occupation, civilians, humanrights, fundamental rights, international treaties, international obligations, international standards, European integration, European identity.