Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum on International Humanitarian Law

08/06/2026

Together with the Human Rights NGO Rerooted the KGF wrote a 300+ page-report substantiating that the crimes against humanity and war crimes were committed against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. The report aided in building a case for the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh by incorporating evidence into concrete legal analysis for courts, specifically for the International Criminal Court. Together with representatives from two other law clinics, the Director of the KGF, Dr. Robert Heinsch, went to the ICC in April of 2025 to present the report to the Court.

See here the Rerooted ICC Press Release:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e40010794d5fa3ebbb79cda/t/680d35871855ac1756f11786/1745696138614/Rerooted+ICC+Press+Release.pdf

03/06/2026

In 2020, a cooperation partnership between Leiden University, Bochum University and Roma Tre was founded and supported by an Erasmus Plus grant. The aim of this partnership, to empower the next generation of IHL practitioners by gaining valuable insight and hands-on experience in IHL through unique education and research programs. Research, education, and dissemination of IHL are the core pillars of this partnership. Together, these universities have worked towards the establishment of an IHL Clinic Network to spread the didactic methods of IHL Clinics in the European area.

Visit the website of IHL RED here: https://www.ihl-red.org/

01/06/2026

The research project on the Use of Digitally Derived Evidence in International Criminal Courts and Tribunals conducted by the KGF resulted in a comprehensive set of guidelines. They have the purpose of aiding practitioners by highlighting the key considerations to keep in mind when submitting digital evidence. With the growing use of digitally derived evidence in international criminal courts and tribunals, these guidelines provide essential guidance for practitioners.

Read the Leiden DDE Guidelines here:https://leiden-guidelines.com/assets/Leiden%20Guidelines%20on%20the%20Use%20of%20DDE%20in%20ICCTs_20220404.pdf

30/05/2026

The KGF partnered with the ICRC to contribute to the “IHL in Action: Respect for the Law on the Battlefield” database, a collection of case studies showing how IHL is upheld and complied with in practice. This project highlights positive examples, therefore demonstrating that respect for IHL is actively happening around the world. These cases bring a nuanced perspective to armed conflict and show that the law can significantly reduce human suffering in armed conflict.

Visit the website of the ICRC took at the IHL in Action Database: https://ihl-in-action.icrc.org/

28/05/2026

At the IHL Clinic, LLM students from Leiden University put their legal knowledge into action, applying legal knowledge and professional skills to research projects with real societal impact. Through the Clinic, students have had the opportunity to contribute directly to the application of IHL in practice, while delivering high-quality research that supports organizations in their work. Past projects have been carried out for various organizations including the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Visit our website to see examples of other IHL Clinic reports which have been concluded by the clinic:
https://kalshovengieskesforum.com/ihl-clinic/

26/05/2026

On the 6th of June, the Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum on International Humanitarian Law proudly celebrates its 15-year anniversary.

The Forum was established in 2011 and named after Frits Kalshoven, Professor Emeritus of public international law and international humanitarian law at Leiden Law School. For 15 years, the Forum has served as a platform for collaboration among scholars and practitioners to foster innovative teaching and research in the field of international humanitarian law. Through its pillars of training, education, research, and dissemination, the Forum has driven the promotion of IHL.

In the weeks leading up to the KGF's anniversary, we’ll be highlighting some of our past accomplishments to celebrate what the KGF has achieved.

Link to our website:
https://lnkd.in/eeHaQQxb

25/11/2024

Here is another short report of our authors' workshop for the upcoming research handbook on victims under international law... Grotius Centre Summer Schools Leiden Law School

From 29 to 30 October 2024, the Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum (KGF) and the Groitus Centre for In-ternational Legal Studies had the pleasure of hosting an inspiring authors’ workshop in The Hague for the forthcoming Research Handbook, Victims under Public International Law, edited by Dr. Robert Heinsch ...

20/11/2024

We are proud to share the success of our recent two-day Authors’ Workshop in The Hague, hosted by the Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum on International Humanitarian Law at Leiden Law School from 29-30 October 2024. This event brought together an exceptional group of international scholars and practitioners to advance the forthcoming Research Handbook on Victims under International Law (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2026).

Led by the Handbook’s editors, Assoc. Professor Dr. Robert Heinsch and Dr. Jelena Plamenac the workshop provided a collaborative platform to address pressing questions surrounding victims’ rights and protections under international law, with an amazing group of contributors participating in person or virtually.

Discussions focused on complex and challenging legal themes across international criminal law, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law. Key topics included the inherent obstacles within international legal frameworks to enforcing victims’ rights, slavery- and business-related human rights abuses, the shortcomings of domestic and international accountability mechanisms, and innovative reparations models for victims.

This workshop was made possible by the generous support of the (LUF)/ Dr. H.A. van Beuningen Fonds, www.luf.nl, contributing to an engaging and productive environment for all participants. A heartfelt thank you to all contributors for their expertise and dedication in strengthening and advancing the mechanisms of international law to place victims at its center.

📖 Coming March 2026: Research Handbook on Victims under International Law (Edward Elgar Publishing) Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies Leiden Law School

18/11/2024

As we are entering the 2025 IHL Clinic cycle, Leiden IHL Clinic founder & KGF director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Robert Heinsch is taking a step back from Clinic supervision. Everyone involved in the past 12 years of impact-oriented education at Leiden Law School extends their gratitute and congratulations to him for building such an inspiring, hands-on learning environment for so many IHL Clinic graduates!

Applications for the Leiden IHL Clinic 2025 are open! This academic year, we are looking for 10 students of the LL.M. programmes in Public International Law (reg. and adv.) of Leiden Law School, who are motivated to work on two research projects on contemporary questions of IHL, and its intersections with IHRL and ICL.

Dr. Giulia Pinzauti, who has been the IHL Clinic’s Deputy Director since 2017, will step up as Director. She will continue to be supported by Johanna Trittenbach, who has been working for the Clinic since 2019.

We take this opportunity to thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. Robert Heinsch, Director of the Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum on International Humanitarian Law and Founder of the Leiden IHL Clinic, for his tremendous work in support of clinical legal education at Leiden Law School. His dedication to impact-oriented education has enabled generations of students at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies to work with a wide array of partner organizations and to produce more than 50 research reports of highest quality and with societal impact. Dr. Heinsch’s enthusiasm, commitment, and creativity in directing and developing the Leiden IHL Clinic continue to serve as an inspiration for IHL Clinic graduates, the many colleagues and supervisors that supported him over the past 12 years, and partners working in academia and practice around the world. His legacy will continue.

We are looking forward to welcoming the new cohort of IHL Clinic students in January!

18/11/2024

Our PhD candidate Johanna Trittenbach is in Kosovo for a research stay at Universiteti i Prishtinës! Johanna will continue to work on her PhD research on arms transfer control under international law and will engage with the colleagues and students at Pristina University Law Faculty. Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies Universiteit Leiden / Leiden University

We are excited to welcome PhD student Ms. Johanna Trittenbach from Leiden University, Netherlands, to our office! Ms. Trittenbach will be joining the University of Prishtina, Law Faculty for a one month research project. We look forward to supporting her research and fostering valuable academic exchange.
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