Call for Papers: International Seminar 2026 on Expanding the Definition of War Crimes to Reflect Modern Conflict at Amity Law School, Lucknow [Hybrid; 6-7 October 2026]

Amity Law School, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow Campus, is organising its International Seminar 2026 on the theme “Expanding the Definition of War Crimes to Reflect Modern Conflict: Balancing State Sovereignty with International Accountability”. The seminar will be held in hybrid mode on 6 and 7 October 2026 at the Lucknow Campus, with both physical and online participation.

The seminar asks whether existing definitions and frameworks governing war crimes can still address contemporary warfare shaped by cyber operations, artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, asymmetric strategies and environmental destruction. It will look at the relationship between International Humanitarian Law, International Criminal Law, international human rights law, state sovereignty and international accountability.

The brochure lists Michelle Perkins (Trivium International Mediation and Arbitration, London), Giovanna Sartório (Sartório Advogados, Curitiba), Erico G. Villanueva (MNA Ventures, Dubai) and Dr. Richard Eno Lawani (Federal University Lokoja, Nigeria) among the guests and speakers.

Four technical sessions will run as two parallel sessions on each day. Abstracts may address any of the principal themes or sub-themes, and interdisciplinary and comparative approaches are encouraged.

• Session 1 (Day 1, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM): Invisible Battlefields: Cyber Warfare, Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Weapons Systems in Contemporary Armed Conflict. Sub-themes include cyber operations as use of force or war crimes, command responsibility for autonomous weapons, attribution of state-sponsored cyber operations, protection of civilian digital infrastructure and meaningful human control over lethal autonomous weapons.
• Session 2 (Day 1, parallel): Collateral Damage in the 21st Century: Environmental Warfare, Ecocide and the Protection of Ecological Systems During Armed Conflict. Sub-themes include ecocide in international criminal law, state responsibility and reparations for environmental damage, conflict-related environmental displacement, and post-conflict restoration and transitional justice.
• Session 3 (Day 2, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM): Psychological Violence, Asymmetric Conflict and the Changing Nature of Modern Combatants. Sub-themes include psychological warfare and misinformation, hybrid and irregular warfare, accountability of non-state armed groups, child soldiers, and distinguishing civilians from combatants in urban warfare.
• Session 4 (Day 2, parallel): The Sovereignty Dilemma: Universal Jurisdiction, State Responsibility and International Accountability. Sub-themes include the ICC and state sovereignty, universal jurisdiction, hybrid courts, immunities and arrest warrants, amending the Rome Statute, the role of the UN Security Council, and victim participation and reparative justice.

The complete list of ten sub-themes per session is in the brochure.

The seminar is open to legal scholars, practitioners, policymakers, researchers and students. Registration categories cover Amity students and scholars, Amity faculty, national delegates and foreign delegates.

Co-authorship is permitted, with a maximum of two authors per submission. At the full-paper stage, both co-authors must register separately.

• Original, unpublished abstract in English that has not been presented elsewhere.
• Length of 300 to 500 words, setting out the research problem and objectives, scope and methodology, key arguments or findings, and concluding observations or recommendations.
• Must state the title of the paper, name(s) of author(s), institutional affiliation, email address and contact number.
• Times New Roman, 12 point, 1.5 line spacing, justified; citations preferably in Bluebook or ILI style.
• Submit in MS Word format (.doc or .docx) with the email subject line “Abstract Submission – [Name of Author]”.

• Authors of accepted abstracts may be invited to submit full papers of 4,000 to 8,000 words, inclusive of footnotes.
• Include the title, name(s) of author(s), institutional affiliation, designation or year of study, email address and contact number.
• Times New Roman; 12 point main text and 10 point footnotes; 1.5 line spacing; justified; 1 inch margins on all sides. Use footnotes, not endnotes.
• Citations preferably in the Bluebook (20th or 21st Edition) or another style prescribed by the Organising Committee.
• Email the paper in MS Word format to intseminaralsl@gmail.com with the subject line “Full Paper Submission – [Name of Author]”. The file name should include the author’s name and a short title of the paper.
• The plagiarism threshold is 10 to 15 percent, and manuscripts above it may be rejected.

• Amity students and scholars: Rs 500 (inclusive of GST)
• Amity faculty: Rs 750 (inclusive of GST)
• National delegates: Rs 1,000 (exclusive of GST)
• Foreign delegates: Rs 1,500 (exclusive of GST)

Register on Amity University’s official event registration page for the seminar. The form asks for your name, email, WhatsApp number, affiliation, designation and the title of your research paper, takes an upload of the abstract in .doc or .docx format, and shows the payable amount for your category. The brochure also directs abstracts to intseminaralsl@gmail.com.

The last date for both abstract submission and registration is 28 September 2026. Acceptance will be notified on 29 September 2026, and full papers are due by 5 October 2026.

All abstracts go through academic review by the Editorial/Review Committee, based on originality, relevance to the theme, research quality, analytical rigour and academic merit. Selected participants will be notified by email and may be invited to submit full papers for presentation and possible publication.

Selected papers may be considered for publication in an edited book, conference proceedings or a reputed journal, subject to editorial standards, peer review and the applicable publication requirements. Submitting an abstract does not guarantee acceptance of the full paper or publication.

The seminar will give Best Research Paper and Best Paper Presenter awards in each technical session.