Accountability for human rights violations by UN peacekeepers: a legal and theoretical perspective

The expansion of UN peacekeeping operations has made it possible for human rights violations to be committed during these operations. Yet we often see that legal redress is not forthcoming. In this way, the UN evades its legal responsibility to remedy the consequences as a result of their international law obligations. This dissertation addresses this issue from two perspectives. First, it establishes that the UN is legally responsible for remedying human rights violations. Within international law and under certain conditions, the UN should provide reparations for the violations of its peacekeepers. Second, this dissertation addresses this issue from a more theoretical perspective. Herein, it is argued that transitional justice can offer a strong narrative of how and why reparations should take place, taking into account the specifics of the operational context.