CIHOL | Teaching & Events

Teaching & Events

Paradigmatic International Law: Responsibility All the Way Down

4 November 2024

Faculty of Law of the Palacký University in Olomouc

Dr Ben Murphy | Liverpool University

The Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law had the honour to welcome in Olomouc Dr Ben Murphy who contributed to the Olomouc International Law Lecture Series with his lecture on the topic Paradigmatic International Law: Responsibility All the Way Down.

Civil Liability of Politicians

18 September 2023

Univ. Ass. Mag. Maximilian Zankel | Univerzity of Graz

The third guest lecture forming part of the Olomouc International Law Lecture Series was delivered by Mag. Maximilian Zankel from our partner University of Graz.

Sanctions, Sanctity, & Sovereignty: Analysing India's approach to sanctions in International Law

23 October 2023

Hybrid event

Prof. Rashmi Raman, Kamya Vishwanath

The second instalment of the Olomouc International Law Lecture Series took place on 23 October 2023 at the Faculty of Law of the Palacky University Olomouc (while being also streamed online). The lecture, titled 'Sanctions, Sanctity, & Sovereignty: Analysing India's approach to sanctions in International Law' examined India’s gradual rise as a pivotal economic and political actor not only in the Global South but the world over. In addition, specific focus was placed on India’s position of neutrality in the ongoing Russian-Ukraine War.

The lecture dived into India’s past and present approach to international sanctions in order to assess how it might respond in the future. It departed with a historical look at India’s approach towards sanctions as understood in international legal theory. Thereafter, the lecture unpacked India’s present challenges, including conflicting demands and interests (if any) in terms of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Rashmi Raman is Professor of International Law at the Jindal Global Law School and the Assistant Director of its Centre for International Legal Studies. She teaches public international law and human rights law and theory. She writes and researches at the intersection of critical international legal theory and international law.

Kamya Vishwanath is a Research Assistant at the Centre for International Legal Studies, where she writes and researches on public international law - particularly with a Global South perspective. Prior to entering international legal research, Kamya worked as an Associate in the Dispute Resolution Team of a leading Indian law firm. She is interested in critical theory and its influences in thinking about the law and humanities harmoniously.

Recorded lecture

The Aggression against Ukraine and Austrian Neutrality

3 April 2023

Hybrid event

Prof. Erika de Wet | Professor of International Law, Head of the Institute for International Law and International Relations | University of Graz

On 3 April 2023, the first lecture within the scheme of the Olomouc International Law Lecture Series took place. We had the honour to welcome in Olomouc prof. Erika de Wet who delivered her lecture on the topic of the Agression against Ukraine and Australian Neutrality. The lecture was also streamed online. Attendees included staff and students of the Faculty of Law, as well as a contingent of military officers from the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic.

Since 1955 the international law construct of neutrality is anchored in the Austrian constitution. This lecture assesses the legal implications of this neutral status in the wake of the EU response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. This includes an assessment of the core elements of neutrality, examples of potential violations of neutrality, and more broadly the distinction between military support and conflict participation.

Recorded lecture

Information Warfare in the context of Operation Sindoor

16 June 2025

Olomouc

Guest lecture conducted by Mr. Pranav Tiwari from our partner - Symbiosis Law School (Pune, India).

Summer School: The Use of Force in International Law

July 2025

Olomouc

In the second half of July 2025, the Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law proudly hosted its inaugural Summer School on the Use of Force in International Law. The fourteen-day programme brought more than thirty participants from three continents to Olomouc, offering them a unique combination of lectures, discussions, and social encounters.

The international character of the lecturing team was one of the programme’s highlights. Participants had the opportunity to learn from Prof. Niels Blokker of Leiden University, Prof. José Alberto Azeredo Lopes, a former Portuguese Minister of Defence, Dr Maria Isabel Tavares, also from Porto, as well as Associate Prof. Tamás Hoffmann of Corvinus University in Budapest, and Dr Agata Kleczkowska of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

The academic and practical dimensions came together seamlessly during field visits. Participants visited the UN Headquarters in Vienna, where they gained first-hand insight into diplomatic institutions central to international peace and security. This was followed by an exciting practical day with the 91st Information Warfare Group of the Czech Armed Forces, where attendees engaged in simulations involving disinformation, information operations, and military response.

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Revisiting Consent in International Law

5 November 2024

Olomouc

Workshop coorganized by the Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law with lecturers from the University of Liverpool.

Multi-Institutional Workshop on the Law of Armed Conflict

23 May 2024

Olomouc and Ferrara (hybrid event)

Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law in collaboration with the University of Ferrara, Dipartmento Giurisprudenza hosted a joint hybrid workshop on the law of armed conflict and its various pertinent aspects. The workshop was attended by Czech and Italian academics, military personnel and students. Particular emphasis was placed on combining theoretical frameworks with practical application, including examples of past and current armed conflicts.

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Film Screening and discussion with former ICTY investigator Vladimír Dzuro

9 March 2024

Olomouc

Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law hosted a screening of the documentary “The Investigator” with special guests Vladimír Dzuro and Michal Vývoda. The screening was followed by a lecture CIHOL member Dr Petr Stejskal, who examined the legality of the arrest of Dokmanović. The screening, bringing together some 250 attendees, concluded with a discussion open to the audience.

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Ljubljana – Olomouc Workshop: National Implementation of EU Sanctions Concerning the Situation in Ukraine: Legal and Practical Challenges

7–8 March 2024

Lubljana

Workshop co-organised by the Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law and Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana that also hosted the workshop. The idea of this workshop was to bring together academics and State practitioners to consider challenges arising from EU sanctions implementation. Speakers included Prof. Dr Gerhard Hafner from the University of Vienna, Dr Marko Rakovec of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, and Dr Clara Portela from the University of Valencia. The workshop gathered academics and practitioners from seven EU States for inputs.

The workshop was followed by a roundtable discussion chaired by CIHOL’s Dr Martin Faix, which provided a platform for public engagements with experts and practitioners.

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Workshop on the topic of pursuing accountability for international crimes in Ukraine

14 February 2024

Olomouc and Ferrara (hybrid event)

Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law in collaboration with the Centre for European Legal Studies on Macro-Crimes of the University of Ferrara hosted a hybrid workshop on pursuing accountability for international crimes in Ukraine. The workshop was organised primarily for the Czech and Italian armed forces who represented the majority of attendees. The workshop took place simultaneously in Olomouc and Ferrara via videoconference. The workshop focused on various aspects of international criminal justice, covered by Czech and Italian experts respectively.

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International Law and the Regulation of Resort to Force: Exhaustion, Destruction, Rebirth?

14–15 September 2023

Olomouc

The conference, organised by the Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law at the Faculty of Law of Palacký University, in collaboration with the Institute for International Law and International Relations at the Faculty of Law of the University of Graz, took place on 14–15 September 2023 in Olomouc, the Czech Republic. Some 80 speakers and participants examined selected issues pertaining to the jus ad bellum.

More information on the conference is available at: www.force.upol.cz

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Sovereignty in International Law

April 2023

Olomouc

Two expert lectures conducted by Ksenia Radchenkova from the Institute for the Foundations of Law of the University of Graz. The first one took place within the faculty course Law of International Organisations on 18 April 2023 and was titled ‘Theories of Global Governance’. The second lecture took place within the faculty course Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU on 27 April 2023 and was titled ‘Sovereignty: Comparative Perspective on Historical Development of the Concept in Russia and the West’.

The best practices and experience in countering foreign interference (CFI) in U. S. Academia

23 January 2023

Olomouc

US American experts Dr Glenn D. Tiffert (Research Fellow, Co-Chair – Project on China´s Global Shar Power, Stanford University) and Dr Kevin R. Gamache (Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Research Security Officer, Texas A&M University System) explored in the lecture the topic of countering foreign interference in academia, including best practices and US experience in this field.

Roundtable on International Sanctions in the Context of Russian Aggression

25 November 2022

Olomouc (hybrid event)

CIHOL hosted a roundtable on International Sanctions in the Context of Russian Aggression. Five guests gathered over a common topic: Otakar Foltýn, Chief of the Military Police and member of CIHOL, Magdaléna Plevová, legal expert from the Financial Analysis Office, Karel Svoboda, expert in political economy, Michael Romancov, expert in geopolitics, and Petr Stejskal, member of CIHOL and the main organizer of the event. If you are interested in what the sanctions are for, how they are applied and how they affect Russia, listen to the recording of the discussion (available in Czech).

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Legal, Political and Security Dynamics of the Conflict in Northern Mozambique

17 March 2022

Olomouc

The workshop, organized by CIHOL member Marko Svicevic, examined selected legal, political and security aspects of the conflict. These include the background to the conflict and the dynamics of the insurgency, the political landscape of the sub-region, the relationship between the insurgency and IS, the involvement of private military companies (Wagner Group), and implications of the jus ad bellum and jus in bellow on the conflict.

Lecture on "Lethal propaganda – fake news in post-conflict environment" by Vladimír Dzuro

6 December 2021

Olomouc

Mr. Dzuro, former Chief of Headquaters Office at the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services in New York and ICTY investigator, shared his experience with investigation in former Yugoslavia and spoke about arresting war criminals and mass grave exhumation. On real examples, he also demonstrated the dangerousness of disinformation in conflict scenario.

The lecture was also contributed by Kamil Sládek, historian and ethnologist, who provided historical and factual background of the conflict in former Yugoslavia, and by our member, Petr Stejskal, who examined legality of the arrest of Slavko Dokmanović.

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ICC´s Contribution to the Development and Enforcement of International Humanitarian Law

11–12 February 2021

Online

The Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law organised an international ESIL supported online conference titled ICC’s Contribution to the Development and Enforcement of International Humanitarian Law on 11–12 February 2021. The event brought together nearly 20 experts in international humanitarian and international criminal law from four continents, creating a truly global platform for academic exchange.

Among the speakers were Renate Winter, Former President of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Gus Waschefort from the University of Essex, Martha Bradley from the University of Pretoria or Tamás Hoffmann from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Corvinus University in Budapest.

Discussions focused on the role of the International Criminal Court in the development and enforcement of international humanitarian law, with the issue of child soldiers emerging as a central theme throughout the conference.

The conference was organised online due to the pandemic situation. The program may be accessed here.

Responding to hybrid threats by force

23–24 May 2018

Olomouc

The Faculty of Law hosted an international expert conference addressing legal responses to hybrid threats involving the use of force. The event featured keynote speaker Dr Aurel Sari (University of Exeter), followed by presentations from prominent scholars and practitioners, including Assoc. Prof Tamás Hoffmann, Dr Russell Buchan, Dr Kubo Mačák, Assoc. Prof Martha M. Bradley, Prof David Lai, and others. Speakers explored a wide range of topics—from cyber terrorism and climate security to the legal dynamics of hybrid warfare and military needs in evolving threat environments.

The conference provided a unique platform for interdisciplinary dialogue between academia, military representatives such as Col Miroslav Feix and LtCol Otakar Foltýn, and experts from institutions like the National Cyber and Information Security Agency. It fostered a deeper understanding of how international and national law can adapt to complex modern security challenges.

More information about the conference and its programme are available here.

Law of Armed Conflicts and Use of Force

Use of force in international relations is a topic omnipresent in the media, international practice and academic writing. More importantly, as its prohibition by a peremptory norm of international law shows, it is an aspect of utmost importance for the existence international community. Nevertheless, the international legal foundations of the use of force are being constantly challenged, which makes participation in an academic course focusing on questions of the use of force (ius ad/contra bellum) and laws applicable when there is a war (ius in bello) an interesting, but at the same time also a challenging undertaking. The course therefore aims at introducing students to major aspects of international law on the prohibition of use of force and the law of armed conflict (LOAC). Students who have successfully completed this course should have a sound knowledge of and understand the prohibition of the use of force and its exceptions, as well as the current debates on some major aspects of this topic. Students should also gain basic knowledge of historical developments of the law of armed conflict, understand thoroughly relevant international treaties and the scope of application of LOAC, and finally have an appreciation of some of the contemporary debates which have occurred in the context of recent conflicts (such as Crimea, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan).

The course is taught in English and regularly includes lectures from national and international experts from academia and practice, including the Army of the Czech Republic.

International Humanitarian Law

The course (taught in Czech language) offers to students a thorough presentation of the law of armed conflict, with the aim to provide a critical analysis based on a rounded understanding of major aspects of international law principles and legal concepts relating to the conduct of warfare and protection of victims of war. Students will gain basic knowledge of historical developments of the law of armed conflict, understand thoroughly relevant international treaties (especially the four Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols) and the scope of application of LOAC, and finally have an appreciation of some of the contemporary debates which have occurred in the context of recent conflicts (Iraq, Libya). Some of the lectures are presented by representatives of the Army of the Czech Republic and the Czech Red Cross.

International Criminal Law

The aim of this one semester course is to provide students with knowledge in one of the most progressive discipline of public international law. The course is focused on the position of international criminal law within the system of public international law, on the history of international criminal law reflected in foundation of even more perfect institutions (IMT, IMTFE, ICTY, ICTR, ICC) and especially on the current substantive and procedural regulation used at international forum, which is from its major part embodied in the Rome Statute of ICC. Integral part of the course is the analysis of some leading cases in international criminal law (Tadic, Miloševic, Akayesu, Dyilo etc.) The course describes the effort of international community to prosecute and punish the perpetrators of the most serious violations of international law both at international and municipal level. The course is held in English.

28 May 2025

Assembly of the Legal Service of the Czech Army

Expert lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the annual Assembly of the Legal Service of the Czech Army on the topic of targeting of critical civilian infrastructure and deep reconnaissance and sabotages in armed conflict (The House of the Army, Olomouc).

27 March 2025

University of Johannesburg

Guest Lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the Faculty of Law of the University of Johannesburg on the topic ‘Human Rights Protections in Europe: The Council of Europe and the European Union’ (University of Johannesburg, online lecture).

29 April 2024

53rd Regiment of Reconaissance and Electronic Warfare

Expert lecture of Dr Marko Svicevic for the 53rd Regiment of Reconaissance and Electronic Warfare on the topic ‘The legality of mercenaries and private military contractors and their targetability’ (The House of the Army, Olomouc).

26 April 2024

601st Special Forces Group of the Army of the Czech Republic

Expert lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the 601st Special Forces Group on the topic ‘Critical civilian infrastructure under international law and law of armed conflict’ (Prostějov Military Base).

26 April 2024

601st Special Forces Group of the Army of the Czech Republic

Expert lecture of Dr Marko Svicevic for the 601st Special Forces Group on the topic ‘Private Military and Security Companies in International Law’ (Prostějov Military Base, Prostějov).

5 December 2023

601st Special Forces Group of the Army of the Czech Republic

Expert Lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the 601st Special Forces Group on the topic ‘Critical Infrastructure as a Legal Target from the point of view of the Law of Armed Conflict’ (Prostějov Military Base).

21 November 2023

Col Otakar Foltýn (Armed Forces of the Czech Republic), Application of IHL in contemporary armed conflicts

Doplnit článek jako u University of Minnesota?

25 May 2023

Centre for Macrocrimes, University of Ferrara

Guest Lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the Centre for Macrocrimes of the University of Ferrara on the topic ‘Accountability of Foreign Companies for Misconduct in Conflict Areas’ (University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy).

24 May 2023

Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza, University of Ferrara

Guest Lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza, University of Ferrara on the topic ‘The Protection of Foreign Investments in Armed Conflicts’ (Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy).

9 May 2023

University of Johannesburg

Guest Lecture of Dr Marko Svicevic for the Faculty of Law of the University of Johannesburg on the topic ‘Acts of Aggression and the Crime of Aggression in International Law’ (Faculty of Law, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa).

3 April 2023

53rd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare

Expert Lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the 53rd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare on the topic ‘Belligerent Occupation: Treatment of Protected Persons and Duties of the Occupation Administration’ (The House of the Army, Olomouc).

3 April 2023

53rd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare

Expert Lecture of Dr Marko Svicevic for the 53rd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare on the topic ‘War Crimes in International Law: The Situation in Ukraine’ (The House of the Army, Olomouc).

16 March 2023

University of Johannesburg

16 January 2023

102nd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare

Expert lecture of Dr Marko Svicevic for the 102nd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare on the topic ‘Mercenaries, Private Military Companies and the Wagner Group in Ukraine’ (Faculty of Law, Olomouc).

18 May 2023

Vienna University

Roundtable presentation of Dr Petr Stejskal for the Department of European, International and Comparative Law, Faculty of Law of the Vienna University on the topic of the protection of foreign investments in armed conflict (Faculty of Law, Vienna University, Vienna).

07 December 2022

University of Minnesota Law School´s “Crash the Course” Series - The Laws of War

Petr Stejskal and Martin Faix were guest speakers in the University of Minnesota Law School´s “Crash the Course” Series - The Laws of War. The lecture was a great opportunity to present CIHOL (by Martin Faix), one of the Centre´s research topics - protection of foreign investments in armed conflicts (lecture given by Petr Stejskal), and to interact with Prof. Ní Aoláin and her class.

10 May 2022

Northrumbia University

Guest lecture conducted by Dr Petr Stejskal and Marko Svicevic for students of the Northrumbia School of Law on the topic ‘Self-Defence and the Requirement of an Armed Attack: Distinctions between ‘externality’ and internal armed conflicts’ (Northrumbia School of Law, Newcastle).
Dr Petr Stejskal also conducted hybrid seminar on the topic of international law of transboundary groundwater and links to international security (organised by prof. Alistair Rieu-Clarke, attended by academics and practitioners, Northrumbia School of Law, Newcastle).

13 October 2021

Edinburgh University

Guest lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the Edinburgh Law School on the topic ‘International law and transboundary groundwater – a solution or myth?’ (organised by the Centre for International and Global and the Global Justice Academy, Edinburgh, the United Kingdom).

28 June 2021

University of Pretoria

Guest lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria on the topic ‘Protection of foreign investments during armed conflict’ (online; part of the IHM 801 program at the University in Pretoria).

2 June 2021

Hebrew University Jerusalem

Guest lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the Faculty of Law of the Hebrew University Jerusalem on the topic ‘Protection of foreign investments in armed conflict’ (online).

Autumn 2019

University of Pretoria

Guest lecture of Dr Petr Stejskal for the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria on the topic ‘Protection of foreign investments during armed conflict’ (staff meeting of the Department of Public Law, Pretoria, South Africa)

Autumn 2019

South African Research Chair in International Law, University of Johannesburg

Research seminar of Dr Petr Stejskal for the South African Research Chair in International Law on the topic ‘Protection of foreign investments during armed conflict’ (Johannesburg, South Africa)

Our team

The core team of the Centre consists of resident scholars from the Palacký University Faculty of Law and legal professionals of the Czech Armed Forces. The CIHOL is however much more. It is a community of academics, legal professionals, members of armed forces, doctoral and Master´s students (resident or visiting), visiting scholars, external experts and visitors, all of whom have in common a strong interest in IHL, operational law and related fields of international law and are committed to excellence in teaching and research.

Our mission

The Centre was established to provide an institutional framework for further development of existing teaching and research activities in the area of international humanitarian and operational law at the Palacký University. At the same time it shall serve as a hub for developing innovative and unique ideas, approaches and activities (such as the live-training simulation Camp Peira), promote and spread knowledge of IHL in the Czech Republic and Central Europe, concentrate research and teaching activities in field of international humanitarian and operational law and other connected areas of international law and domestic law (constitutional law, administrative law), and finally, enhance and explore the potential of cooperation between the academia and relevant public institutions operating in the field of security and use of force, especially the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic.

Teaching & Events

Paradigmatic International Law: Responsibility All the Way Down

Civil Liability of Politicians

Sanctions, Sanctity, & Sovereignty: Analysing India's approach to sanctions in International Law

The Aggression against Ukraine and Austrian Neutrality

Information Warfare in the context of Operation Sindoor

Summer School: The Use of Force in International Law

Revisiting Consent in International Law

Multi-Institutional Workshop on the Law of Armed Conflict

Film Screening and discussion with former ICTY investigator Vladimír Dzuro

Ljubljana – Olomouc Workshop: National Implementation of EU Sanctions Concerning the Situation in Ukraine: Legal and Practical Challenges

Workshop on the topic of pursuing accountability for international crimes in Ukraine

International Law and the Regulation of Resort to Force: Exhaustion, Destruction, Rebirth?

Sovereignty in International Law

The best practices and experience in countering foreign interference (CFI) in U. S. Academia

Roundtable on International Sanctions in the Context of Russian Aggression

Legal, Political and Security Dynamics of the Conflict in Northern Mozambique

Lecture on "Lethal propaganda – fake news in post-conflict environment" by Vladimír Dzuro

ICC´s Contribution to the Development and Enforcement of International Humanitarian Law

Responding to hybrid threats by force

Law of Armed Conflicts and Use of Force

International Humanitarian Law

International Criminal Law

Our team

Our mission

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