Conceptions of the death penalty and summary executions in war: arbitrary distinctions or specific constraints?

A webinar presented by the IBA War Crimes Committee and the Human Rights Law Committee

Join us on 30 March 2026 for a webinar presented by the IBA War Crimes Committee and the Human Rights Law Committee. This webinar will explore the relationship, legally and practically, between the death penalty and armed conflict, and whether the wartime exception to abolition is still valid. This will involve an exploration of the dynamic between international human rights law and international humanitarian law, the domestic and international legal landscape of death penalty practice, and the responsibilities, tensions and expectations of abolitionist countries.

The webinar will discuss trends emerging in various conflicts and state practice, including Russia/Ukraine, Haiti, Iran, Israel and the United States. It will reflect on patterns in the application (and misapplication) of the legal frameworks, and differences and possible inconsistencies between them. The discussion will consider whether the risk of summary executions in war increases as the prospect of the death penalty recedes, and whether the distinction between the two practices during times of war is problematic.