Melanie Klinkner

Professor Melanie Klinkner

  • u_mklinkner at bournemouth dot ac dot uk
  • Professor of International Law
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Biography

Dr Melanie Klinkner is an international law scholar and lead author of the Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation. Since October 2023 she is working on an 5 year-long, £1.6 million project to develop a comprehensive human rights framework for Mass Grave Protection, Investigation and Engagement (MaGPIE). She led an Arts and Humanities Research Council Research Leaders Fellowship for the creation of mass grave protection guidelines with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) as project partner. In addition, she was the Principal Investigator on a Global Challenges Research Fund project on how to humanise the process of mass grave protection and investigation from the representative perspective of victims’ families. She also led a Leverhulme funded project to explore the merit of open source mass grave mapping. Together with Dr Howard Davis she is author of the monograph ‘The Right to the Truth in International Law’ (published by Routledge, 2020). During Trinity Term 2018 she was a Research Visitor at Oxford University's Bonavero Institute of Human Rights...

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Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person's work contributes towards the following SDG:

Peace, justice and strong institutions

"Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels"

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Journal Articles

Books

Chapters

  • Klinkner, M., Smith, E., 2023. Interview with Judge Howard Morrison. Mass Graves Truth and Justice.
  • Klinkner, M., Smith, E., 2023. Introduction: Mass Graves, Truth and Justice. Mass Graves Truth and Justice.
  • Klinkner, M., Smith, E., 2023. Interview with Dr Agnes Callamard. Mass Graves Truth and Justice.
  • Klinkner, M., Smith, E., 2023. Conclusion and outlook on things to come. Mass Graves Truth and Justice.
  • Smith, E., Klinkner, M., 2023. Victims’ Rights to Participation and their Legitimate Information Interests. In: Borghi, M., Brownsword, R., eds. Law, Regulation and Governance in the Information Society Informational Rights and Informational Wrongs. Routledge.
  • Klinkner, M., 2023. Mass grave protection and missing persons. Anthropology of Violent Death Theoretical Foundations for Forensic Humanitarian Action.
  • Klinkner, M., Smith, E., Smith, E.. Introduction. Mass Graves, Truth and Justice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Mass Grave Investigation. Elgar.
  • Klinkner, M., Schwandner-Sievers, S., 2022. Transitional justice principles versus survivors’ experience – conflicting interpretations in Kosovo case study involving missing persons and their memorialisation. In: Rauschenbach, M., Viebach, J., Parmentier, S., eds. Localising Memory: The Dynamics and Informal Practices of Memorialisation after Mass Violence and Dictatorship. Routledge.
  • Hanson, I., Klinkner, M., Cheetham, P., Mickleburgh, H.L., 2022. Mass Graves. Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences Volume 1 4 Third Edition.
  • Klinkner, M., Smith, E.. Victims' Rights. In: Binder, C., Nowak, M., Hofbauer, J., Janig, P., eds. Elgar Encyclopedia of Human Rights. Edward Elgar.
  • Klinkner, M., 2021. The Development of Indicators on Missing Persons. Global Report on Missing Persons. International Commission on Missing Persons.
  • Klinkner, M., 2015. The Right to Truth, Appropriate Forum and the International Criminal Court. In: Szablewska, N., Bachmann, S., eds. Current Issues in Transitional Justice. Towards a More Holistic Approach. Springer.
  • Klinkner, M.. Scientific Evidence in International Criminal Trials. In: Weisburd, D., eds. Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Springer.

Conferences

  • Klinkner, M., Schwandner-Sievers, S., 2017. Grieving lost normalcy: a Kosovo case study of social memory, incomplete transitional justice and political agency. In: Sixth International Expert Seminar on Transitional Justice 25/09/2017 KU Leuven.
  • Klinkner, M., Schwandner-Sievers, S., TIan, F., Biran, A., 2015. Rethinking post-war reconciliation, memory and heritage via ‘gaming’ technology. In: BFX Academic Conference 2015 26/09/2015 Bournemouth, Bournemouth University.
  • Klinkner, M., 2015. Ukraine and Russia: International (criminal) responses to hybrid war? In: International Criminal Trials: Historical Paradigms and Contemporary Dimensions 21/09/2015 Preston, University of Central Lancashire.
  • Klinkner, M., Davis, H., 2014. Institutionalising the right to the truth at the ICC. In: SLSA Conference 26/03/2013 York.
  • Bray, M., 2014. Mass grave evidence before international criminal trials. In: Forensic Forum 2014 05/03/2014 London.
  • Klinkner, M., 2012. Improving forensic investigations into mass graves for international criminal proceedings. In: European Academy of Forensic Science 20/08/2012 The Hague.
  • Klinkner, M., 2011. The value of forensic evidence for international criminal proceedings. In: 2nd Biennial War Crimes Conference: Justice? Whose Justice? Punishment, Mediation or Reconciliation 03/03/2011 London.
  • Klinkner, M., 2008. International Justice through Science: Investigating Human Rights Violations with or without Forensic Science? In: The 12th Biennial Conference of the International Society for Justice Research 14/08/2008 Adelaide.
  • Klinkner, M.. Proving Genocide – Cooperation between lawyers and forensic scientists under the ICTY. In: Seventh Biennial Meeting of the International Association of Genocide Scholars 09/07/2007 Sarajevo.

Reports

Internet Publications

Theses

Films

Posters

  • Fisher, E., Beaumont, A., Smith, O., Caines, Z., Gwynne, G., Patalacci, M., Klinkner, M., Biggins, D., 2025. The Missing Persons Indicator Project - A case study in student-staff co-creation and research. In: FLIE Conference 2025.
  • Klinkner, M., Whittle, J., Nwagu, C., Garcia-Campo, N., Biggins, D., 2022. Rapid Response Ukraine: Real-time Mass Grave Recording. In: 17th annual Social Simulation Conference.
  • Klinkner, M., Whittle, J., Bowden, M., Biggins, D., O'sullivan, H., Corby, H., Quenault, C., Snashall, S., McCatchey, S., Ojikutu, B., Adegbenro, M., Ajikeye, J., Gee, L., Daley, E., 2022. The Missing Persons Indicator Project. In: Fusion Learning Conference.
  • Klinkner, M., Whittle, J., Biggins, D., Garcia-Campo, N., Nwagu, C., 2022. Rapid response research: Real-time recording of mass graves in Ukraine. In: Fusion Learning Conference.

Others

PhD Students

  • Diego Nunez. Assessing the impact of public policies on memory, (In progress)
  • Anna Chartlon. UNEARTHING STOLEN RITES: UNDERSTANDING LEGAL, CULTURAL AND ETHICAL IGHTS SURROUNDING INDIGENOUS MASS GRAVES IN AUSTRALIA THROUGH PARTNERSHIP AND VISUAL ETHNOGRAPHIC METHODS, (In progress)
  • Emily Fisher. Women at the helm of missing persons/disappeared efforts, (In progress)
  • Luke Nwibo Eda. Missing Migrants, (Completed)
  • Ellie Smith. The need for truth-telling as a part of the right to truth and its realisation at the ICC, (Completed)
  • Giulia Levi. Bridging post-Brexit Referendum Divides, (Completed)
  • Joshua Rieser. British Foreign Policy: Britain’s Interpretation of International Law and Response to International Crisis, Ethnic Stratification & Genocide in Southeast Asia 1965-1980, (Completed)
  • Ellen Donovan. Ambiguity and the politics of rendering mass graves visible
  • Ahmed Abed. The rules, their application and effectiveness, governing humanitarian assistance in the context of the Syrian Conflict

Profile of Teaching PG

  • Dissertation Support and Research Methods
  • International Criminal Law and International Criminal Justice
  • International Human Rights Law

Profile of Teaching UG

  • Public International Law and International Criminal Law

Invited Lectures

  • The new proposed right and the right to the truth, Doughty Street Chambers, 21 Sep 2018 more
  • International Criminal Trials-Historical Paradigms, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, 21 Sep 2015 more

Grants

  • Missing Persons Indicator Development and Internships (Higher Education Innovation Fund, 01 May 2024). Completed
  • The Missing Persons Indicator Project (International Commission on Missing Persons, 02 Nov 2023). In Progress
  • MaGPIE: A comprehensive, universal human rights framework for Mass Grave Protection, Investigation & Engagement (ERC Consolidator Grant / guaranteed by UKRI Frontier Research, 02 Oct 2023). In Progress
  • MaGPIE: A comprehensive, universal human rights framework for Mass Grave Protection, Investigation & Engagement (ERC Consolidator Grant / guaranteed by UKRI Frontier Research, 02 Oct 2023). In Progress
  • MaGMap: Does open source Mass Grave Mapping and Documenting protect or expose? (Leverhulme Trust, 01 Apr 2022). Completed
  • It remains to be seen: animation of mass grave recovery (UKRI, 01 Apr 2020). Completed
  • Protecting Mass Graves to advance Truth and Justice (Arts and Humanities Research Council, 25 Feb 2019). Completed
  • Fusion co-creation project involving BU students and partners in Kosovo: rethinking post-war reconciliation via ‘gaming’ technology (Fusion Investment Fund, 01 Nov 2015). Completed
  • Rethinking Reconciliation (European Union Academic Development Scheme, 01 Feb 2015). Completed
  • A victim's right to truth and the International Criminal Court (Nuffield Foundation, 01 Sep 2013). Completed
  • A victim's right to truth and the International Criminal Court (Nuffield Foundation, 01 Sep 2013). Completed
  • Cambodia Field Research - financial support (Harold Wyam Wingate Foundation). Completed

Internal Responsibilities

  • LLM Coordinator, Business School - postgraduate

Journal Reviewing/Refereeing

  • International Criminal Law Review, Anonymous peer review, 01 Feb 2016
  • Griffith Journal of Law and Dignity, Anonymous peer review, 01 Jan 2015
  • International Journal of Transitional Justice, Anonymous peer review, 01 Aug 2012

Public Engagement & Outreach Activities

  • Mass graves are horrific, but they must be protected to ensure justice for the victims (15 Dec 2016-16 Dec 2016)
  • The Legal Protection of Mass Graves (18 Nov 2016)
  • Reconciliation in Practice (03 Jul 2015)
  • ansforming Conflict After War: Memory, Heritage and Digital Media (12 May 2015)

Attended Training

  • Doctoral Continued Supervision Training, 17 Jun 2015
  • Doctoral Supervision training, 25 Jan 2012, qualified to be a PhD supervisor

Qualifications

  • PhD in Law (Bournemouth University, 2009)
  • MA in Philosophy, Anthropology, Biology (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 2003)

Memberships

  • International Association of Genocide Scholars, Member (2021-),
  • International Commission on Missing Persons Panel of Experts, Member (2021-),
  • Socio-Legal-Studies Association, Member (2019-), https://www.slsa.ac.uk/
  • Chatham House: International Affairs Think Tank, Associate Member (2019-), https://www.chathamhouse.org/
  • Higher Education Academy, Fellow (2015-),
  • Society of Legal Scholars, Member,
The data on this page was last updated at 05:00 on February 18, 2026.