LawPod

Queen's University - School of Law
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LawPod is a weekly podcast based in the Law School at Queen’s University Belfast. We provide a platform to explore law and legal research in an engaging and scholarly way.

  1. 9H AGO

    AI, Accountability, and Civilian Harm

    In this episode, Mae Thompson speaks with Prof Luke Moffett, Dr Jessica Dorsey, and Chris Rogers about how artificial intelligence is already reshaping military decision making and what that means for civilian harm, accountability, and redress. The guests distinguish AI‑enabled decision support from lethal autonomy, unpack the cognitive risks of automation bias, anchoring, and de‑skilling, and consider how AI might responsibly support civilian‑harm tracking and investigations through data fusion and triage. They discuss the “triple black box” of accountability (model opacity, military secrecy, and diffused responsibility), the importance of lawful‑by‑design guardrails across the AI lifecycle, and why NGOs must pair new tools with people‑centred documentation. Looking ahead, they reflect on opportunities for a UK statutory redress scheme to deliver prompt acknowledgement, amends, and mitigation—keeping accountability pace with capability while centring affected communities. Prof Luke Moffett — Chair of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, Queen’s University Belfast; author of Algorithms of War: The Human Cost of AI and Conflict (forthcoming, Bristol University Press). Dr Jessica Dorsey — Assistant Professor of International Law, Utrecht University; Director of the Realities of Algorithmic Warfare; expert member of the Global Commission on Responsible AI in the Military Domain; Ambassador for the Lawful by Design initiative; Executive Board Member at Airwars. Chris Rogers — Senior Fellow at the Reiss (Reese) Center on Law and Security, New York University School of Law; former Branch Chief and Law & Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Civilian Protection Center of Excellence. This podcast is the sixth in a series of episodes on Civilian Harm in Conflict – hosted by Mae Thompson, advocacy officer at Ceasefire. The podcast is an output of the AHRC‑funded ‘Reparations during Armed Conflict’ project with Queen's University Belfast, University College London and Ceasefire, led by Professor Luke Moffett.

    43 min

  2. 2D AGO

    From Obligation to Opportunity: Rethinking the UK’s Approach to Civilian Harm

    In this episode, Mae Thompson speaks with Dr Kaleigh Heard, Dr Haim Abraham, and Dr Conall Mallory about how the UK could strengthen its approach to civilian harm mitigation and redress at a moment of global uncertainty. Reflecting on the rollback of civilian protection measures in the US and emerging reforms in places like the Netherlands, the guests explore the potential for the UK to assume a leadership role. They discuss the limits of relying solely on litigation, the promise of tort law, the strategic and moral value of compensation and acknowledgement, and the need for a comprehensive, statutory, victim‑centred framework that aligns with international obligations while offering accessible, meaningful redress for affected communities. Despite the challenging geopolitical landscape, the conversation highlights genuine opportunities for constructive change in UK policy. Dr Kaleigh Heard — Lecturer, UCL Department of Political Science; Deputy Director of the MA Human Rights; Director of the APPG on Modern Conflict; advisor to the US DoD Center of Excellence on Civilian Protection. Dr Haim Abraham — Assistant Professor of Law, UCL; author of Tort Liability in Warfare: State Wrongs and Civilian Rights(OUP, 2024). Dr Conall Mallory — Senior Lecturer in Law, Queen’s University Belfast; Fellow of the Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. This podcast is the fifth in a series of episode on Civilian Harm in Conflict – hosted by Mae Thompson, advocacy officer at Ceasefire. The podcast is an output of the AHRC funded ‘Reparations during Armed Conflict‘ project with Queen’s University Belfast, University College London and Ceasefire, led by Professor Luke Moffett.

    45 min

  3. FEB 12

    Corporate Governance and Board Diversity: Navigating Inclusion and Equality with Karen McShane

    Host Dr Ciara Hackett, SWAN Champion at the School of Law, discusses corporate governance and board diversity with a focus on gender and sexuality. Special guests include Karen McShane, an experienced civil engineer and transport planner, and Dr Ciaràn O'Kelly, a scholar on accountability and governance infrastructures. The panel delves into the Equality Act 2010, recent legal rulings surrounding gender recognition, and their impacts on board diversity. Karen shares her experiences and insights on the role of diverse boards in driving organisational success, the importance of EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) policies, and the evolving landscape of corporate governance. The discussion underscores the significance of inclusive practices and forward planning in achieving long-term societal and organisational benefits.

    38 min

  4. JAN 30

    Civilian Harm: Tracking, Investigating, and Acknowledging the Impact of Military Operations

    In this episode, hosted by Mae Thompson from Ceasefire, panellists Dr Elizabeth Stubbins Bates, Mark Lattimer, Executive Director, Ceasefire and Dr Conall Mallory, Director, QUB Human Rights Centre,  discuss the UK's approach to addressing civilian harm caused by military operations. They explore the gaps in current redress mechanisms, the importance of tracking and investigating civilian harm, and the potential for a UK civilian harm redress scheme. The conversation covers historical issues, political disincentives, and best practices from international examples, emphasising the need for more comprehensive and proactive investigations. Insights from legal and military experts underline the critical importance of transparency, accountability, and the recognition of civilian suffering. This podcast is the fourth in a series of episode on Civilian Harm in Conflict – hosted by Mae Thompson, advocacy officer at Ceasefire. The podcast is an output of the AHRC funded ‘Reparations during Armed Conflict‘ project with Queen’s University Belfast, University College London and Ceasefire, led by Professor Luke Moffett.

    43 min

  5. 12/17/2025

    Episode 9 - Gina Cabarcas Macia On Records And Transitional Justice In Colombia

    In this episode of Part 3, Julia Viebach speaks with Gina Cabarcas Maciá, co-founder and director of the Political and Criminal Justice Lab in Bogota, about the vital role of records in Colombia's transitional justice process. With over 50 years of armed conflict and multiple transitional justice mechanisms operating since 2006, Colombia has developed a complex approach to documenting human rights violations—from judicial records and physical artifacts to testimonies from perpetrators, victims, and communities. The conversation explores how different types of records—including judicial files, testimonies, and digitalized archives—contribute to establishing truth, documenting gendered violence, and locating disappeared persons. Gina discusses the Colombian Truth Commission's groundbreaking decision to digitalize all testimonies and the challenges of coordinating between multiple mechanisms. She also highlights the ongoing challenge of securing collective accountability from state actors and the critical role civil society organizations play in preserving intelligence archives and documenting what has been silenced. About: Gina Cabarcas Maciá is a lawyer and historian who serves as co-founder and director of the Political and Criminal Justice Lab in Bogota. She coordinates support projects for Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace and leads the systematization and analysis of information across multiple transitional justice initiatives. Her work bridges criminal investigation with historical documentation, combining expertise in human rights violations documentation with decolonial approaches to transitional justice. More information: Political and Criminal Justice Lab, Colombia's Truth Commission, Unit for the Search of Disappeared Persons, Special Jurisdiction for Peace The 3-part series "Can the record be trusted?" explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queen's University Belfast in November 2024.

    29 min

  6. 12/08/2025

    Episode 8: Amr Khito, Alan Woo, Prisons Museum

    This episode introduces the accountability project ISIS Prisons Museum. In her conversation, Dagmar Hovestädt explores the origins and methodology of this long-term investigation with its co-director Amr Khito and web developer Alan Woo. The team behind the ISIS Prisons Museum, for short IPM, documents former prison sites and mass graves of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and turns them into 3D tours and online investigations for families, researchers, and prosecutors.  Prisons were a central instrument of ISIS rule. Ordinary schools, churches, houses or even a stadium were turned into detention sites, and the IPM revealed systematic patterns of repression and crimes by documenting and analyzing more than 100 such places. The investigations combine spatial documentation and 3D modeling of former prison sites with left-behind administrative documents and hundreds of witness testimonies of former detainees.   The project is rooted in Syrian journalists’ and ex-prisoners’ own experiences; trust comes from shared histories of imprisonment and exile, and from a deliberate choice to center survivors’ voices in how ISIS’s crimes are remembered. Few weeks after the recording of this episode, the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country and the door to investigate the horrendous crimes in Syrian state prisons was opened. The Prisons Museum team launched its second project in September of 2025, the Syria Prisons Museum.   ABOUT: Amr Khito is a Syrian journalist, former political prisoner, and co-director of the Prisons Museum. He began documenting the Syrian uprising in 2011 together with other journalists and filmmakers and later shifted to coordinate 3D recording of emptied prison buildings, hundreds of witness interviews and research with affected families.   Alan Woo is a designer and web developer who works at the intersection of visual communication, data architecture, and social justice. Drawing on training in graphic design, he develops digital infrastructures and interfaces for the Prisons Museum, focusing on organizing large-scale visual and documentary evidence so it becomes searchable and meaningful for families, researchers, and investigators.   More information: https://prisons.museum   https://syria.prisons.museum   https://isis.prisons.museum  The 3-part series “Can the record be trusted?” explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queens University Belfast in November 2024.

    26 min

  7. 12/04/2025

    Seeds, Science, and Law: How Intellectual Property Shapes Our Food Future

    What happens when the law meets the natural world? In this episode of LawPod, Dr Jocelyn Bosse joins Dr Ciarán O'Kelly to explore the fascinating intersection of intellectual property rights, biodiversity, and food security. Fresh from being awarded the prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, Dr Bosse shares insights from her ambitious research project, ‘A Century of Propertising Plants: examining the role of intellectual property law in protecting biodiversity and food security’, which examines how plant IP laws have influenced agriculture over the past hundred years—and what that means for the future. From the origins of plant patents in the 1930s to today’s debates on CRISPR gene editing, this conversation unpacks the tensions between innovation and biodiversity, the role of law in shaping science, and the global implications for food security. Whether you’re curious about how IP law affects what ends up on your plate or the ethical questions behind controlling nature, this episode offers a deep dive into one of the most overlooked areas of law. A PhD studentship funded by the Department for the Economy (DfE) is also available with Dr Bosse. https://law.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofLaw/news/qub-dfe-plants-biodiversity-food-security.html

    48 min

  8. 12/03/2025

    Episode 7 - Nataliia Gladkova On The Ukrainian Archive

    In this opening episode of Part 3, Ulrike Lühe talks to Nataliia Gladkova about preserving digital evidence of human rights violations in Ukraine. Nataliia is the Ukrainian Archive Program Manager at Mnemonic, where she oversees the collection and verification of over 7.6 million open-source records—including satellite imagery and social media content, predominantly from Telegram—documenting the impact of Russia's invasion. The conversation explores how digital tools have transformed documentation work, from automated collection systems to AI-assisted analysis, while maintaining rigorous verification standards. A key theme is balancing accessibility with protection: ensuring the Ukrainian people's right to know while addressing security concerns, privacy protections, and evidentiary requirements for legal accountability. Nataliia also discusses cross-archival collaborations with the Syrian Archive to examine patterns of Russian military actions across conflicts. About: Nataliia Gladkova was the Ukraine Archive Program Manager at Mnemonic, overseeing the collection and preservation of over 7.6 million digital records documenting human rights violations in Ukraine. She coordinated confidential investigations for war crimes units and international justice actors, and participated in academic consortiums exploring AI applications in human rights documentation. More information: Mnemonic, Ukrainian Archive, Syrian Archive The 3-part series "Can the record be trusted?" explores the prospects and challenges of human rights documentation and archives in the digital age, with speakers from an international expert workshop that took place at Queen's University Belfast in November 2024.

    21 min
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About

LawPod is a weekly podcast based in the Law School at Queen’s University Belfast. We provide a platform to explore law and legal research in an engaging and scholarly way.

Information

  • Creator
    Queen's University - School of Law
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    239
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Queen's University - School of Law
  • Show Website
    LawPod