The protective power of nonviolence. Human Rights defenders and nonviolent international interventions

Abstract

This article investigates the increasingly common phenomenon of nonviolent international interventions for conflict transformations. In particular, it discusses the effects that such interventions cause on the protection and empowerment of those human rights activists who are living risky situations due to his work in highly violent conflict environments. This article sets the context in which these initiatives emerged and developed, analysing their main features and it considers the case of the protection provided by Peace Brigades International to human rights defenders. This case study extracts important conclusions about the potential role that nonviolent international interventions could offer to the international community in the fields of violence prevention, conflict resolution and peace-building.