Do human rights violations increase the risk of civil war?

Despite the fact that there are strong assumptions surrounding the effects of human rights violations on the risk of civil war, very few researchers have tested the relationship in an empirical and systematic manner. By drawing on both human rights- and civil war research, this article presents an integrated human rights peace and conflict theory. The effects of rights violations are tested by applying quantitative research methods. The main finding is that violations of economic and social rights and physical integrity rights increase the risk of civil war, while violations of other civil and political rights play only a minor role.