Regulating the Business Activities of Private Military and Security Companies under International Law

• Author: Érika Louise Bastos Calazans
• Pages: 103-131

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Regulating the Business Activities of Private Military and Security Companies Under International Law

REGULATING THE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES OF PRIVATE MILITARY AND

SECURITY COMPANIES UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW

Érika Louise Bastos Calazans1

ABSTRACT

In recent years jurists started to discuss the legal consequences of Private

Military and Security Companies’ (PMSCs) employees misconduct and the

international law options of regulation. This discussion was highly motivated by the

incidents occurred at the Abu Ghraib Prison, Nissor Square and the killings of

Blackwater contractors in Fallujah. The existing law have been inapplicable and

inadequate to address the international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights

law (HRL) violations committed by private contractors and further debate on the

issue is necessary. This article seeks to discuss the existing regulation options and

current efforts on regulating private contractors’ activities. Three main issues will be

addressed: first, whether or not self-regulation is an alternative; second, national

attempts at regulations and; third, the current state of development of regulation on

regional and international levels. The conclusion is that only through a multi-layered

approach and joint effort (from national, regional and international levels), regulation

addressing the industry and implementation will be able to succeed.

Keywords: private military and security companies, state responsibility, human

rights violations, se lf-regulation, Montreux Document.

RESUMO

Nos últimos anos, juristas começaram a discutir as consequências

jurídicas do mau comportamento de empregados das empresas privadas militares e de

segurança (EPMS) e as opções de regulação do direito internacional. Essa discussão

foi altamente motivada pelos incidentes ocorridos na prisão de Abu Ghraib, na Praça

Nissor e os assassinatos de empregados da empresa Blackwater em Fallujah. A lei

existente mostrou-se inaplicável e inadequada para tratar de violações do Direito

Internacional Humanitário (DIH) e Direito dos Direitos Humanos ( HRL ) cometidas

por empreiteiros privados e por isso promover o debate sobre a questão é necessário.

Este artigo busca discutir as opções de regulação existentes e os esforços atuais para

promover a regulamentação das atividades dos empreiteiros privados. Três questões



1Ph.D in International Law, Kobe University, Graduate School of Law, Division of Academic Legal

Studies (2012) with the Japanese Government “Monbukagakusho” Scholarship (2007-2012); International

Public Law researcher, Hokkaido University (2008); L.L.M in International Law, Pontifical Catholic

University of Minas Gerais (2007); Bachelor of laws, FUMEC University (2005).

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X ANUÁRIO BRASILEIRO DE DIREITO INTERNACIONAL

principais serão abordadas: em primeiro lugar, busca-se verificar se a auto-regulação

é ou não uma alternativa; em segundo lugar, as tentativas nacionais em regulamentos

e ; terceiro, o estado atual de desenvolvimento da regulamentação em nível regional e

internacional. A conclusão é que somente através de uma abordagem multi-camadas

e esforço conjunto (em nivel nacionais, regionais e internacionais), a regulamentação

direcionada à indústria e a implementação podem ter sucesso.

Palavras-Chave: empresas militares e de segurança privada, responsabilidade do

Estado, violações de direitos humanos, auto-regulação, Documento de Montreux.

SUMMARY: 1.Introdução. 2. Is self-regulation an option? 3. Merits and

shortcomings of domestic regulations. 4.Current developments on regional and

international legal framework. 4.1. The regulation on regional level. 4.2 The

contributions of the Montreux Document on PMSCs regulation. 4.2.1 The Montreux

Document. 4.3 The first attempt at an international treaty: The draft of a possible

Convention on Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs). 5. Final Remarks

INTRODUCTION

Given the projected growth of private contractors industry since the end of

the Cold War, international scholars have mainly focused the discussion on the

definitional issues and legitimacy of private military and security companies

(PMSCs) activities. 2However, in recent years jurists evolved the discussion to

include the legal consequences of PMSCs’ employees misconduct and the

international law options of regulation. This sudden evolution was highly motivated

by the incidents occurred at the Abu Ghraib prison, Nissor Square and the killing of

Blackwater contractors in Fallujah.3



2Confusion still remains in determining what precisely constitutes a private company, and several terms

are used to describe them, suc h as, private security companies (PSCs), private mili tary companies (PMCs)

and private military and securi ty companies (PMSCs).Th e difficulty in building a concept of private

companies relates to the fa ct that they are different from each other and that they provi de several services

in different areas of expertise for diversified clients. For instance, the defunct Executive Outcomes and

Sandline offered direct combat services, while MPRI provides advisory and strategic milita ry analysis;

Kellogg, Brown & Root provides support ive and logistic services and Medical Support Solutions is a field

medicine firm capable of operating in conflict situations. The definition provided by the Montreux

Document, item 9 (a) on the Preface seems to be more appropriate because it defines private contractors

generically, without being tied to a strict delimitation between military and security companies: “PMSCs

are business entities that provide military and/or security services, irrespective of how they describe

themselves. Military and security services include, in particular, armed guarding and protection of persons

and objects, such as convoys, buildings and other places; maintenance and operation of weapons systems;

prisoner detention; and advice to or training of local forces and security personnel.” For a comprehensive

discussion on the subject see: CALAZANS, Érika L. B..The Legal Status of Private Military and Security

Companies Employees Under International Humanitarian Law. Anuário Brasileiro de Direito Internacional,

v. VI, p. 149-180, 2011.

3In 2004, gross human rights violations took place inside the Abu Ghra ib prison, with the involvement of

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