The objective of this project is to uncover and explain the escalation and non-escalation of repression and intra-state armed conflict by analysing how characteristics of the government and its formal and informal security apparatus shape the dynamics of such violence, paying attention to the role of monitoring and accountability. RATE analyzes when and under what conditions what types of human rights violations lead to the escalation or deterrence of fur- ther repression and armed conflict. It pays particular attention to the delegation of violence to and within formal and informal armed groups and the role of domestic and international mechanisms of monitoring and accountability.