What is the purpose of international humanitarian law?
2 International Humanitarian Law
It aims to protect persons who are not or are no longer taking part in hostilities, the sick and wounded, prisoners and civilians, and to define the rights and obligations of the parties to a conflict in the conduct of hostilities.
What do you understand by international humanitarian law?
International humanitarian law is a set of rules which seek, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons who are not or are no longer participating in the hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare. … International humanitarian law applies to armed conflicts.
What are the basic rules of international humanitarian law?
Basic rules of international humanitarian law in armed conflicts
- Persons hors de combat and those who do not take a direct part in hostilities are entitled to respect for their. …
- It is forbidden to kill or injure an enemy who surrenders or who is hors de combat .
- The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for by the party to the conflict which has them in its power.
Is international humanitarian law legally binding?
Customary international law consists of rules derived from the consistent practice of States based on a belief that the law requires them to act in that way. Such rules are binding on both states and non-State armed groups.
What are the three core humanitarian principles?
The core humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality are based on International Humanitarian Law (such as the Fourth Geneva Convention) and underpin the definition of what constitutes a ‘humanitarian’ response (OCHA, 2012).
What are the sources of international humanitarian law?
The four Geneva Conventions of 1949, together with the Hague Conventions of 1907 and customary international law, are the core sources of modern international humanitarian law (IHL). International Humanitarian Law is often broken down into two sub categories, referred to as “Hague Law” and “Geneva Law”.
What are the 4 Geneva Conventions?
The conference developed four conventions, which were approved in Geneva on August 12, 1949: (1) the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field, (2) the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked Members of Armed …
Who protects IHL?
International humanitarian law protects a wide range of people and objects during armed conflict. The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols protect the sick, wounded and shipwrecked not taking part in hostilities, prisoners of war and other detained persons, as well as civilians and civilian objects.
What is the principle of distinction in international humanitarian law?
Distinction is a principle under international humanitarian law governing the legal use of force in an armed conflict, whereby belligerents must distinguish between combatants and civilians.
What is the difference between international humanitarian law and human rights law?
International humanitarian law and international human rights law are two distinct but complementary bodies of law. … IHL applies in armed conflict while human rights law applies at all times, in peace and in war. Both international humanitarian law and human rights law apply in armed conflicts.
What is Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention?
Common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions is co-terminous with certain human rights which are non-derogable in character, i.e., rights which are protected in all times-peace, war and national emergency.
What are the main IHL treaties today?
What treaties make up international humanitarian law?
- I Amelioration of the condition of the wounded and sick in armed forces in the field.
- II Amelioration of the condition of wounded, sick and shipwrecked members of armed forces at sea.
- III Treatment of prisoners of war.
- IV Protection of civilian persons in time of war (new)
What are serious violations of international humanitarian law?
Violations are serious, and are war crimes, if they endanger protected persons (e.g. civilians, prisoners of war, the wounded and sick) or objects (e.g. civilian objects or infrastructure) or if they breach important values. The majority of war crimes involve death, injury, destruction or unlawful taking of property.
Who is the father of international law?
Hamilton Vreeland’s Hugo Grotius: The Father of the Modern Science of International Law (1917) served to underline his status; the American Society of International Law holds an annual Grotius Lecture; and the Peace Palace library (The Hague) honors him as the “founder of the systematic modern doctrine of international …