Table of Contents
How does humanitarian law protect civilians during armed conflicts?
Humanitarian law does the same in times of armed conflict. It enjoins the parties to a conflict to respect and to preserve the lives and dignity of captured enemy soldiers or of civilians who are in their power.
What is the difference between terrorism and acts of war?
2 Terrorism and Unjust War The difference is that while terrorists intend to kill people who are innocent as a means of affecting others, legitimate acts of war kill innocent people only as a side effect – as “collateral damage,” in military jargon.
Who is a civilian in international humanitarian law?
28. The manual adds: “Civilians must be understood as those who do not participate directly in military hostilities (internal conflict, international conflict).”
What differentiates terrorism from other forms of violence?
Terrorism is an act of violence, different from other acts of violence, for example, genocide, war, war crimes, political assassinations, and so on in that it is (1) a spectacle directed toward a wider audience than the immediate victims, (2) directed toward place destruction, and/or (3) place alienation (Daanish …
Are civilians protected?
The protection of civilians is not solely the responsibility of UN peace operations. States bear the primary responsibility to protect civilians, and peacekeepers are not a substitute for political engagement to tackle root causes of conflict and violence.
Is terrorism a international conflict?
The fight against terrorism may take various forms, including armed conflict. Some situations may be classified as international armed conflicts, others as non-international armed conflicts, while various acts of violence may fall outside any armed conflict due to lack of requisite nexus.
Can civilians be combatants?
Under IHL, the category of civilians is opposable to that of “combatants.” In an international armed conflict, all persons who are not combatants are civilians. Civilians who directly participate in hostilities, however, lose that protection for the duration of their participation in hostilities. …