International Criminal Court
The Statute of the International Criminal Court was adopted in Rome in July 1998, an event welcomed by the ICRC as an important step towards ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and …
The Statute of the International Criminal Court was adopted in Rome in July 1998, an event welcomed by the ICRC as an important step towards ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and …
International humanitarian law, or jus in bello, is the law that governs the way in which warfare is conducted. IHL is purely humanitarian, seeking to limit the suffering caused. It is independent …
International humanitarian law and international human rights law are two distinct but complementary bodies of law. They are both concerned with the protection of the life, health and dignity of …
The third Geneva Convention provides a wide range of protection for prisoners of war. It defines their rights and sets down detailed rules for their treatment and eventual release. International …
International humanitarian law aims to prevent and alleviate human suffering in war without discrimination based on sex. But it does recognize that women face specific problems in armed conflict, …
Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL) is an education programme that introduces young people between 13 and 18 years of age to the basic rules and principles of international humanitarian law (IHL).The …
Protecting the sick and wounded in armed conflict was the founding principle of the First Geneva Convention signed in 1864. It remained the core of IHL as it extended to other aspects of the conduct …
A basic principle of IHL is that those engaged in an armed conflict must at all times distinguish between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives. IHL thus …
Refugees are people who have crossed an international frontier and are at risk or have been victims of persecution in their country of origin. Internally displaced persons (IDPs), on the other hand, …
All States and other parties to an armed conflict have an obligation to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) in all circumstances. They must use their influence to …
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Created in 1863, the ICRC library, alongside the ICRC archives, provides an indispensable documentary reference on the organization itself and international humanitarian law.
International humanitarian law is based on a number of treaties, in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, and a series of other instruments.
Customary international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.