Legality of civilian casualties Civilians cannot be made the object of an attack, but the death/injury of civilians while conducting an attack on a military objective are governed under principles such as of proportionality and military necessity and can be permissible.
Since 1949, the Fourth Geneva Convention specifically protects the civilian population. It is aimed particularly at protecting civilians from acts carried out by the adverse party to the conflict.
The term collateral damage, a euphemism for civilian casualty, came into usage during the Vietnam War and over several decades became entrenched in U.S. armed forces jargon. But long before the phrase was coined there were non-combatant victims of wars.
Civilians in areas of armed conflict and occupied territories are protected by the 159 articles of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Civilians are to be protected from murder, torture or brutality, and from discrimination on the basis of race, nationality, religion or political opinion.
The rules of war, or international humanitarian law (as it is known formally) are a set of international rules that set out what can and cannot be done during an armed conflict. The main purpose of international humanitarian law (IHL) is to maintain some humanity in armed conflicts, saving lives and reducing suffering.
In short, the rules of war mean: You do not torture people. You do not attack civilians. You limit as much as you can the impact of your warfare on women and children. You treat detainees humanely.
These include prohibition on exploding or expanding bullets (1868), expanding bullets (1899), poison and asphyxiating gases (1925), biological weapons (1972), chemical weapons (1993), munitions using undetectable fragments (1980), blinding laser weapons (1995), anti-personnel mines (1997), cluster munitions (2008), ...
However, some classes of combatants may not be accorded POW status, but that definition has broadened to cover more classes of combatants over time. In the past, summary execution of pirates, spies, and francs-tireurs have been performed and considered legal under existing international law.
If a country is believed to have committed a war crime during conflict, the case is handled by the International Crime Court (ICC) which will investigate the matter and provide punishment where appropriate.
It specifically prohibits murder, mutilation, torture, the taking of hostages, unfair trial, and cruel, humiliating and degrading treatment. It requires that the wounded, sick and shipwrecked be collected and cared for.
Table ranking "History's Most Deadly Events": Influenza pandemic (1918-19) 20-40 million deaths; black death/plague (1348-50), 20-25 million deaths, AIDS pandemic (through 2000) 21.8 million deaths, World War II (1937-45), 15.9 million deaths, and World War I (1914-18) 9.2 million deaths.
Instead, a soldier or policeman killed in action is called 'battle casualty' or 'operations casualty', respectively. People often associate the term 'martyr' or 'shaheed' with respect for those who sacrifice their lives for the nation.
World War II was a global war that spanned from 1939 to 1945. The war pitted the Allies and the Axis power in the deadliest war in history, and was responsible for the deaths of over 70 million people.
Willful killing, that is, intentionally causing the death of civilians, and "willfully causing great suffering or serious injury" when wounding victims, are war crimes. Persons who commit, order, or condone war crimes are individually liable under international humanitarian law for their crimes.
International humanitarian law protects a wide range of people and objects during armed conflict. The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols protect sick, wounded and shipwrecked persons not taking part in hostilities, prisoners of war and other detainees, civilians and civilian objects.
UNMISS engages with the Government and its defence forces to prevent conflicts through proactive actions, including pre-planned deployment at bases in identified potential conflict areas, and long- and short-duration patrols in locations where early warning on imminent conflicts is received.
The maximum penalty for the War Crime—Murder offence is life imprisonment.
The Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan) were some of the most systematic perpetrators of war crimes in modern history.
Although the US military no longer fields the weapons, there are no laws prohibiting their use against enemy combatants. While the flamethrower may never again be used as extensively as it was in World War II, fire-spewing guns will always have their time and place.
POW status is only legally recognized for international armed conflicts—conflicts fought between States. There is no POW status in non-international armed conflicts, sometimes referred to as "civil wars". PoW status is regulated by the Third Geneva Convention and Additional Protocol I.
If the death penalty is pronounced on a prisoner of war, the sentence shall not be executed before the expiration of a period of at least six months from the date when the Protecting Power receives, at an indicated address, the detailed communication provided for in Article 107 .
In general, Article 49 of the 1949 Convention provides that all prisoners of war, except commissioned officers, may be compelled to work.
Military necessity, along with distinction, proportionality, humanity (sometimes called unnecessary suffering), and honor (sometimes called chivalry) are the five most commonly cited principles of international humanitarian law governing the legal use of force in an armed conflict.
A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion.
Those who can prove a religious, ethical or moral opposition to all wars may apply for a discharge or transfer to a non-combat job as a conscientious objector.