Human Shields

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18 Articles
Shot of the court room in the International Court of Justice

Why the ICJ Ruling Misses the Mark: Mitigating Civilian Harm With An Enemy Engaged in Human Shielding

Former CENTCOM Commander General (ret.) Joseph Votel and Professor Claire Finkelstein critically analyze South Africa's positions before the International Court of Justice in…

Expert Guidance: Law of Armed Conflict in the Israel-Hamas War

Experts detail how the laws of war apply to Israel-Hamas conflict to assist policymakers and the public at large.
Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli warplanes target a governmental building, early on May 18, 2021 in Gaza City, Gaza.

Dispatch from Israel on Human Shields: What I Should’ve Said to a Dad on the Playground

Who's responsible for the deaths of those civilians in Gaza who were near areas where Hamas operates?
Patmanathan Kokilavani holds photos of her two children at a protest site for loved ones of the disappeared on May 13, 2019 in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Behind her are numerous photos strung on a wall of others who are disappeared.

Human Shields and Proportionality: How Legal Experts Defended War Crimes in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Civil War constitutes an unprecedented case in terms of the number of people who were framed as human shields and the mobilization of prominent human rights…
Rescue teams work amidst debris after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini airport in the Iranian capital Tehran early in the morning on January 8, 2020, killing everyone on board.

Human Shielding (by Omission) in Iran

Iran violated its legal obligations to take passive precautions to protect civilians under its control, with the intent that those civilians shield military targets from attack.…
Just Security

New Symposium Scholarship on Human Shields

We have covered on these pages the legal and moral issues surrounding the use of human shields in contemporary armed conflict situations. The American Society of International…
Just Security

Thoughts on Distinction and Proportionality in the December 2016 Revision to the Law of War Manual

The new revisions to the DoD Law of War Manual that the Department of Defense released last week are welcome in several respects.  Four improvements are especially noteworthy:…
Just Security

A Squarable Circle?: The Revised DoD Law of War Manual and the Challenge of Human Shields

In a new update to its Law of War (LoW) Manual, the U.S. Department of Defense kept its promise to be, as the DoD General Counsel (GC) Hon. Jennifer O’Connor reiterated at NYU…
Just Security

Human Shields in the (Updated) Dept of Defense’s Law of War Manual

[Editor’s Note: On Tuesday, the Department of Defense released an updated version of its Law of War Manual. Just Security is hosting an online “mini forum” to discuss the…
Just Security

Defense Department Releases Second Round of Revisions for Law of War Manual

The Defense Department published new revisions to its Law of War Manual this evening. This is the second time the document has been changed since it was first released in the summer…
Just Security

Human Shields in International Humanitarian Law: A Guide to the Legal Framework

To assist our readers interested in the phenomenon of human shields, I’ve produced a compilation of the relevant legal framework (additions/suggestions welcome!) These rules…
Just Security

Human Shields in Mosul

Daesh’s inhumanity seems to know no bounds.  For its latest depravity, the group has forcibly expelled hundreds of civilians from nearby villages and forced them to serve as…
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