Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC)
695 Articles

Sri Lanka’s UN Efforts to Stave Off Justice for War Crimes
The Rajapaksa government has gone so far as to install someone allegedly associated with a death squad on the Human Rights Council.

Why Guantánamo Detainees Should Have Access to COVID Vaccines Part I: Law of Armed Conflict and Good Policy
The laws of war require vaccinating Guantanamo detainees. So do policy imperatives — including the U.S. military's own self-interests.

COVID-19 and International Law Series: International Humanitarian Law – Treatment of Detainees
Prisoners are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19 – especially in a war zone. What obligations do combatants have to prisoners of war and other detainees during a pandemic?…

A Landmark Report on Starvation as a Method of Warfare
On the 5th of October, the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, established in 2016 with a view to monitoring human rights and facilitating transitional justice in the country,…

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…

COVID-19 and International Law Series: International Humanitarian Law – Conduct of Hostilities
Airstrikes on hospitals. Targeting medical personnel. Cutting off water supplies. Respect for IHL rules is as essential as ever during a pandemic. How do principles of distinction,…

Anticipating the Human Costs of Great Power Conflict
Conspicuously absent from policy and planning documents about great power conflict is a clear-eyed assessment of the likely human costs of such a conflict or considerations for…

Geneva Convention III Commentary: Unpacking the Potential of “Ensure Respect” in Common Article 1
[Just Security is publishing a series on the ICRC’s updated Commentaries to the Third Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War (2020). This GCIII Commentary series is published…

Geneva Convention III Commentary: What Significance for Women’s Rights?
Analysis of the ICRC's updated Commentaries to the Geneva Convention for Prisoners of War (POWs).

Geneva Convention III Commentary: Implementing POW Convention in Multinational Operations
[Just Security is publishing a series on the ICRC’s updated Commentaries to the Third Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War (2020). This GCIII Commentary series is published…

Finland Sets Out Key Positions on International Cyber Law
Analysis of the Government of Finland's new statement on international law in cyberspace.

An Enduring Impasse on Autonomous Weapons
Are existing international laws sufficient or are new legal rules needed to codify the “human element” in the use of force?