Human Rights & Humanitarian Law

Humanitarian law is an international body of rules, which, in wartime, protects persons who are not or are no longer participating in the hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare. Its central purpose is to limit and prevent human suffering in times of armed conflict. Two basic rules of humanitarian law are the prohibition of employing weapons or methods of warfare of a nature to cause unnecessary losses or excessive suffering (e.g. chemical and/or biological weapons), and the commitment to distinguish between civilian and combatants in times of war. While humanitarian law applies in situations of armed conflict, international human rights law, being tailored primarily for peacetime, applies at all times. Its principal goal is to protect individuals from unjust and/or cruel behavior by their own governments. International human rights law states that the right to life, the prohibition of torture and inhuman punishment or treatment, slavery and servitude, and the principle of legality and non-retroactivity of the law must be respected in all circumstances. It also stipulates that states must guarantee rights to self-determination, property, due process, fair working conditions, access to health care, and education.