In times of armed conflict and war, there are international legal rules that countries and groups must abide by to limit the suffering caused to civilians. Using recent examples, Marieke de Hoon discusses the importance of international humanitarian law and how it works in practice.
“Respect for human dignity under the most inhumane circumstances.” It is the core of the legal agreements that all countries in the world have made with each other about what is and what is not permitted in armed conflict. International humanitarian law serves to protect civilians, prisoners, the sick and wounded from the violent actions of warring parties. But whether it's the wars in Ukraine and Syria, or the armed conflicts in the Red Sea, Nagorno-Karabakh, or Myanmar ... wherever countries and groups are in conflict, the rules are put to the test.
Marieke de Hoon, a legal expert in international criminal law and human rights, provides a general introduction to the principles of international humanitarian law and discusses examples and issues from recent conflicts, with a particular focus on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Dr. mr. Marieke de Hoon is Associate Professor International Criminal Law at the University of Amsterdam (UvA); honorary Appeal’s Prosecutor in-training at the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (Openbaar Ministerie - OM); and Direct Netherlands Office and Senior Counsel at the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG). Her research focuses on prosecutorial choices and challenges in extraterritorial atrocity crimes investigations and prosecutions.