Ibrahim Rezaei, Shafiullah stanikzai
Abstract
Based on human rights instruments, life, health, and the enjoyment of physical well-being are inherent human rights. States are obligated to take necessary measures to protect the right to life and health. War and armed conflict pose a significant threat to these rights. Advancements in technology in the context of armed conflict have led to the development of weapons with greater destructive power and harm. Efforts by individuals, states, and human rights organizations have sought to prohibit and restrict many weapons or to limit their use in specific times, places, and circumstances. The result of these efforts has been the adoption of international treaties and agreements to prohibit and restrict many weapons. The first such instruments were the 1864 Geneva Convention and the 1868 St. Petersburg Declaration, which form part of international humanitarian law. One of the primary goals of this body of law is to mitigate the suffering caused by the use of conventional weapons. This research, employing a descriptive-analytical methodology and relying on library research, finds that international humanitarian law seeks to reduce the harmful effects of weapons used in armed conflict. International humanitarian law protects combatants, non-combatants, and their property, including medical personnel, religious workers, teachers, journalists, cultural and religious sites, and even forests and environmentally sensitive areas, from the effects of armed conflict. To this end, the use of unconventional weapons is prohibited, and conventional weapons are also prohibited or restricted in respect of certain persons, places, and circumstances.
Keywords: international humanitarian law, international armed conflict, conventional weapons, prohibition of conventional weapons, restrictions on conventional weapons