In an international armed conflict, persons who are deemed to pose a security threat to a party to the conflict may be subjected to internment - a particular form of detention without trial. Internment is therefore a form of deprivation of liberty with no criminal, disciplinary, or punitive aims. It seeks to serve as the strictest measure of control over the activities and movements of such persons, who are referred to as internees.

While combatants may be subject to internment on account of their membership in the armed forces of the enemy, the internment of civilians must be decided on an individual basis.

See Civil internees; Internment; Prisoners of War; Detainees; Detention; Assigned Residence;