The armed forces of a belligerent taking part in an international armed conflict consist of all organized armed forces, groups and units which are under a command responsible to that party for the conduct of its subordinates, even if that party is represented by a government or authority not recognized by an adverse party. The armed forces may also comprise paramilitary forces or armed law enforcement agency. Such armed forces must be subject to an internal disciplinary system which must enforce compliance with international humanitarian law. Members of such armed forces (other than medical personnel and chaplains) are combatants.
See Combatants; Dissemination; Enlistment; Combatants; Prisoners of war
OUTLINE
CASES
- United Kingdom, The Case of Serdar Mohammed (Court of Appeal and Supreme Court Judgments)
- Colombia Peace Agreement
- UN/Colombia, Human Rights Committee Clarifications and Concluding Observations (2016)
- International Criminal Court, Trial Judgment in the Case of the Prosecutor V. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo
- Eastern Ukraine, Attacks Against and Military Use of Schools
- Eastern Ukraine, OHCHR Report on the Situation: November 2016 - February 2017
- Iraq, Crimes by Militia Groups
- Central African Republic, No Class: When Armed Groups Use Schools
- The Netherlands/Ukraine, Classification of the Situation and Combatant Status (2014)
- The Netherlands, Fighting in the Chora District (Afghanistan)
- United States, The US Plan to Mitigate Civilian Harm in Armed Conflicts
- United Kingdom, Unlawful Killings in Afghanistan
DOCUMENT
BIBLIOGRAPHIC RESOURCES
Suggested reading:
HINGORANI Rup C., Prisoners of War, New York, Oceana Publications, 2nd ed., 1982, 315 pp.
LEVIE Howard S. (ed.), "Prisoners of War in International Armed Conflict", in International Law Studies, US Naval War College, Vol. 59, 1978, 529 pp.
LEVIE Howard S. (ed.), "Documents on Prisoners of War", in International Law Studies, US Naval War College, Vol. 60, 1979, 853 pp.
ROSAS Allan, The Legal Status of Prisoners of War: A Study of International Humanitarian Law Applicable in Armed Conflicts, Helsinki, Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1976, 523 pp.