Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts Project

The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts Project (RULAC Project) is an initiative of the Geneva Academy of
International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights to support the application and implementation of
the international law of armed conflict.

Overview
Through a global database and analysis, the RULAC Project has as its aim an assessment of the
implementation by states of the law applicable in armed conflicts:
international humanitarian law
international human rights law
international criminal law
refugee law
The project will ultimately cover all member states of the United Nations and parties to the Geneva
Conventions as well as contested territories, whether they are in situation of armed conflict or not.
Indeed, certain international rules must be implemented during peacetime or are relevant in post-
conflict situations, in particular those relating to the repression of international crimes. In addition, the
rules regarding the fight against terrorism, also to be covered by the website, are applicable to states
that are not necessarily in a situation of armed conflict.
The website is divided into three parts. The homepage offers a small description of the applicable
law and addresses the main legal issues in that area, for example the legal qualification of conflicts
or the applicability of international law to non-state armed groups. The website then offers for each
country the relevant texts and documents dealing with the national and international legal framework
(national legislation and case law, resolutions of intergovernmental organizations, treaty, etc.).
Finally, the website offers a legal analysis that, on one hand, qualifies the conflict under international
humanitarian law and on the other hand, determines the applicable law. This part of the website,
certainly the most delicate in juridical and political terms, is particular to the RULAC Project.
The RULAC Project should prove to be a precious source of information for government officials,
journalists and more widely for any person interested by the respect of the law in war.
Geneva Conventions[edit]
The first three Geneva Conventions were revised, expanded, and replaced, and the fourth one was
added, in 1949.
The Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in
Armed Forces in the Field was adopted in 1864. It was significantly revised and replaced by the
1906 version,
[1]
the 1929 version, and later the First Geneva Convention of 1949.
[2]

The Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and
Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea was adopted in 1906.
[3]
It was significantly
revised and replaced by the Second Geneva Convention of 1949.
The Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War was adopted in 1929. It
was significantly revised and replaced by the Third Geneva Convention of 1949.
The Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War was
adopted in 1949.
In addition, there are three additional amendment protocols to the Geneva Convention:
Protocol I (1977): Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and
relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts. As of 12 January 2007 it
had been ratified by 167 countries.
Protocol II (1977): Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and
relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts. As of 12 January 2007
it had been ratified by 163 countries.
Protocol III (2005): Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and
relating to the Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem. As of June 2007 it had been ratified
by 17 countries and signed but not yet ratified by an additional 68 countries.
ICRC, What is International Humanitarian Law?, Fact Sheet, 2004.
ICRC, Basic Rules of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and 1977 Additional Protocols, 1988
ICRC, study of customary international humanitarian law.
See also[edit]
Combatant
Crime against humanity
Customary international law
Disarmed Enemy Forces
Genocide
Human rights
International human rights instruments
Just War
Prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner of war
Protective sign
Roerichs Pact
Rule of law
Rule According to Higher Law
Total war
War crime
Further reading[edit]
Barenboim P.,Sidiqi N., "Bruges, the Bridge between Civilizations: 75 Anniversary of Roerich
Pact", Grid Belgium, 2010, ISBN 978-5-98856-114-9
Bassiouni, M.C., Introduction to International Criminal Law, Transnational Publishers, 2003
Cassese A., Gaeta P. and Jones J.R.W.D. (eds), The Rome Statute of the International Criminal
Court: A Commentary, Oxford University Press, 2002.
Cassese, A., International Law, Oxford University Press, UK, 2005.
Cassese, A., International Criminal Law, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 2008.
Clapham, A., Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, UK, 2007
Cryer, R., Friman, H., Robinson, D., and Wilmshurst, E., An Introduction to International Criminal
Law and Procedure, Cambridge University Press, 2007.
De Greiff, P. (ed.), The Handbook on Reparations, Oxford University Press, 2006.
Deng, F.M., The Global Challenge of Internal Displacement, Journal of Law and Policy, Vol. 5,
2001.
Feller, E., Trk, V. and Nicholson, F. (eds.), Refugee Protection in International Law, UNHCRs
Global Consultations on International Protection, Cambridge, University Press, 2003.
Goodwin-Gill, G.S. and McAdam, J., The Refugee in International Law, 3rd edition, Oxford
University Press, 2007.
Hathaway J.C., The Rights of Refugees under International Law, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, 2005.
Klin, W., Mller, L. and Wyttenbach, J., The Face of Human Rights, Lars Mller Publishing,
Germany, 2004.
Romano, C., Nollkaemper, A., Kleffner, J., (eds), Internationalized Criminal Courts and
Tribunals: Sierra Leone, East Timor, Kosovo and Cambodia, Oxford University Press, 2004.
Schabas, W.A., The UN International Criminal Tribunals. The former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and
Sierra Leone, Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Smith, R.K.M. and van den Anker, C.(eds.), The Essentials of Human Rights, Oxford University
Press, UK, 2006.
Steiner, H.J., Alston, P., and Goodman, R., International Human Rights in Context: Laws,
Politics and Morals, 3rd edition, Oxford University Press, UK, 2008.
Teitel, R.G., Transitional Justice, Oxford University Press, 2000.
Tomuschat, C., Human Rights: Between Idealism and Realism, 2nd edition, Oxford University
Press, UK, 2008.
UNHCR, Handbook on Criteria and Procedures Determining the Status of Refugees, Geneva,
1979.
Zahar, A. & Sluiter, G., International Criminal Law, Oxford University Press, 2008.