I’m Not a TargetI’m Not a Target

International humanitarian law, otherwise called the laws of war or the law of armed conflict, sets as a core rule that the fighting parties must at all times distinguish between those who fight (mostly members of armies or armed groups) and those who do not fight (civilians) or no longer fight (wounded fighters, those who surrendered and/or got captured).

This is called the “principle of distinction”.

Under this principle the fighting parties must never directly target civilians or their properties, hence the key message “I’m not a target”.

All in all, should the parties always respect this “principle of distinction”, the vast majority of dead or wounded civilians and destroyed properties would be avoided.

This is simple to understand and not difficult to apply…should one apply common sense and good faith, and those who do not respect this principle commit war crimes. As simple as that.

And this also applies to the weapons the fighting parties use: see the design “If You Can’t Distinguish, Don’t Use It!”.