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IHL Resources

Below is a list of resources to help your understanding of IHL in an Australian and international context.

In addition to the links provided to the relevant legislation, more general information can be accessed via the Australian Red Cross IHL Newsletter, the ICRC Fact Sheets and through the Australian Red Cross National Resource Centre.



IHL Treaties

These include the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, and a range of other treaties dealing with weaponry, torture and the like.

For a list of relevant IHL treaties and links to their full texts, visit the IHL publications page of the ICRC website.
 

Australia and IHL Treaties

Treaties to which Australia is a Party or signatory to can be found in the Treaties section of the ICRC website.




Australian Legislation

In 1957, the Australian Government enacted the Geneva Conventions Act.  This Act, together with the Geneva Conventions Amendment Act 1991, the Criminal Code 1995 and International Criminal Court Act 2002 provide the legal framework for the trial and punishment of anyone committing grave breaches of the laws of war either in Australia or elsewhere.

Other relevant Australian legislation:

Anti-Personnel Mines Convention Act 1988 (Cth)
Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act 1994 (Cth)
Crimes (Biological Weapons) Act 1976 (Cth)
International War Crimes Tribunal Act 1995 (Cth)

See also, the Australian Treaties Library



Customary International Humanitarian Law

The ICRC has published a study on the customary rules of IHL.

The Introduction and Table of contents to the report can be found in the Customary Law section of the ICRC website.



Publications

IHL Newsletter

The Australian Red Cross IHL Program publishes a biannual IHL Newsletter, focusing on current IHL issues. The latest edition addresses the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.  Previous editions have highlighted: Torture, Landmines, Protection for Cultural Property and Women and War.

You can order the latest issue (and some back copies) by contacting the National IHL Program.

Fact Sheets

The ICRC Advisory Service publishes Fact Sheets on IHL related topics.

In additional to explaining the relevant treaties, Fact Sheets cover topics such as:

  • Landmines
  • Women and War
  • Protection of Cultural Property
  • emblem protection

Fact sheets can be accessed on the ICRC website

International Review of the Red Cross

The International Review of the Red Cross is a quarterly legal journal containing articles by prominent IHL experts on contemporary issues relating to armed conflict. It is available on line at the ICRC website or by subscription.

Key IHL Texts

The Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 
(text of the Geneva Conventions)
Index of IHL 
(a detailed index to the Geneva and Hague Conventions)
How Does Law Protect in War? 
(an academic text on IHL)
Crimes of War 
(a general discussion of key IHL issues and events)

IHL Case Summaries

You can download decisions and summaries from the various international Courts and Tribunals. See links below.

Case summaries on some key International Criminal Tribunal decisions are also available in the ARC IHL Newsletter.


Australian Red Cross National Resource Centre

Australian Red Cross National Resource Centre is the largest repository of IHL resources in the southern hemisphere and has an extensive selection of IHL reference texts and other IHL and ICRC related documentation.


Links

International Criminal Court
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The Special Court for Sierra Leone


Students & Teachers

Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL)

Exploring Humanitarian Law is a program developed by the ICRC to present IHL issues in an accessible manner for secondary schools. 

For more information, visit the EHL section of the ICRC website, or contact the Youth or IHL Officer in your State or Territory.

 
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