Humanitäres Völkerrecht
Das humanitäre Völkerrecht ist ein Teilgebiet des Völkerrechts, das in bewaffneten Konflikten zur Anwendung kommt und insbesondere die Behandlung von Kriegsgefangenen, das Verbot besonders grausamer Waffen, den Umgang mit der Zivilbevölkerung sowie die Rechte und Pflichten neutraler Staaten regelt.
The German Federal Court of Justice recently announced that the exclusion of functional immunity for foreign state officials in cases of international crimes is “without a doubt” part of customary international law. Like many others in academic literature, we agree with this conclusion – the German government would be well advised to embrace it and put an end to its long-standing ambiguous position on the matter.
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In light of the atrocities committed by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters in Israel on October 7, 2023 and the days thereafter, and against the backdrop of Germany’s historical responsibility, the German government and German politicians have unanimously expressed solidarity with Israel and emphasized its right to self-defense. Following the October 17, 2023 call by Kai Ambos for a differentiated debate, we explain which international humanitarian law precautions are relevant and what German policy can contribute to contain the escalation of violence as well as the suffering of the civilian population in the immediate conflict and in the future.
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