On the issue of the legal status of combatants and non-combatants


	International relations Reference: Zverev P.G. On the issue of the legal status of combatants and non-combatants // International relations. 2016. № 1. P. 86-91. URL: https://en.nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=67562 Zverev P.G. On the issue of the legal status of combatants and non-combatants Abstract: The article is devoted to the comparative study of the legal status of combatants and non-combatants from the position of international humanitarian law and from the point of view of Russian and foreign international law doctrine. Special attention is paid to differences in the legal status of these persons in land, sea and air warfare. The weak positions of the Russian and foreign international law specialists in an attempt to distinguish these categories of eligible participants of armed conflicts are observed. The provisions of the 1949 Geneva conventions and their Additional protocols of 1977 are analyzed. The objective of this study is to determine the qualitative feature, which may help to delineate clearly the legal status of combatants and non-combatants in international and internal armed conflicts.The research is based on a combination of specific historical, comparative-legal, formal-legal and political-legal methods.The main conclusions of the research are the following: 1) combatants should in any circumstances distinguish themselves from the civilian population; 2) non-combatants are entitled to use their weapons only for self-defense or the protection of the property and persons entrusted to them; 3) non-combatants should include only the medical staff and clergy, all other categories of eligible participants of armed conflict are considered to be combatants. The novelty of the research is that the position of the Russian international law specialists on the question is described for the first time in comparative perspective in English. Keywords: Russian doctrine, clergy, medical personnel, war, legal position, non-combatant, combatant, armed conflict, Geneva conventions, Additional protocols This article can be downloaded freely in PDF format for reading. Download article References 1. Biryukov P.N. Mezhdunarodnoe pravo. Uchebnoe posobie. – M.: Yurist', 2000. – 416 s. 2. Mezhdunarodnoe pravo: Uchebnik dlya vuzov / Otv. red. G.V. Ignatenko, Tiunov O.I. – 2-e izd., izmen. i dop. – M.: NORMA, 2002. – 592 s. 3. Kremnev P.P. Pravovoy status uchastnikov vooruzhennykh konfliktov // Rossiyskiy ezhegodnik mezhdunarodnogo prava. 2003. Spetsial'nyy vypusk. – S. 282-290 4. Mezhdunarodnoe pravo. Uchebnik / Otv. red. Kovalev A.A., Chernichenko S.V. – M.: Omega-L, 2006. – 832 s. 5. Gutman R., Rieff D. Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know. – New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1999. – 352 p. 6. Henckaerts J.-M., Doswald-Beck L. Customary international humanitarian law. Volume I: Rules. – New York: ICRC, Cambridge University Press, 2009. – 628 p. 7. Gutman R., Rieff D. Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know. – New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1999. – 352 p. 8. Perspektivy instituta voennykh svyashchennikov v rossiyskoy armii // Vestnik voennogo i morskogo dukhovenstva (internet-zhurnal) [Elektronnyy resurs] Rezhim dostupa: http://kapellan.ru/perspektivy-instituta-voennyx-svyashhennikov-v-rossijskoj-armii.html 9. David E. Principles de droit des conflits armés. – Bruxelles: Bruylant, 1994. – 994 p. 10. Dogel' M. Yuridicheskoe polozhenie lichnosti vo vremya sukhoputnoy voyny. Kombatanty. – Kazan': Tipolitografiya Imp. universiteta, 1894. – 368 s. 11. Baccino-Astrada A. Manual on the Rights and Duties of Medical Personnel in Armed Conflicts. – Geneva: ICRC, the League of Red Cross Societies, 1982. – 78 p.

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Zverev P.G. On the issue of the legal status of combatants and non-combatants