The Geneva Conventions — the world's rules of war — are 75 years old and ignored nearly everywhere
The Geneva Conventions have been adopted by nearly every country since they were finalized on Aug. 12, 1949
GENEVA (AP) — At its 75th anniversary, the world's best-known rulebook on the protection of civilians, detainees and wounded soldiers in war has been widely ignored — from Gaza to Syria to Ukraine to Myanmar and beyond — and its defenders are calling for a new commitment to international humanitarian law.
The Geneva Conventions, which have been adopted by nearly all the world's countries since they were finalized on Aug. 12, 1949, are back on their heels as armed militia groups and national forces regularly disregard the rules of war.
“International humanitarian law is under strain, disregarded, undermined to justify violence,” President Mirjana Spoljaric of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which oversees the conventions, said Monday.
“The world must recommit to this robust protective framework for armed conflict, one that follows the premise of protecting life instead of justifying death,” she said.
