The principle of distinction in international humanitarian law and South Africa

Academic Paper from the year 2022 in the subject Law - European and International Law, Intellectual Properties, grade: 2.0, , language: English, abstract: This paper seeks to provide an outline of the principle of distinction as understood in the context of international humanitarian law. It looks at the applicability of the rule of distinction to international armed conflicts as well as non-international armed conflicts. It will demonstrate that the genesis of the principle of distinction can be traced to the rules of customary international law. It will also highlight the fact that South Africa is a party to the relevant international Conventions and declarations related to the principle of distinction.South Africa is a party to 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. South Africa ratified the 1949 Geneva Conventions on 31 March 1952, and their 1977 Additional Protocols on 21 November 1995. South Africa has adopted the Implementation of the Geneva Conventions Act, Act 8 of 2012.