Under international humanitarian law, protected persons are those to whom a particular humanitarian treaty applies, that is, who are covered by the protective rules laid down in that treaty and thus enjoy certain rights when they are in the power of the enemy. In a broader sense, protected persons are those who benefit in wartime from treaty-based or customary humanitarian law. In particular, protected persons are the wounded, the sick, the shipwrecked, prisoners of war and other persons deprived of their freedom in relation to conflict, civilians and other persons not or no longer taking part in the fighting, medical and religious personnel, the staff of relief operations, the staff of civil defence organizations and mediators.

In the event of armed conflict, there are also protected objects. These include cultural property and all other civilian objects as well as military medical facilities and ambulances.