Other persons protected under international humanitarian law

Protected persons in wartime are all those who benefit from protection under treaty-based and customary international humanitarian law. These persons are specifically the sick, wounded, shipwrecked, prisoners and civilians not taking direct part in the hostilities, but the law also covers others such as medical and religious personnel, humanitarian workers and civil defence staff. Read full overview

Highlights

Treaty Law

Customary law

Reference documents

Analysis

"Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel": Presentation and analysis

31-12-1995 | International Review of the Red Cross | Antoine Bouvier
Serving God and Ceasar: Religious personnel and their protection in armed conflict

Spiritual assistance plays an important and special role in times of hardship, and especially war. Stefan Lunze studies the historical background of the protection for religious personnel in times of armed conflict. He looks at the function of military chaplains and the legal protection regime under contemporary humanitarian law. Some concrete examples serve as a background to study the neutrality of religious personnel.

31-03-2004 | International Review of the Red Cross | Stefan Lunze
International Humanitarian Law and the Protection of Media Professionals Working in Armed Conflicts

The present note looks at the provisions in international humanitarian law (IHL) that protect media professionals and facilitate the exercise of their professional activity. It aims to demonstrate that the harm suffered by journalists and their teams could be significantly reduced if there were a greater respect for these laws and if they were more vigorously enforced.

01-12-2007 || Knut Dörmann

International Review of the Red Cross More articles

Special issue of the Review

International Review of the Red Cross, 2007, No. 865 – Humanitarian actors

In images More images

Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine

Protecting the witnesses
Journalists are often the first to expose the reality of war and the suffering of vulnerable people. But media workers are also targets. What can humanitarians do to help keep them safe — and get the story out?

Publications More publications

Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine: Protecting the witnesses - No. 2, 2012

Journalists are often the first to expose the reality and the crimes of war. They are also crucial witnesses to the suffering and needs of vulnerable people in times of conflict and natural disaster.
HOTLINE: assistance for journalists on dangerous assignments

The ICRC operates a hotline enabling journalists, their families and the media organizations they work for to request assistance if they are wounded, detained or missing.

Other persons protected under international humanitarian law

Highlights

When journalists' safety is at stake, the ICRC hotline can help

100 years on, ICRC nurses face greater challenges than ever before