International humanitarian law against the background of custom and humanity

Abstract

English: International humanitarian law (IHL) strives to improve and protect human dignity during the most tumultuous periods known to mankind. As such, every endeavour to strengthen and enhance the functioning of this branch of law must be pursued and supported. The ICRC Study on Customary International Humanitarian Law (CIHL) was precisely such an endeavour. This Study found that very many IHL rules have been subsumed by CIHL, thus applying irrespective of treaty ratification, and that the rules applicable in international armed conflicts were converging with those applicable in non-international armed conflicts. However, this Study and its attendant literature have refrained from returning to a theoretical reconsideration of the normative foundation of IHL and, by extension, CIHL. The present dissertation aims to fill this theoretical lacuna and, in the process, to re-establish natural law principles and, in particular, considerations of humanity, as the raison d'être of and motivating factor for IHL. Accordingly, the dissertation pursues the natural law principle of humanity through its practical and theoretical development, before investigating its possible application through the Martens clause, norms of ius cogens and obligations erga omnes. Since the objective is to elucidate the essential foundation of IHL to better comprehend its customary source, the interconnectedness between IHL, CIHL and natural law principles, like humanity, is emphasised. In the process, the dissertation also enters the debate regarding the necessary methodological approach for CIHL ascertainment and postulates a normative, transcendental approach in this regard. Subsequently, the ICRC Study on CIHL is evaluated through the natural law paradigm established in the dissertation, which seemingly has not yet occurred in international legal literature.

Afrikaans: Internasionale Humanitêre reg strewe daarna om menswaardigheid te verbeter en te beskerm tydens die onstuimigste tye bekend aan die mens. As sodanig, moet elke onderneming om die werking van hierdie vertakking van die reg te versterk en te verhef ondersoek en ondersteun word. Die Internasionale Komitee van die Rooi Kruis (IKRK) se Studie oor Internasionale Humanitêre Gewoontereg (IHG) was juis só ‘n onderneming. Die Studie het gevind dat baie Internasionale Humanitêre regreëls opgeneem is deur IHG, en dus toepassing vind ongeag of die ooreenstemmende verdrae geratifiseer was, asook dat die reels wat toepassing vind in internasionale 308 gewapende konflikte nader beweeg het aan die reels wat toepassing vind in nie-internasionale gewapende konflikte. Hierdie Studie en die gepaardgaande literatuur het egter nagelaat om na ‘n teoretiese heroorweging van die normatiewe grondslag van Internasionale Humanitêre reg en, per implikasie, IHG terug te keer. Die huidige verhandeling beoog om hierdie teoretiese gaping te vul en sodoende natuurregsbeginsels en, veral, oorwegings van menslikheid (humanity) te hervestig as die grondliggende beginsel en motiverende factor van Internasionale Humanitêre reg. Die verhandeling ondersoek die natuurregsbeginsel van menslikheid deur die praktiese en teoretiese ontwikkeling daarvan, voordat die moontlike toepassing daarvan met behulp van die Martens klousule, norme van ius cogens en verpligtinge erga omnes ondersoek word. Aangesien die doel is om die essensiële grondslag van Internasionale Humanitêre reg te ondersoek ten einde die gewoonteregtelike bron daarvan beter te verstaan, word die interafhanklikheid van Internasionale Humanitêre reg, IHG en natuurregsbeginsels, soos menslikheid, deurgaans beklemtoon. Sodoende betree die verhandeling die debat rakende die gepaste metode om IHG vas te stel en opper ‘n normatiewe, transendentale benadering tot dien effekte. Hierna word die IKRK se Studie ondersoek in die lig van die natuurreg paradigma wat in die verhandeling voorgehou is, wat oënskynlik nog nie in internasionale regsliteratuur gebeur het nie.