Detention / Detainees

This theme explores legal, humanitarian, and operational aspects of detention in armed conflicts, focusing on the treatment of detainees, compliance with international humanitarian law, and safeguarding human dignity in detention settings.

GCIII Commentary: ten essential protections for prisoners of war

July 23, 2020 10 mins read Analysis / Detention / GCIII Commentary / Law and Conflict Cordula Droege

The Third Geneva Convention is the most comprehensive legal framework protecting prisoners of war. Adopted in 1949 against the backdrop of immense suffering ...

Deprived of freedom: how detainees in conflict zones could benefit from a ‘triple nexus’ approach

July 9, 2020 9 mins read Analysis / Detention / Humanitarian Action Colin Walch

Detainees are among the most vulnerable groups in society, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected regions. How governments treat the people they detain in ...

GCIII Commentary: ICRC unveils first update in sixty years

June 18, 2020 10 mins read Analysis / GCIII Commentary / Generating Respect for IHL / ICRC Commentaries / Law and Conflict Jean-Marie Henckaerts

Taking prisoners in international armed conflicts has been a common practice for centuries. The Third ...

COVID-19 response in conflict zones hinges on respect for international humanitarian law

April 16, 2020 9 mins read COVID-19 and conflict / Generating Respect for IHL / Law and Conflict Cordula Droege

In our collective response to COVID-19 in conflict zones, it is vital that key provisions ...

Structural disconnects between algorithmic decision-making and the law

April 25, 2019 8 mins read Artificial Intelligence and Armed Conflict / Conduct of Hostilities / Detention / Law and Conflict / New Technologies Suresh Venkatasubramanian

Editor’s note: There are disconnects between how algorithmic decision-making systems work and how law works, according to ...

The viability of data-reliant predictive systems in armed conflict detention

April 8, 2019 10 mins read Artificial Intelligence and Armed Conflict / Detention / Law and Conflict / New Technologies Tess Bridgeman

Editor’s note: In this post, Tess Bridgeman continues the discussion on detention and the potential use of ...

The need for clear governance frameworks on predictive algorithms in military settings

March 28, 2019 13 mins read Artificial Intelligence and Armed Conflict / Detention / Law and Conflict / New Technologies Lorna McGregor

Editor’s note: In this post, as part of the AI blog series, Lorna McGregor continues the discussion on ...

Detaining by algorithm

March 25, 2019 11 mins read Artificial Intelligence and Armed Conflict / Detention / Law and Conflict / New Technologies Ashley Deeks

Editor’s note: As part of this AI blog series, several posts focus on detention and the ...

Expert views on the frontiers of artificial intelligence and conflict

March 19, 2019 16 mins read Artificial Intelligence and Armed Conflict / Autonomous Weapons / Conduct of Hostilities / Law and Conflict / New Technologies / The most read blog posts in 2019 Sasha Radin

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have the potential to affect many aspects of our lives ...

Joint Blog Series: Better safe than sorry: Transferring detainees safely to Coalition Partners

January 20, 2019 3 mins read Detention / Joint Blog Series / Law and Conflict / Migration / Torture Tilman Rodenhäuser

Over the weekend, the third post in our Joint Series was published by Lawfare—Better safe than sorry: Transferring ...

5 operational realities of detention in contemporary armed conflict

November 30, 2018 12 mins read Counterterrorism / Detention / Humanitarian Action / Law and Conflict / Terrorism and IHL Laurent Saugy & Tilman Rodenhäuser

Hidden behind thick walls and barbed wire, detention realities are generally little known to the ...

Administration of justice by armed groups: Some legal and practical concerns

November 22, 2018 13 mins read Analysis / Armed Groups / Detention / Law and Conflict / Religion Ezequiel Heffes

Geneva Call recently issued a report on challenges faced by armed non-State actors (ANSAs) in ...