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[[File:Original Geneva Conventions.jpg|thumb|The [[First Geneva Convention]] is about the sick and wounded members of armed forces. It was signed in 1864.]]
[[File:The First International Peace Conference, the Hague, May - June 1899 HU67224.jpg|thumb|The first Hague convention, of 1899 defined some of the now generally accepted rules of war.]]
The '''laws of war''' are some simple rules or [[international law|international laws]] which most people accept about war, out of [[humanitarianism]]. Many people think that because there is fighting, there should be no rules. This is called "total war". However, laws of war have been made so that wars do not get worse than they need to be.
== The laws ==
#Anything marked as a [[hospital]], an [[ambulance]], a [[Medical doctor|doctor]], or a [[first aid]] person should not be attacked. Those places, vehicles, and people should not have [[weapon]]s.
#Anyone who is a member of a [[neutrality (international relations)|neutral power]] should not be a [[target|target]] of violence (unless the person is committing or intending to commit a hostile act).
#Anyone fighting in the war has to wear a [[uniform]]. They can only wear the uniform of their side. Also, they have to carry their weapons out in the open where they can be seen.
#Anyone carrying or waving a plain white [[flag]] or piece of [[cloth]] must not be attacked. That person should also not attack anyone. They may want to [[surrender|surrender]], or just talk about ways to solve the problem without more fighting.
#Any [[enemy]] [[soldier]] captured must be treated fairly as a [[prisoner of war]].
#[[religion|Religious]] [[building]]s such as [[church|churche]]s, [[mosque]]s, and [[temple]]s are to be protected at all costs.
#[[Occupied territory]] should be governed fairly and not looted or devastated.
== Where the laws come from ==
These laws come from various treaties, including:
*The [[Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law]] of [[1856]], which abolished [[privateer]]ing
*The [[Geneva Conventions|First Geneva Convention]] ''for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field'' of 1864
*The [[St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868]]. It bans [[ammunition]] of less that 400 grams weight. It also bans ammunition with [[Fulminate]]s in them, or with [[flammability|inflammable]] substances. Through this convention, it is no longer allowed to use ammunition that falls apart into fragments, that burns, or [[explosion|explodes]] for small arms. Such ammunition can still be used in [[autocannon]] or [[artillery]] though.
*The [[Hague Convention]]s of 1898 and 1907
*Various other [[Geneva Conventions]]
*The [[United Nations Charter|Charter of the United Nations]]
*[[Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons|Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions]] on the Use of Certain [[Conventional Weapon]]s Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. This bans certain types of weapons (like some [[landmine]]s, weapons with fragmenting ammunition, [[incendiary device]]s and blinding [[laser]] weapons)
== Laws Of War Media ==
<gallery widths='160px' heights='100%' mode='traditional' caption=''>
File:A FEW POINTS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW GOVERNING MODERN WARFARE (1904).jpg|A 1904 article outlining the basic principles of the law of war, as published in ''[[the Tacoma Times]]''
File:Emblem of the ICRC.svg|The emblem of the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] (French: ''Comité international de la croix-rouge'')
</gallery>
== Related pages ==
*[[International humanitarian law]]
*[[Military justice]]
[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Law of war| ]]
[[Category:International law]]
[[File:The First International Peace Conference, the Hague, May - June 1899 HU67224.jpg|thumb|The first Hague convention, of 1899 defined some of the now generally accepted rules of war.]]
The '''laws of war''' are some simple rules or [[international law|international laws]] which most people accept about war, out of [[humanitarianism]]. Many people think that because there is fighting, there should be no rules. This is called "total war". However, laws of war have been made so that wars do not get worse than they need to be.
== The laws ==
#Anything marked as a [[hospital]], an [[ambulance]], a [[Medical doctor|doctor]], or a [[first aid]] person should not be attacked. Those places, vehicles, and people should not have [[weapon]]s.
#Anyone who is a member of a [[neutrality (international relations)|neutral power]] should not be a [[target|target]] of violence (unless the person is committing or intending to commit a hostile act).
#Anyone fighting in the war has to wear a [[uniform]]. They can only wear the uniform of their side. Also, they have to carry their weapons out in the open where they can be seen.
#Anyone carrying or waving a plain white [[flag]] or piece of [[cloth]] must not be attacked. That person should also not attack anyone. They may want to [[surrender|surrender]], or just talk about ways to solve the problem without more fighting.
#Any [[enemy]] [[soldier]] captured must be treated fairly as a [[prisoner of war]].
#[[religion|Religious]] [[building]]s such as [[church|churche]]s, [[mosque]]s, and [[temple]]s are to be protected at all costs.
#[[Occupied territory]] should be governed fairly and not looted or devastated.
== Where the laws come from ==
These laws come from various treaties, including:
*The [[Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law]] of [[1856]], which abolished [[privateer]]ing
*The [[Geneva Conventions|First Geneva Convention]] ''for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field'' of 1864
*The [[St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868]]. It bans [[ammunition]] of less that 400 grams weight. It also bans ammunition with [[Fulminate]]s in them, or with [[flammability|inflammable]] substances. Through this convention, it is no longer allowed to use ammunition that falls apart into fragments, that burns, or [[explosion|explodes]] for small arms. Such ammunition can still be used in [[autocannon]] or [[artillery]] though.
*The [[Hague Convention]]s of 1898 and 1907
*Various other [[Geneva Conventions]]
*The [[United Nations Charter|Charter of the United Nations]]
*[[Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons|Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions]] on the Use of Certain [[Conventional Weapon]]s Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. This bans certain types of weapons (like some [[landmine]]s, weapons with fragmenting ammunition, [[incendiary device]]s and blinding [[laser]] weapons)
== Laws Of War Media ==
<gallery widths='160px' heights='100%' mode='traditional' caption=''>
File:A FEW POINTS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW GOVERNING MODERN WARFARE (1904).jpg|A 1904 article outlining the basic principles of the law of war, as published in ''[[the Tacoma Times]]''
File:Emblem of the ICRC.svg|The emblem of the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]] (French: ''Comité international de la croix-rouge'')
</gallery>
== Related pages ==
*[[International humanitarian law]]
*[[Military justice]]
[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Law of war| ]]
[[Category:International law]]