Starvation as a Method of Warfare : A Case Study of Russian Actions in the War in Ukraine
Kauranen, Theo (2023)
2023
Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2023051043364
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2023051043364
Tiivistelmä
This Master's thesis examines the prohibition of the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), focusing on potential violations by Russia during the war in Ukraine in 2022.
The devastating destruction and impact on civilians during the war in Ukraine has been well documented, giving rise to allegations of Russia deliberately targeting the civilian population and aggravating food insecurity in the country, in violation of IHL. Allegations of Russian forces attacking food production and distribution centers and medical facilities and impeding humanitarian relief operations fit the description of the use of starvation as a method of warfare, which begs the question of what exactly constitutes a violation of the prohibition.
The war highlights the causality between hunger and conflict, and the growing discourse regarding states’ obligations to minimize civilian suffering and food insecurity in conflict ridden areas. Although the prohibition of the use of starvation as a method of warfare is universally accepted as a part of customary law, it has never been prosecuted, leaving the question of how the prohibition should be interpreted relatively open.
This thesis examines the relevant legal sources of IHL, including the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, customary international humanitarian law, and additional sources, to understand the scope of the prohibition and how it should be interpreted, followed by a legal analysis of alleged Russian actions during the war in Ukraine and whether they could have amounted to a violation of the prohibition under IHL.
Through an analysis of the legal sources regulating the use of starvation as a method of warfare in IHL, reports, and media coverage, the thesis argues that Russia may have violated the prohibition of the use of starvation as a method of warfare under IHL during the conflict in Ukraine.
The devastating destruction and impact on civilians during the war in Ukraine has been well documented, giving rise to allegations of Russia deliberately targeting the civilian population and aggravating food insecurity in the country, in violation of IHL. Allegations of Russian forces attacking food production and distribution centers and medical facilities and impeding humanitarian relief operations fit the description of the use of starvation as a method of warfare, which begs the question of what exactly constitutes a violation of the prohibition.
The war highlights the causality between hunger and conflict, and the growing discourse regarding states’ obligations to minimize civilian suffering and food insecurity in conflict ridden areas. Although the prohibition of the use of starvation as a method of warfare is universally accepted as a part of customary law, it has never been prosecuted, leaving the question of how the prohibition should be interpreted relatively open.
This thesis examines the relevant legal sources of IHL, including the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, customary international humanitarian law, and additional sources, to understand the scope of the prohibition and how it should be interpreted, followed by a legal analysis of alleged Russian actions during the war in Ukraine and whether they could have amounted to a violation of the prohibition under IHL.
Through an analysis of the legal sources regulating the use of starvation as a method of warfare in IHL, reports, and media coverage, the thesis argues that Russia may have violated the prohibition of the use of starvation as a method of warfare under IHL during the conflict in Ukraine.
Kokoelmat
- 513 Oikeustiede [128]