by Jessica Poarch
The following excerpt/quote is from an article that appeared in the TheGuardian.com on July 15, 2012 titled: Bashar al-Assad cold face prosecution as Red Cross rules Syria is in civil war – Declaration signals that Geneva-based organisation regards all civilians and detainees as protected under international law
“The ICRC ruling marks a significant moment in the Syrian uprising, which during the past year has changed from a series of anti-regime protests into a full-blown insurrection. It had previously said that localised states of civil war existed in Homs, Hama and Idlib. The ICRC is considered to be a guardian of the Geneva convention, which prescribes the rules of warfare. The declaration signals that the Geneva-based organisation regards all civilians and detainees as protected under international law.
Alexis Heeb, an ICRC spokesman in Geneva, said: “Now there are many places in Syria that fulfil requirements to be a called a non-international armed conflict, and the situation is fluid and constantly evolving.
‘What matters is that humanitarian law applies across the country, and that means civilians and those no longer taking part in the conflict are protected.’
Read the full story HERE [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/15/syria-civil-war-red-cross?cid=nlc-dailybrief-daily_news_brief-link4-20120716]
The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) 