Join us for timely expert discussion! From hackers to tech companies – what are the legal limits and risks if civilians take part in ICT activities during armed conflict? 04 November, 1:30pm, online. Honored to be with such excellent speakers! www.icrc.org/en/event/eve...

📢Come work with us! You are a humanitarian, excellent lawyer, diplomat, strategist, leader? @icrc.org is hiring a Director of International Law and Movement Partnerships. Join a strong team & lead us in challenging times: careers.icrc.org/job/Geneva-%...

Thrilled to share our latest with @thodsm.bsky.social: From Myanmar to the Sahel, from the Middle East to the DRC, civilians organize in self-defence groups and ‘militias’, take up arms to defend their villages. Who is responsible, and are their members combatants? blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli...

The risks and legal limits of involving ‘self-defence groups’ in non-international armed conflict

Whether and at what point groups of civilians become parties to armed conflicts, what their legal obligations are, and who is responsible for their conduct.

blogs.icrc.org

In recent wars, hacker groups have targeted civilian infrastructure – from transport, to banks, to connectivity, to courts, and local governments. In 2023, the @icrc.org published ‘8 Rules for Hackers’, based on #IHL. Here is what they mean: www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2hl...

What are the 8 rules for civilian hackers in war? | ICRC

YouTube video by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

youtube.com

How are hospitals protected in war, and how does the @icrc.org engage with States and NSAGs on this? Listen to our Chief Legal Officer @corduladroege.bsky.social www.asymmetricalhaircuts.com/episodes/epi...

Episode 137 – Hospitals and IHL with Cordula Droege

What International Humanitarian Law (IHL) – the laws of war – say about hospitals, with Cordula Droege of the ICRC. Do like, subscribe and leave us a review. Want to find out more? Chec…

asymmetricalhaircuts.com

After 5 years, the #cyberOEWG will conclude this week. Over one dozen statements by the @icrc.org – with one consistent message for the final report: Uphold a humanitarian red-line in the use of ICTs: IHL protects civilians, including in the use of ICTs. ms.spr.ly/6011SAvp9

OEWG: ICRC address to the final meeting on IHL and ICT activities during armed conflict

ms.spr.ly

Thrilled to share my analysis of ‘IHL and connectivity disruptions during armed conflict’. From Ukraine to Gaza, from Myanmar to Sudan – in times of war, connectivity is frequently disrupted. Here are my thoughts on some limits that #IHL imposes. blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli...

International humanitarian law and connectivity disruptions during armed conflict

ICRC Legal Adviser Tilman Rodenhäuser on the limits that international humanitarian law imposes on connectivity disruptions in armed conflict.

blogs.icrc.org

The reality we see today in the Middle East and the Sahel are very worrying. I wish there had been no need to re-publish this important piece of my excellent @icrc.org colleague @ahmedal-dawoody.bsky.social. blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli...

Respect for the dead under Islamic law: considerations for humanitarian forensics

Human dignity and the dead under Islamic law - insights for humanitarian forensics dealing with the management of the dead in Muslim contexts.

blogs.icrc.org

I agree and disagree: interesting blog on how non-humanitarian arguments can by used to achieve restraint by armed groups! But in the end, such strategies are not alternatives to #IHL; they must be used to achieve the same humanitarian goals! www.armedgroups-internationallaw.org/2025/05/28/p...

Armed Groups and International Law - Pragmatic engagement: advancing non-humanitarian drivers of restraint (part II)

Promoting restraint among non-state armed groups often requires more than legal appeals—it demands engagement strategies that resonate with the groups’ own goals and concerns. This post outlines fi…

armedgroups-internationallaw.org

Fact 1: Many States and civilian hackers aim to spare hospitals. Fact 2: A digital emblem can help protect medical & humanitarian operations. How? My eloquent friend and @icrc.org colleague Samit tells you! techblogwriter.co.uk/red-cross-ic...

The Red Cross Digital Emblem: A New Era of Cyber Protection for Humanitarian Organizations

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I speak with Samit D'Cunha, a legal advisor at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), about the innovative Digital Emblem Project.

techblogwriter.co.uk

How is tech changing the battlefield, today and tomorrow? One trend that worries me: less human involvement through autonomous systems, but more civilian involvement through ‘Total Defence’ strategies. Read my @icrc.org colleague @2eatsoup.bsky.social info.icrc.org/e3t/Ctc/WY+1...

This is how I joined 10 years ago – never wanted to leave again! To all my young and brilliant #IHL minds – we need you! Unique opportunity to join @icrc.org Legal Division for a 1-year traineeship. careers.icrc.org/job/Geneva-%...

How does the @icrc.org conduct operational research on #IHL and armed groups, and how does #IHL contribute to #peace? Join us for the RC3 Long Night of Research! Register here: www.rc3research.org/rc3-long-nig...

Many States adopt ‘Total Defence’ concepts – 5 issues to learn from history on ❌ Whole of society mobilization ❌ Civilian support to military ❌ Civilian resistance ❌ War against the economy ❌ Propaganda and harmful information Excellent read by my colleague: blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli...

From “total war” to “total defence”: tracing the origins of civilian involvement in armed conflict  - Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog

How involving civilians in defence efforts can expose them to harm, complicate their legal protection, and increase the burden on states.

blogs.icrc.org

Register for tomorrow’s webinar on "Civilian hackers in war": t.co/gflkg8izb1 ➡️What are the origins and impact of the ICRC ‘8 Rules for Hackers’? ➡️What legal status for hackers in war? ➡️What is the responsibility of States?

Join us in a fascinating event on ‘civilian hackers in State conflicts’. Honored to discuss with experts from academic, military, and government about the limits and risks applicable to civilian hackers in war! cil.nus.edu.sg/event/civili...

@icrc.org submission to the @UNSG on #AI, with a dedicated section on AI in #ICTs 👉 Autonomous ICT tools risk of indiscriminate attacks, incidental harm, damage to critical civilian infrastructure 👉 States to consider whether #IHL provides sufficient safeguards! www.icrc.org/en/article/a...

Artificial intelligence in the military domain: ICRC submits recommendations to UN Secretary-General

icrc.org

Are you a (former) military officer? We need your expertise & experience for the @icrc.org dialogue with armed forces & non-State armed groups. Clear mission: encourage legally compliant behavior to limit suffering. Deadline: 30 April careers.icrc.org/job/Geneva-%...

Are you in Geneva and interested in #IHL challenges posed by cyber operations during armed conflict? Thrilled to return to the IHEID and join experts in this discussion. Register to attend: lnkd.in/e5Y7jvjg

By all means, we must prevent more wars! But as states consider how to prepare for large-scale conflict, more thinking is needed on how to limit their human cost. New piece by my @icrc.org colleagues on Reducing the Human Cost of Large-Scale Military Operations: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Pour mes ami(e)s francophones : Attendue depuis longtemps, voici la version française du Rapport 2024 du @icrc.org sur le DIH et les défis posés par les conflits armés contemporains shop.icrc.org/download/ebo...

📢Job Opening: @icrc.org Adviser on Digital Tech of Warfare (in Kyiv). Help us analyze and monitor the digitalization of warfare, understand its impact on people, and engage with state and non-state actors. Unique and important role – do apply careers.icrc.org/job/Kyiv-%28...

The @icrc.org in the #CyberOEWG: ➡️The final #CyberOEWG report needs clear language on #IHL protection of civilians, medical & humanitarians. ➡️Common understandings of how IHL applies to the use of ICTs can be achieved; in fact, they already exist. www.icrc.org/en/oewg-10th...

The #UNSC has raised concern: Malicious ICT activities threaten humanitarian action. #IHL is clear: Parties must allow and facilitate humanitarian action, and respect and protect humanitarian personnel & objects. Here is a new @ICRC ICT & IHL short paper: www.icrc.org/sites/defaul...

Hospitals face cyber attacks. What does the #IHL obligation to respect and protect medical personnel, units and transports mean in today’s digitalizing armed conflicts? Clear #IHL obligations for belligerents exist, including when conducting ICT activities. www.icrc.org/sites/defaul...

The RCRC 2024 – the OEWG ‘21-‘25 – the ICRC’s IHL initiative – and a ‘digital emblem’: Progress on the protection of civilian populations from ICT activities during armed conflict can and must be achieved. Here is Laurent Gisel's and my view on how: blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli...

A steppingstone for more? Protecting civilian populations from ICT activities

Protecting civilians from ICT activities through the ICT resolution adopted at the 34th Int'l Conference of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

blogs.icrc.org

🧐If you read this post, it is likely thanks go to Outer Space technology. Today, States convene in GVA to prevent an arms race in outer space. A📡 Here are key points on protecting essential civilian services on earth from disruption by military space ops shop.icrc.org/protecting-e...

Protecting Essential Civilian Services on Earth from Disruption by Military Space Operations: Executive Summary

First used for surveillance, communications and navigation purposes in the late 1950s and early 1960s, military space capabilities have evolved from mostly strategic applications to providing direct t...

shop.icrc.org

📢 To all academics and policymakers working on #IHL Join us in August in GVA to learn about all contemporary IHL challenges and debates! Lots to learn 👇 www.icrc.org/en/event/adv...

Advanced IHL Seminar for Academics and Policymakers

icrc.org

10min snapshot: Over 120 ongoing armed conflicts worldwide. - What are the needs ICRC sees in it’s operations in 90+ countries? - How does #IHL address current challenges? See the ICRC's Pierre Kraehenbuehl, Cordula Droege & Yasmine Praz Dessimoz. vimeo.com/1046339849?s...

Contemporary Armed Conflicts: Realities and How IHL Addresses them (Event highlights)

Today, there are over 120 ongoing armed conflicts worldwide. As we mark the 75th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, international humanitarian law…

vimeo.com

Cutting undersea cables, suspicious fires, cyber and influence operations. What are ‘hybrid threats’ and proxy ops, and when can we call them war? Excited to answer these and more questions with my colleagues Tristan Ferraro and Samit D'Cunha blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli...

‘Hybrid threats’, ‘grey zones’, ‘competition’, and ‘proxies’: When is it actually war?

Accurate classification, based on legal criteria, determines the protections afforded by IHL - and is therefore crucially important.

blogs.icrc.org