{"id":4116,"date":"2018-10-15T09:56:32","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T04:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jgudev.in\/jgls\/?p=4116"},"modified":"2021-04-01T14:55:02","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T09:25:02","slug":"in-favour-of-a-retrospective-application-of-the-2012-amendment-to-s39-of-the-indian-copyright-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/articles\/in-favour-of-a-retrospective-application-of-the-2012-amendment-to-s39-of-the-indian-copyright-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Civilians as Human Shields: High Time India Declares it Illegal"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"4116\" class=\"elementor elementor-4116\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8c81b60 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8c81b60\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-596bfd63\" data-id=\"596bfd63\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4405599a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4405599a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3f3e8973\" data-id=\"3f3e8973\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4890529 elementor-widget elementor-widget-shortcode\" data-id=\"4890529\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"shortcode.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shortcode\"> <div class=\"breadcrumb-container theme1\">\n\n            <ol>\n                            <\/ol>\n        <\/div>    <script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n        {\n            \"@context\": \"http:\/\/schema.org\",\n            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n            \"itemListElement\": [\n                            ]\n        }\n    <\/script>\n    <style type=\"text\/css\">\n        .breadcrumb-container {\n            font-size: 13px;\n        }\n\n        .breadcrumb-container ul {\n            margin: 0;\n            padding: 0;\n        }\n\n        .breadcrumb-container li {\n            box-sizing: unset;\n            display: inline-block;\n            margin: 0;\n            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elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-642bbc40 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"642bbc40\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Civilians as Human Shields: High Time India Declares it Illegal<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-690656ef elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"690656ef\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-702c91be\" data-id=\"702c91be\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2aaab07d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2aaab07d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Quint\/18 April 2017 |<br \/>By Professor DABIRU SRIDHAR PATNAIK<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>The Indian Army using a human shield in Kashmir to evade stone-pelters has caught significant media attention, leading to a number of questions under the purview of national and international laws. What is the relevant body of international law that deals with the prohibition of using human shields, and under what circumstances are these conventions applicable? What is the applicability of such a law in India\u2019s context? The Indian Army is deployed in the hinterland of Jammu and Kashmir for counter-insurgency operations. However, this particular incident in Budgam was certainly not related to a counter-insurgency operation.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>International Law Prohibits Use of Human Shields<\/p><p><span style=\"font-family: Merriweather, serif, Merriweather Sans, sans-serif;\"><br \/><\/span>According to the information available in the public domain, the Army had been called in by other security forces that were deployed to safeguard poll officials, under attack from a mob of approximately 900 stone-pelters. The Army personnel used an individual as a human shield to quell the situation. It is worth emphasising that for any such examination or relevant scrutiny, it is important to understand the nature of human shields and contextualise the situation to understand the application of international law.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Geneva Convention Calls for Protection of Civilians<\/p><p><span style=\"font-family: Merriweather, serif, Merriweather Sans, sans-serif;\"><br \/><\/span>Geneva Convention IV, read with additional protocol I, refers to human shields as \u2018civilians or protected persons, whose presence or movement is aimed or used to render military targets immune from military operations\u2019. While this is a principle that is relevant to international armed conflicts, there is no specific prohibition of human shields under the law of non-international armed conflicts.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Additional protocol II to the Geneva Conventions necessitates the need for general protection of civilian population against the dangers arising from military activities. &#8216;Use of Civilians for Military Objective Is Forbidden&#8217; According to reports of the diplomatic conference leading to the second additional protocol, the proposal for inclusion of the rule on human shields did not have international concurrence.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>According to the International Committee of the Red Cross Study on Customary International Law, a general practice accepted as law, \u2018the use of human shields in any form of armed conflict is prohibited or is considered a violation of customary international law\u2019. The San Remo Manual on the Law of Non International Armed Conflict, states that \u2018the use of civilians, as well as captured enemy personnel, to shield a military objective or operation is forbidden\u2019.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>The other sources of international law that ban use of human shields is the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court with particular reference to international armed conflicts. The General Assembly, the Security Council and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have also adopted numerous resolutions condemning the use of human shields.<\/p><p>Legal Vacuum on Human Shields in Internal Conflict.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-family: Merriweather, serif, Merriweather Sans, sans-serif;\"><br \/><\/span>There is no treaty-based mechanism for prohibition on use of human shields in internal conflicts. International human rights law principles on the right to life can be of guidance here. Hardly anyone would dispute the nature of express legal prohibition of use of human shields in any kind of a conflict situation. In practice however, there is a complex, dichotomous situation of \u2018voluntary and involuntary human shields\u2019 as well as \u2018defensive and offensive human shields\u2019.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>As for the application of law for voluntary and offensive human shields, there are differing opinions and interpretations that vacillate between considering such human shields as individuals partaking in hostilities, and thus not worthy of legal protection. In certain cases, proportionality is factored in so that harm or damage to them could be minimised, as they are indirect agents and victims of some form of aggrandisement.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>India Should Declare Domestic Use of Human Shields as Illegal<\/p><p><span style=\"font-family: Merriweather, serif, Merriweather Sans, sans-serif;\"><br \/><\/span>The principle of proportionality imposes restraints on parties in a conflict from launching attacks that would harm civilians. But voluntary shielding poses a challenge to this principle in practice. Situation becomes even more complex when one has to deal with circumstances in which distinction is to be made between combatant and non-combatant human shields.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>It\u2019s a tedious task to distinguish between enemy and target in an internal conflict where there is an overlap with civilian population. Obviously, as such conflicts move to populous civilian localities, there could be an increased involvement of civilians in such activities as well.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>The international law on condemning human shields is clear, the situation in India warrants the need to consider domestic use of human shields as illegal.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>It is an important issue that needs engagement from all relevant stakeholders. There is a need to reconcile disparate views related to the issue.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>(The writer is Associate Professor, Jindal Global Law School.)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3b55e20d\" data-id=\"3b55e20d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-51edfae elementor-widget elementor-widget-sidebar\" data-id=\"51edfae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"sidebar.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<aside id=\"search-3\" class=\"widget single-sidebar widget_search\"><form role=\"search\" method=\"get\" class=\"search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Search for:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"search\" class=\"search-field\" placeholder=\"Search &hellip;\" value=\"\" name=\"s\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" class=\"search-submit\" value=\"Search\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/form><\/aside>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the wake of the adoption of the Music Modernization Act in the US, is the same outcome possible and desirable also in other jurisdictions? The 1709 Blog is happy to host the following reflections by Akshat Agrawal (Jindal Global Law School) with regard to the Indian context.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_canvas","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty-articles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4116"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4116"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11720,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4116\/revisions\/11720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgu.edu.in\/cpgls\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}