The Legal Status of Mercenarism under International Humanitarian Law: A Jurisprudential and Judicial Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61952/jlabw.v1i3.271Keywords:
Mercenarism, Mercenaries, International Humanitarian Law, Legal Status, Armed Conflicts, International ResponsibilityAbstract
The legal framework governing mercenary activities and ensuring accountability under international law.
This dissertation examines the legal status of mercenarism under international humanitarian law, as one of the serious phenomena that threaten international peace and security and undermine fundamental humanitarian principles governing armed conflicts. Mercenaries engage in hostilities driven by material gain, without lawful status as combatants or civilians, which raises complex questions regarding the scope of protection granted to them under the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols.
The study adopts a jurisprudential and judicial analytical approach, exploring doctrinal perspectives on the definition, characteristics, and distinction of mercenarism from lawful participation in hostilities. It further analyzes key judicial precedents, particularly decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which have contributed to defining the legal nature of mercenarism in international law.
Additionally, the research examines the international legal framework criminalizing mercenarism, focusing on the 1989 United Nations Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing, and Training of Mercenaries, and assesses the level of compliance within national legislations.
The study concludes that mercenaries lack the legal status of combatants or prisoners of war and are therefore excluded from the protection granted to lawful participants in armed conflicts. Their criminalization remains essential to upholding humanitarian principles and preventing profit-driven military interventions.
References
أولاً-المعاجم:
- أبن منظور، لسان العرب.
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رابعاً – القوانين:
- قانون العقوبات الليبي.
- قانون العقوبات المصري.
- قانون العقوبات السوادني.
- French Criminal Code، Art. 434-14.
- UK Terrorism Act 2000, Section 12
خامساً -قرارات وتقارير الأمم المتحدة:
- UN General Assembly Resolution 2465, 1968.
- A/RES/44/34, 4 Dec 1989.
- Report of the Special Court for Sierra Leone، UN Doc. S/2004/916, 2004.
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011).
i. UN Resolutions 2018-2023 regarding the regulation of mercenaries and private military companies.
سادساً -قرارات المحاكم الجنائية الدولية:
- ICJ, Corfu Channel Case, 1949.
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- Cour d’Appel de Paris، Case on Private Military Company in Africa, 2015.
سابعاً -المصادر الإلكترونية:
- ICRC, Commentary on Additional Protocols, 2023, available at: www.icrc.org
- Customary International Humanitarian Law, ICRC, 2016, available at:
https://ihl-databases.icrc.org
- Footnote 1: Organization of African Unity، Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa, 1977، Art. 1-5.
- Footnote 2: M. Arimatsu, African Responses to Mercenarism, African Journal of International Law, 2018.
