Kish Island hosts workshop on International Humanitarian Law

KISH ISLAND, April 29 (MNA) — An eight-day training course on the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) kicked off in Kish Island on April 27 and will run until May 4. Trainees from eleven countries have attended the workshop to discuss various topics concerning the IHL and analyze the relationship between Human Rights Law and Refugee Law. The event is jointly organized by the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), the Iranian Red Crescent Society, and the International Campus of Tehran University. As many as 70 participants are attending the workshop entitled “South Asia Teaching Session on International Humanitarian Law.” The participants include army personnel, government officials and academics from South Asian countries (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), Iran and Tajikistan. The course is conducted both in Farsi and English. Welcoming the participants, Pierre Ryter, the head of the ICRC mission in Iran, insisted on the proper understanding of humanitarian law and its application. “The present-day rules of international humanitarian law are contained in a number of treaties dealing with matters ranging from the prohibition on the use of certain weapons- those that cause indiscriminate damage and unnecessary suffering – to the protection of victims of armed conflict,” said Ryter. He added, “An important part of the ICRC’s mandate is to spread knowledge and promote implementation of international humanitarian law.” Walter Fuellemann, the head of ICRC delegation at the United Nations and one of the course panelists stressed the need for greater public awareness on the International Humanitarian Law. “One of the main objectives of such events is to promote the sharing of experience among participating countries in terms of the implementation of the law,” Fuellemann said. The ICRC runs courses and workshops to highlight civilians’ impartiality in conflicts and vigorously opposes any violent acts such as murder, kidnapping, humiliation and torture against them. It is the first time that Iran is hosting the regional teaching session on international humanitarian law. The protection of civilians and buildings of cultural significance, war crimes and international criminal tribunals, and the protection of women during armed conflict are among the topics to be discussed. Courses such as this one are essential to the ICRC’s ongoing effort to spread knowledge of and respect for International Humanitarian Law.