IRRC No. 867

"In truth the leitmotiv": the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment in international humanitarian law

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The principle of humane treatment, as Jean Pictet wrote in 1958, is in truth the leitmotiv of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949. It includes the prohibition of torture, cruel or inhuman treatment and outrages upon personal dignity. This article examines the interpretation of these notions by referring to the existing instruments and jurisprudence on the prohibition of ill-treatment.

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"In truth the leitmotiv": the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment in international humanitarian law author: Cordula Droege

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