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Posts by Ellen Policinski

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Complying with IHL in large-scale conflicts: movement, mass displacement and maintaining family links In large-scale conflicts, IHL helps limit displacement, protect civilians and preserve family links through advance planning and safeguards.

Movement, mass displacement & maintaining family links in large-scale conflicts: a post with my @icrc.org colleague @helenobregon.bsky.social on @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social.

4 days ago 4 3 0 0

A valuable perspective on where we’ve updated the updated commentary on Common Article 3, and where not.

2 months ago 7 1 0 0

A brand new blog symposium on a brand new Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention. The previous commentary dated from 1956, 70 years ago! A few things happened since then …

2 months ago 2 2 0 0
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Key Common Provisions and Protection of Civilians in the 2025 Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention As international lawyers debate the resilience of international law in the face of its most serious breaches, including aggression and mass atrocities against civilians, the International Committee of...

"Key Common Provisions & Protection of Civilians in the 2025 Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention": new post at @ejiltalk.bsky.social by @monarishmawi.bsky.social.

Part of a joint symposium with @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social & @justsecurity.org.

1 month ago 4 3 0 0
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ENMOD: Dodo, Dormant or Presciently Divine? [Vanessa Murphy and Helen Obregón Gieseken are Legal Advisers at the Legal Division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva] At the 34th International Conference of the Red…

Blog by @icrc.org colleagues Vanessa Murphy & Helen Obregón Gieseken, on 1977 treaty prohibiting Military Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD).

Often dismissed as a Cold War relic, they argue modern technology means it deserves a second look & urgently so. @opiniojuris.bsky.social

1 month ago 1 1 0 0
Access to water, healthcare and electricity is essential for safeguarding human life, especially during #conflicts.   These are not luxuries - they are fundamental needs protected under #IHL.

Access to water, healthcare and electricity is essential for safeguarding human life, especially during #conflicts. These are not luxuries - they are fundamental needs protected under #IHL.

Access to water, healthcare and electricity is essential for safeguarding human life, especially during armed conflicts.

These are not luxuries; they are fundamental needs protected under IHL.

1 month ago 10 8 0 1
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Reading the Updated Commentary on GCIV in an Imperial Moment The updated ICRC Commentary of the Fourth Geneva Convention (GCIV) is a monumental, if not timely, achievement. At its core, it provides a set of very useful legal interpretations on an enormous body ...

I was invited by @ejiltalk.bsky.social @justsecurity.org to reflect on colonialism in relation to the updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention - here are my thoughts.

www.ejiltalk.org/reading-the-...

2 months ago 14 4 0 2
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Key Common Provisions and Protection of Civilians in the 2025 Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention As international lawyers debate the resilience of international law in the face of its most serious breaches, including aggression and mass atrocities against civilians, the International Committee of...

Key Common Provisions and Protection of Civilians in the 2025 Commentary on the Fourth Geneva | by Mona Rishmawi
This post is part of a symposium being run in partnership with @justsecurity.org and @icrc.org

1 month ago 9 11 0 0
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Technology and the ICRC’s GC IV 2025 Commentary The 2025 ICRC GC IV Commentary integrates technology into its analysis, and raises concerns about its treatment of data as property.

As part of our joint symposium with @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social and @ejiltalk.bsky.social, @mikeschmitt.bsky.social surveys how the @icrc.org's updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention integrates technology in its analysis of specific rules:

www.justsecurity.org/132950/techn...

1 month ago 22 8 0 0
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GC IV: Internment in Non-Occupied Territory International humanitarian law (IHL) treaties use a range of terms to denote deprivation of liberty, one of which is internment. While there is no legal definition, internment is understood to mean th...

GC IV: Internment in Non-Occupied Territory | by Jelena Pejic

This post is part of a symposium is being run in collaboration with @justsecurity.org and the @icrc.org.

1 month ago 12 10 0 0
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Commenting Anew on Article 23 of Geneva Convention IV New Commentary on Geneva Convention IV describes Article 23 as "significantly diminished" in importance in today's legal context.

As part of our joint symposium with @ejiltalk.bsky.social and @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social, @tomdannenbaum.bsky.social analyzes the new @icrc.org Commentary deeming the GC IV's Article 23 as “significantly diminished” in importance in today’s legal context:

www.justsecurity.org/131513/comme...

1 month ago 28 17 0 1
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The adoption of the 1949 Geneva Conventions: a humanitarian break and colonial continuity How colonial legacies shaped the Fourth Geneva Convention, occupation law, and the evolution of humanitarian protection.

⚖️ As we update the Commentaries on the Geneva Conventions, what histories must we revisit?

Part of @icrc.org’s joint symposium with @justsecurity.org & @ejiltalk.bsky.social, this piece revisits the 1949 #GenevaConventions from a colonized perspective.

Read more → bit.ly/4shUSYN

1 month ago 16 7 0 0
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Subsequent practice in the ICRC’s updated Commentary on GC IV Since 2011, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)  has been engaged in a project to revise and update its Commentaries on the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols....

Subsequent practice in the ICRC’s updated Commentary on GC IV | by Abhimanyu George Jain and Ellen Policinski

This post is part of a symposium is being run in collaboration with @justsecurity.org and the @icrc.org

1 month ago 8 4 0 0
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The ICRC’s New Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention ​The ICRC's updated Commentary on GC IV fills a loophole-closing function and reasserts IHL’s core protective purpose.

Prof. @eliavl.bsky.social explains how the @icrc.org Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention closes loopholes and reasserts international humanitarian law's core protective function.
Part of our symposium with @ejiltalk.bsky.social & @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social
www.justsecurity.org/131465/closi...

1 month ago 22 16 0 0
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Reading the Updated Commentary on GCIV in an Imperial Moment The updated ICRC Commentary of the Fourth Geneva Convention (GCIV) is a monumental, if not timely, achievement. At its core, it provides a set of very useful legal interpretations on an enormous body ...

Reading the Updated Commentary on GCIV in an Imperial Moment | by Boyd van Dijk

This post is part of a symposium is being run in collaboration with @justsecurity.org and the @icrc.org

2 months ago 14 7 0 0
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“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”: the ICRC’s approach to Common Article 3 in its updated Commentary This post explores the ICRC Commentary on Common Article 3, highlighting key updates and what they reveal about modern armed conflict law.

⚖️ Common Article 3 to the fourth #GenevaConventions hasn’t been rewritten; it’s been updated.

As a part of an @ICRC joint symposium with @justsecurity.org & @ejiltalk.bsky.social on the updated Commentary on GC IV, today's post examines three key updates to CA3.

tinyurl.com/mxf6bv29

2 months ago 17 10 0 1
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Symposium: Updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention Expert authors examine key interpretive issues and selected topics in the updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Just Security is delighted to co-host a symposium with @icrclawpolicy.bsky.social and @ejiltalk.bsky.social on the updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention on protection of civilians during war. Read the first contribution by Jean-Marie Henckaerts:

www.justsecurity.org/131639/sympo...

2 months ago 25 16 0 1
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Protecting civilians in good faith: A joint symposium on the updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention Following five years of research and consultations, the ICRC published a new, updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention (GC IV) of 1949 in October 2025. GC IV is the cornerstone of protection...

Protecting civilians in good faith: A joint symposium on the updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention | by Mary Guest

2 months ago 1 2 1 0
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Protecting civilians in good faith: a joint symposium on the updated ICRC Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention When law is read in good faith, it becomes a shield. GC IV’s purpose is simple: protect human beings in war.

⚖️We're delighted to co-host a joint symposium with @justsecurity.org and @ejiltalk.bsky.social on the updated @icrc.org Commentary on the GC IV.

Following 5 years of research, it consolidates 70+ years of law and practice to guide civilian protection today.

Read more → bit.ly/3OiPkOU

2 months ago 12 12 0 1

Very happy to share the @icrc.org updated commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in war is now out. The commentary is available for free online - ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treat....

6 months ago 6 2 1 0
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Launch of the Updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention (event highlights) On the 17th of October, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) published the updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection…

Video highlights from the panel discussion launching the Updated @icrc.org Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war. #IHL

4 months ago 6 2 0 1
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Complying with IHL in large-scale conflicts: How should states prepare to allow and facilitate delivery of humanitarian relief? How states can proactively shape laws and administrative systems to facilitate humanitarian relief in the event of large-scale armed conflict.

🌐 Many barriers to life-saving aid come not from conflict, but from peacetime rules

This post shows how customs, regulations and administrative hurdles delay relief, and why enabling access requires preparation long before crises begin

Read more → bit.ly/4pTJykp
@icrc.org @epolicinski.bsky.social

4 months ago 3 1 0 0

It is possible to protect civilians in war:

5 months ago 1 0 0 0
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👥 Meet the panelists for: “Launch of the Updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

The panelists will come together for a dynamic discussion on the Commentary’s key findings and their practical implications.

Register now: bit.ly/49Ei3Gi
@icrc.org #GenevaConventions #GCIV

5 months ago 9 3 0 0
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EVENT: Launch of the Updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention

📝 The updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention is now available.

Join us on 27 Nov 2025 for a launch event exploring key findings & their implications for protecting civilians in war.
Sign up & read here → bit.ly/49Ei3Gi

#GenevaConventions #IHL #LawOfWar #GCIV

5 months ago 3 2 0 0

This is a must-have guide for practitioners. The updated Commentary on the 4th Geneva Convention helps align the interpretation of international humanitarian law with 75 years of legal evolution, new technologies, and modern State practice.
Read it here👉🏽 ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treat...

5 months ago 4 3 0 0
How should the Geneva Conventions be interpreted in today’s wars?
How should the Geneva Conventions be interpreted in today’s wars? YouTube video by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

@icrc.org has updated our Commentary to the Fourth Geneva Convention, translating 1949 protections into today’s realities.
Protecting civilians in the hands of the enemy, in occupied territory - the 4th Geneva Convention remains more relevant than ever.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXd41pXzQuY

5 months ago 5 2 1 0
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Protecting civilians in good faith: the updated Commentary on the Fourth Geneva Convention Good faith interpretation means reading GC IV in a way that realizes its object and purpose - to protect human beings in times of war.

📜 “It is possible to protect civilians in war.”

After five years of research and consultations, the @icrc.org has released the updated Commentary on GC IV, the cornerstone of civilian protection in armed conflict and occupation.

Read more → bit.ly/4ovsaSf
#IHL #GenevaConventions

6 months ago 11 9 0 1
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Transmission of info by ICRC Central Tracing Agency in int'l armed conflicts Read about the transmission of information by the ICRC's Central Tracing Agency in international armed conflicts.

🕯️As #EnforcedDisappearancesDay nears, we reflect not only on lives missing, but also on legal protections that must not be forgotten. This article shows why IHL, in particular #GCIV, still matters today.

🔗 Read more: blogs.icrc.org/law-and-poli...

#ICRC #GCIV #GenevaConventions

7 months ago 4 1 1 0
Coming soon: ICRC Commentary on the 4th Geneva Convention
Coming soon: ICRC Commentary on the 4th Geneva Convention YouTube video by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

🕊️ 76 years since the adoption of the #GenevaConventions

To mark this anniversary, the #ICRC will soon release the updated GCIV Commentary.

Watch the teaser to learn more about why this remains essential in today’s conflicts.

🎥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Ng...

8 months ago 11 6 0 0