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Part II Historical and Legal Sources, Ch.11 Humanitarian Law as a Source of Human Rights Law

Gerd Oberleitner

From: The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law

Edited By: Dinah Shelton

From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2023. All Rights Reserved.date: 25 September 2023

Subject(s):
Crimes against humanity — Conduct of hostilities — Armed conflict, international — Right to non-discrimination — Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion

This article examines the influence of humanitarian law in the development of modern human rights law. It explores the concept of humanity in war in ancient times and the middle ages and considers the treatment of individual rights during national wars. It analyses the evolution of humanitarian law that coincided with the development of the science of warfare and the progress of civilization. This article highlights the fact that international humanitarian law was the only international legal framework which accommodated the fate of individuals human rights became a legal reality in 1945.

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