The actual bill:
So, actually curious because I don’t know how this works, but wouldn’t this make all of them soldiers technically? If Russian soldiers kill civilians after this bill is passed (it’s already been passed), does that still count as a war crime?
This bill is itself a war crime. I’ve pointed this out before on another post, and it’s in the list of war crimes that I’ve pinned on this community. Anything that removes the right to peace from a civilian, i.e. making them indiscernible from a combatant, is a violation of the geneva convention. We’d have to see how the geneva lawyers rule it, but my viewpoint on this so far is; if the Russians end up killing civilians because of Ukraine’s actions, Russia should be defended from prosecution, because they had no way of telling combatants from civilians.
If Ukraine’s government actually cared about its people, they would have evacuated their civilian population out of the west of the country within the first week of the conflict, they would have cleared out Kyiv before the Russians got there, etc. They wouldn’t be shooting at civilians at the border, either. To me, it looks like Ukraine WANTS to pin Russia for killing civilians.
as someone with family there, Russia is the one making it impossible to evacuate
We’d have to see how the geneva lawyers rule it
Don’t hold your breath on a fair ruling is all I’m saying
they’re suppose to be impartial, but that’s why I said we’ll just have to see about their ruling. they might not go with the laws as written.
they’re suppose to be impartial
Yeah but the entire Swiss government has publicly condemned Russia (even though they couldn’t give two shits about condemning anyone in BOTH world wars, this one conflict is so much worse in their eyes apparently), and the judges are under their thumb (even if not “officially”, the effect is always present). Not to mention, Western power.
The Geneva Conventions only refer to the city where they were signed x) The ICC is the one that tries war crimes today, though Russia could hold trials of their own with POWs (see Nuremberg, 1945).
Ukraine is probably not going to be tried if only for the fact that they are western-aligned, the same western powers that do not try their own criminals and made those laws in the first place.
Ukraine is probably not going to be tried if only for the fact that they are western-aligned, the same western powers that do not try their own criminals and made those laws in the first place.
That’s because, at least within the last century or so, they’ve tended to win. If you think the same will happen this time, is it because subconsciously you’re acknowledging that Russia will lose?
the Swiss sanctions were the only effective ones that did not target regular citizens, I think they responded very well in comparison to other countries who essentially made regular citizen’s lives harder
It’s unclear to me if, even in war, Russia has the right to be able to tell civilians from combatants.
However, since this isn’t a war but a “special operation”, even that is irrelevant. The only thing Russia is allowed to do, per international law, is to shoot neither combatants nor civilians.
I am curious as to why you are trying to diminish the fact that many civilians have been killed by Russian forces before this bill has passed. I see this simply as a logical act that allows its civilians to act in defense, since Russia clearly does not care about who is in harms way
