Heinous and abominable acts in armed conflicts: a critical legal analysis of attacks on hospitals, churches, and medical personnel
Keywords:
Abominable Acts, Armed Conflicts, Critical Legal Analysis, Churches, Heinous, Hospitals, and Medical Personnel.Abstract
This study critically examines the protection of hospitals, churches, and medical personnel under international humanitarian law, with particular focus on the legal implications of attacks against these specially protected entities during armed conflicts. The study adopts a doctrinal legal research methodology based on the analysis of treaties, customary international humanitarian law, judicial decisions, and scholarly literature. It finds that the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Additional Protocols of 1977, the Hague Convention of 1954, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court establish a comprehensive legal framework prohibiting attacks against medical and religious institutions and personnel. Despite these legal protections, the study reveals that such attacks continue to occur due to weak enforcement mechanisms, inadequate accountability, and persistent non-compliance by parties to armed conflicts. The study further examines the circumstances under which the special protection accorded to hospitals, churches, and medical personnel may cease and emphasizes that such exceptions must be interpreted restrictively. It concludes that strengthening accountability, improving domestic implementation of international humanitarian law, enhancing military compliance, and reinforcing international cooperation are essential for ensuring effective protection. The study contributes to existing scholarship by providing an integrated legal analysis of attacks against hospitals, churches, and medical personnel within a single analytical framework and by identifying practical measures for strengthening the special protection regime under international humanitarian law.
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