Watch| Are the Geneva Conventions breached in the Russia-Ukraine War?

A video on the Geneva Convention guidelines and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War

Russia has been at war with Ukraine since February 24th 2022. Visuals of completely destroyed cities and stranded citizens are being shared on the news and on social media, with a growing call to stop the violence.

To guard the rights and lives of the innocent and wounded, the world is increasingly looking to the Geneva Convention guidelines

The Geneva Conventions are a set of four treaties. They were established as a result of the second World War. They were formalised in 1949, and three protocols, the first two in 1977 and the third in 2005 were added. These laws of war codify ethical and legal international standards for humanitarian treatment of those impacted by any ongoing war.

In the current conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his administration have firmly denied any harm to civilians. But with several videos and photos showing civilian casualties, damaged hospitals and other public property mounting, leaders across the world are looking to the Geneva Conventions.

The violation of the conventions and committal of war crimes can be investigated and prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.

But analysts say the evidence doesn’t answer the most important question in any war-crime prosecution - who ordered which crime?

The only proof, if recoverable, is in the Russian soldiers’ phones and devices. The evidence can be orders from commanding officers or even visuals of these war crimes being committed.

To look into this further, the ICC opened a war crimes investigation under its prosecutor, Karim Khan on February 28th 2022.

While all 196 countries comply with the Geneva conventions, in 2019, Russia withdrew itself from Article 90 of protocol 1. This article expects the country to oblige and comply with any international fact-finding mission.

Russia’s pre-emptive withdrawal will enable them to refuse access to records or resources that can hold Moscow responsible for the breach of the Geneva Conventions.