KNIGHT’S MOVE: THE USE OF NON-LETHAL WEAPONS AGAINST CIVILIANS DURING AN ARMED CONFLICT

The article is devoted to the problems arising due to the use of non-lethal weapons in an armed conflict. It explores the legality of the use of these weapons against the civilian population, despite the fact that the norms of international humanitarian law (hereafter – IHL) prohibit direct and deliberate attacks on civilians. The article provides a general description of non-lethal weapons and studies some of their types. It also discusses the general rules of IHL, which can regulate the use of non-lethal weapons (there are currently no specific rules governing the use of these weapons). The author studies the status of various categories of persons involved in an armed conflict (persons taken hostage, «human shields», persons working at military facilities, etc.), as well as various situations on the battlefield, in which the use of non-lethal weapons, as opposed to conventional weapons, would help to save the more civilians’ lives. The article concludes that, under certain conditions, non-lethal weapons can be used against civilians.