Fighting and Victimhood in International Criminal Law (1st edition.)

The differences between civilians and combatants manifest themselves in many ways, one of the most crucial being that during armed conflicts combatants constitute military targets whereas civilians are protected against attack.

International humanitarian law places limits on the violence which can be used against combatants, and individuals who breach these limits can be held accountable under international criminal law for their actions.

Although combatants and others who are or have been involved in combat can be victims of international crimes, when atrocities occur during armed conflicts, it is the crimes committed against civilian victims which garner the greatest attention and condemnation from the world community, a trend continues when cases come before international criminal courts or tribunals.