Militaries Must Not Bomb Hospitals; U.K. Government Should Reaffirm Commitment To International Humanitarian Law

The Guardian: Bombing hospitals and schools cannot become the new normal
Vickie Hawkins, executive director of MSF U.K.

“…Today, as you read this, sophisticated military weapons are being — purposely or mistakenly — aimed at hospitals and clinics. With total impunity, essential medical services are being destroyed as a military strategy, both by national armies and by international coalitions, in Afghanistan, in Syria, and in Yemen. And ultimately the people that this hurts the most are patients who no longer have access to health care. … This cannot become the new normal. … Please join us in our indignation and ask your leaders to stop bombing hospitals. For armies, too, the protection of civilians should be a high priority, not just to avoid legal prosecution, but because no one should be indifferent to the loss of human life. MSF formally calls on the U.K. government to reaffirm its unequivocal commitment to international humanitarian law and to uphold it in any coalition it supports. We also call on the U.K. government to support investigations into possible breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen and beyond and to make the results of such investigations public” (1/19).

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