Readers’ Voice

Bombing hospitals violates international laws

Israel’s threats to bomb hospitals in Palestine defy humanity. It will also constitute a violation of the international humanitarian law.
The sanctity of medical facilities during armed conflicts is a principle we must uphold at all costs.
The international humanitarian law, the cornerstone of a civilised world, provides unequivocal protection to medical facilities in times of war.
The Geneva Convention IV of 1949 clearly stipulates that civilian hospitals “may in no circumstances be the object of attack”.
Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (1977) further reinforces this commitment to respect and protect these vital institutions.
These are not just words on paper — they are our commitment to preserving human dignity during the darkest hours of conflict.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, adopted in 1998, leaves no room for ambiguity. It designates intentional attacks on civilian hospitals as war crimes when part of a widespread or systematic assault against a civilian population (Article 8(2)(b)(ix)).
In times of conflict, we must safeguard the most vulnerable, the wounded, the sick and innocent civilians who seek refuge in these institutions.
I urgently call upon the international community to stand up for justice and accountability.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the bedrock of international justice, tasked with investigating and prosecuting such crimes. Justice is not a choice. It is an obligation that we, as global citizens, must insist upon.
The protection of hospitals during conflicts is not a matter of legal debate but a commitment to the core of humanity. We cannot allow these sanctuaries to be threatened or attacked with impunity.
As a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC), countries must voice their strongest concern.
They must ensure that international justice prevails to send a strong message that those who threaten the sanctuaries of life will be held accountable for their actions.
In these troubling times, it is our collective responsibility to defend the principles that underpin our shared humanity.
Countries must condemn such acts in the strongest possible terms and call for swift action by the ICC to bring the perpetrators to justice. Only then, can we begin to restore our faith in the values that define us as a global society.

Azril Mohd Amin
Founder and Chairman
Centre for Human Rights Research
and Advocacy (Centhra)
Kuala Lumpur