Persons who advise caution regarding the response of the United States and NATO to the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine have come under severe criticism recently. Former Congressional Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Tucker Carlson, (host of Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News), have been accused of things like being a Russian sympathizer, being a traitor, and cowardice – none of which I believe to be true.
Tolerance of opposing views is difficult, but it is necessary for a free society. Let me urge us all to respect each other. We will do well if we embrace the British concept of a “loyal opposition.”
In a climate of war hysteria those whose views conflict with popular war sentiment may be castigated, disparaged, and slandered. So, I hope to be clear, concise, correct, and complete when writing about the war in Ukraine.
It is not my desire to alienate anyone from the primary purpose of Lamp in a Corner, which is to help others to find their way to Christ. At times the events of this world are urgent, and free people must speak out. So, it is with a prayer for tolerance that I offer you the following, (much of which is taken directly from Wikipedia):
There is a lot of talk in the media about Russia committing “war crimes” in Ukraine. Occasionally, I have heard similar accusations leveled against other nations and groups, including my own. Do we know what war crimes are? I did an internet search to find out. Please let me encourage you to do the same, using search words like war crime, genocide, and crimes against humanity.
It goes beyond the scope of a blog post to provide an inclusive description of war crimes. I am providing a brief sketch for a quick reference, to help readers to understand the (sometimes loose) talk about war crimes in the media.
Sources say that there is a distinction between war crimes, international human rights law, and crimes against humanity. They look similar to me, but I will respect conventional wisdom.
United Nations
According to the UN, war crimes include:
·
Intentional
murder of innocent people;
·
Torture
or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments;
·
Willfully
causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health;
·
Compelling
a prisoner of war or other protected person to serve in the forces of hostile
power;
·
Use
of children under the age of sixteen years in the armed forces or groups or
using them to participate actively in hostilities;
·
Intentionally
directing attacks against civilian populations not taking direct part in
hostilities;
·
Extensive
destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity
and carried out unlawfully and wantonly;
·
Destroying
or seizing the property of an adversary unless demanded by necessities of the
conflict;
·
Using
poison or poisoned weapons;
·
Intentionally
directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art,
science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals as long as it's
not used as military infrastructure;
·
Willfully
depriving a prisoner of war or other protected person of the right to a fair and
regular trial;
·
Attacking
or bombarding towns, villages, dwellings or buildings which are undefended and
which are not military infrastructure;
·
Unlawful
deportation, transfer, or unlawful confinement;
·
Taking
of hostages.
· Intentional assault with the knowledge that such an assault would result in loss of life or casualties to civilians or damage to civilian objects or extensive, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment that would be clearly excessive. *
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_crime
International
Humanitarian Law (IHL), (a.k.a. laws of armed conflict)
IHL is a type of international law that protects civilians affected by war. It is intended to limit the suffering of noncombatants. It defines the responsibilities of combatants and neutrals toward persons not engaging in hostilities.
·
Noncombatants,
and those who are not taking part in hostilities in situation of armed conflict
and neutral parties shall be protected in all circumstances.
·
The
wounded and the sick shall be cared for and protected by the party to the
conflict which has them in its power. The emblem of the "Red Cross",
or of the "Red Crescent," shall be required to be respected as the
sign of protection.
·
Captured
persons must be protected against acts of violence and reprisals. They shall
have the right to correspond with their families and to receive relief.
·
No
one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or
degrading treatment or punishment.
·
Parties
to a conflict do not have an unlimited choice of methods and means of warfare.
· Parties to a conflict shall at all times distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. Attacks shall be directed solely against legitimate military targets.
Laws of War
Internationally recognized, (but not always accepted), laws of war address things like:
·
declarations
of war;
·
acceptance
of surrender;
·
the
treatment of prisoners of war;
·
the
avoidance of atrocities;
·
the
prohibition on deliberately attacking non-combatants; and
·
the
prohibition of certain inhumane weapons (land mines, cluster bombs, booby
traps, incendiary weapons, blinding lasers, etc.)
· It is a violation of the laws of war to engage in combat without meeting certain requirements, among them the wearing of a distinctive uniform or other easily identifiable badge, and the carrying of weapons openly. Impersonating soldiers of the other side by wearing the enemy's uniform is allowed, though fighting in that uniform is unlawful perfidy, as is the taking of hostages. *
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_humanitarian_law
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is headquartered in the Hague (Netherlands). It tries violations of international law committed by nations that have subscribed to it. Such crimes include genocide and crimes against humanity. Crimes against humanity are intentional, widespread, systematic attacks and include:
·
Murder;
·
Extermination;
·
Enslavement;
·
Deportation
or forcible transfer of a population;
·
Illegal
imprisonment;
·
Torture;
·
Rape,
sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced
sterilization, and any other form of sexual violence;
·
Cultural,
religious, racial, or gender persecution;
·
Enforced
disappearance;
· Apartheid.
Lamp in a Corner supports obedience to all human laws that do not contradict God’s Word as provided to us in the Holy Bible. The Bible calls the Antichrist the “man of lawlessness.” (2Thessalonians 2:3) It is not our purpose here to disrespect any law that is consistent with Biblical principles.
It seems, however, that the idea of war crimes misses the point. War is by its very nature a crime against humanity. The taking of human life without due process of law is always a crime, and only becomes “justifiable homicide” when it is necessary to use force to defend ourselves and others from an attack.
America must do all that is reasonable to avoid war. If we are compelled to go to war, then our duty is to do everything possible to win. We should not allow our enemies to find sanctuary, no matter where they run to. We should find, fix, close with and destroy all enemy combatants, until they are unable and unwilling to continue hostilities. We owe that to our troops and our people.
To the extent possible, the United States must avoid collateral damage to civilian populations and property. However, some of our enemies mingle with civilian populations and fire on us from behind human shields. They place surface to air missiles in schoolyards. Factories that make war material are located near residential neighborhoods. We must do all we can to keep noncombatants from getting caught in the crossfire, but when they get hurt, the responsibility falls on the cowardly persons who hide amongst them.
Obedience to the law is who we are. Some of our enemies commit war crimes and atrocities. That is not the American way. We must not allow them to drag us down to their level.
I like U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. I will always be grateful to him for advocating for a strong national defense and for the Second Amendment. If I were a resident of South Carolina I would vote for him. He was wrong, however, when he called on the Russian people to overthrow Vladimir Putin by “any means necessary.” Murder is morally wrong. Advocating it is not consistent with the traditional values Sen. Graham stands for, and the comment was not worthy of him. We all hope the Russian people will throw Putin out, but not “by any means necessary.”
Finally,
I have provided information about what a war crime is. Make up your own mind about whether the
Russian Federation is committing war crimes in Ukraine. I have.
