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The Report on Human Rights Violations Committed by the
Armenian Armed Forces during Azerbaijan & Armenia War 35

n Article 52, clause 2:

“Attacks shall be limited strictly to military objectives. In so far as objects
are concerned, military objectives are limited to those objects which by their
nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military
action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in
the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage.”

n Article 53:

“Without prejudice to the provisions of the Hague Convention for the Protec-
tion of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 14 May 1954,
and of other relevant international instruments, it is prohibited: (a) to com-
mit any acts of hostility directed against the historic monuments, works of
art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of
peoples; ...”
n Article 56, clause 1:

“Works or installations containing dangerous forces, namely dams, dykes and
nuclear electrical generating stations, all not be made the object of attack,
even where these objects are military objectives, if such attack may cause the
release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the civilian
population. ...”

In addition, according to the Article 85 of the same Protocol, making the civilian
population or individual civilians the object of attack; launching an indiscriminate
attack affecting the civilian population or civilian objects in the knowledge that such
attack will cause excessive loss of life, injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects
are regarded as grave breaches of the Protocol.

As another key rule regarding International Humanitarian Law, “War Crimes”
as defined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are
as follows:
“2. For the purpose of this Statute, “war crimes” means:

(a) Grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, namely,
any of the following acts against persons or property protected under the
provisions of the relevant Geneva Convention: