  Syria is Bound by the Laws of War  Publisher Human Rights
Watch Author Clive Baldwin Publication Date 9 August 2012 Cite
as Human Rights Watch, Syria is Bound by the Laws of War, 9
August 2012, available at: [accessed 29 December 2014] Those
responsible for war crimes in Syria must be pursued and
prosecuted according to international humanitarian law  It is
now widely acknowledged that an armed conflict is taking place
across Syria between government forces (including militias) and
organised armed opposition groups. This means the laws of war
(also known as international humanitarian law, or IHL) apply and
bind all sides, and violations may amount to war crimes.  These
detailed laws have been in force for decades, so we are a long
way from the days when it could be said that in times of war the
law falls silent. But the basic principles of the laws of war
are still surprisingly little understood. The words "war
criminal" seem to be mostly used as a term of derision, rather
than a statement of fact, let alon