While an abundance of literature covers the right of states to defend themselves against external aggression, this (Human Rights and Personal Self-Defense in International Law) is the1st ebook dedicated to the right to personal self-defense in international law. Drawing on his extensive experience as a human rights scholar and practitioner, Dr. Jan Hessbruegge sets out in careful detail the strict requirements that human rights impose on defensive force by law enforcement authorities, especially police killings in self-defense. The PDF ebook also discusses the exceptional application of the right to personal self-defense in military-led operations, notably to contain violent civilians who do not directly participate in hostilities.
Human rights also establish parameters on how broad or narrow the laws can be drawn on self-defense between private citizens. Setting out the prevailing international standards, the ebook critically examines the ongoing trend to excessively broaden self-defense laws. It also refutes the claim that there is a human right to possess firearms and guns for self-defense purposes.
In extraordinary circumstances, the right to personal self-defence sharpens human rights and allows people to defend themselves against the state. Here the author establishes that international law gives individuals the right to forcibly resist human rights violations that pose a serious risk of significant and irreparable harm. At the same time, he calls into question prevailing state practice, which fails to recognize any collective right to organized armed resistance even when it constitutes the last resort to defend against genocide or other mass atrocities.
Review
“This ebook is both academically rigorous and an engaging read, covering an impressive range of cases. These include the Moscow theatre siege (Finogenov) and the shooting of Jean-Charles de Menezes. There are also fascinating perspectives from the history of religious and philosophical thought, such as the Buddhist tale of the ‘Compassionate Captain who kills a prospective mass murderer in order both to spare the felon from the bad karma he will incur and to save his crew from committing the sin of killing with anger in their thoughts.” – Adrian Lower, District Judge, Law Society Gazette
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