HI Condemns the Use of Banned Cluster Munitions

Below is a statement for HI's Advocacy Director, Anne Héry 

“HI strongly condemns the relentless and devastating bombing and shelling across the Middle East, which continues to harm civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure. All parties to a conflict must fully comply with international humanitarian law, which clearly obliges them to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure from armed violence. 

Amid this ongoing violence, the reported use of banned cluster munitions is highly disturbing and unacceptable. According to Human Rights Watch’s report, this barbaric weapon has been used several times by Iranian forces against Israel since early March.  

Cluster munitions are banned for a reason: Civilians overwhelmingly bear the brunt of their impact. According to the Cluster Munition Monitor, the vast majority of casualties are civilians. Cluster munitions injure or kill during an attack. They also leave behind munitions that did not explode on impact. These unexploded submunitions have the effect of landmines and continue to kill or maim civilians — particularly children — for years.”

To date, 111 States are parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (Oslo, 2008), making it a widely recognized international norm.