Human Rights: The Role of International Custom in Regulating the Use of Non-Lethal Weapons

INTRODUCTION. If in wartime the use of non-lethal weapons as a means of warfare is regulated by conventions and customs, in the context of law enforcement, the requirements related to these kinds of weapons are mainly reflected in acts of "soft law" (standards, recommendations, guidelines). Often, due to the “soft” nature of these norms, they do not provide adequate legal regulation for non-lethal weapons, while human rights organisations have repeatedly pointed out that the use of non-lethal weapons in law enforcement can be indiscriminate and lethal. The question arises: are there mandatory norms in International Law that regulate or prohibit the use of often unpredictable and sometimes experimental non-lethal weapons in the context of law enforcement? This article aims to determine whether there are international customs in the field of International Human Rights Law that can regulate the use of non-lethal weapons.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. This study is based on the works of Russian and foreign experts in the field of International Law. Due to the specific nature of non-lethal weapons and for the reliability of the results, the materials studied also include the works of specialists in other sciences (medical, technical). The author studied international agreements, acts of international organisations, case law and scientific literature. In preparing the study, general scientific, interdisciplinary (survey and interviewing) and special legal (formal legal and comparative legal) methods were used.

RESEARCH RESULTS. This article defines the significance of international custom in the field of International Human Rights Law and examines its embodiments in other sources of international law. It substantiates the applicability of international customs in regulating the use of non-lethal weapons in law enforcement, namely such customs as the prohibition of arbitrary deprivation of life, the prohibition of torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment, the prohibition of enslavement, the prohibition of genocide and crimes against humanity, principles of necessity and proportionality during realisation of law enforcement activities. It also proposes to consider the possibility of regulating the use of nonlethal weapons through international customs concerning the use of indiscriminate weapons and experiments on humans.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. The author concluded that international customs are indeed capable of acting as a source for regulating the use of non-lethal weapons in law enforcement activities. However, this occurs indirectly, through the obligations of states to ensure fundamental human rights and freedoms. 

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