Others were added later, including the Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, 13 October 1995 (1996) 35 I.L.M. 1534 (entered into force 2 December 1983). 1529 (entered into force 2 December 1983) and Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons, îoApril 1981, (1980) 19 I.L.M. 1529 (entered into force 2 December 1983), Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices, 10 April 1981, (1980) 19 I.L.M. Three protocols were adopted at the same time as, and annexed to, the convention, see Protocol on Non-Detectable Fragments, 10 April 1981, (1980) 19 I.L.M. How could the use of such a controversial weapon in 1991 go largely unnoticed just four years later? Does this lack of global condemnation necessarily lead to the conclusion that the “dictates of the public conscience” have evolved in regard to the use of this previously controversial weapon of war? This article seeks to analyze the legality of the use of depleted uranium ammunition - the main question being whether the existing laws of armed conflict are already sufficient to address any human and environmental concerns.ġ6 1980 United Nations Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, 10 April 1981, (1980) 19 I.L.M. Does this “weapon of choice,” therefore, breach the international laws of armed conflict?Īlthough the subject of media frenzy in the immediate aftermath of the 1999 Kosovo conflict, the use of depleted uranium ammunition in Iraq 2003 raised little media attention. Clearly, every weapon of war will have some affect on human health and the environment, but the laws of armed conflict have evolved to place limits on the level of harm viewed as permissible and legal. Designed as a point weapon to penetrate armoured targets, scientific studies prove that depleted uranium has both chemically and radioactively toxic characteristics. Criticized by many as the new “weapon of mass destruction,” lauded by some as the “weapon of choice in combat,” the use of depleted uranium ammunition in warfare raises many legal questions.