Just because he’s bad and we expect him to be bad, doesn’t mean he can break the rules willy-nilly. Now, you could argue that Vader is an individual who is acting only in his self-interest and not on behalf of a State, but he is 2 nd in command of an empire and as an armed combatant he is still subject to the same laws as everyone else who are participating in hostilities.
No State may permit or tolerate such treatment or punishment, even in exceptional circumstances. As one would expect, Torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and outrages upon personal dignity are prohibited at all times under IHL.
Darth Vader is a baddie (before of course, his glorious redemption in Return of the Jedi) and the Stormtroopers? Well they’re not much better. The torturing of Han Solo – The Empire Strikes Back So, without further delay, let’s find out which Star Wars character is the actual worst! And we know, we know, while the question of whether the laws of war actually apply in space is a complicated one, these scenes still give us some pretty choice examples of what NOT to do during times of war, unless you want to be accused of war crimes. For the earth-dwelling populace, that galaxy far far away is an enduring legacy, to friendship (unless you’re a traitorous Sith Lord), to love (hello Han and Leia!), and of course to good triumphing over evil (Users of the Light Side, The Jedi Order).īut aside from all that, it also gives us some pretty interesting insights into international humanitarian law (or IHL, or the laws of war). If Stormtroopers need first aid, we’re there. NB: Australian Red Cross is a neutral and impartial organisation, we do not take sides. That’s right, we’re dissecting Star Wars scenes using international humanitarian law! To celebrate the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi we thought we’d get together with our fellow Star Wars nerds and have a marriage of passions, so to speak.