Are mercenaries unlawful combatants?

Under Customary International Humanitarian Law

Mercenaries are not entitled to the status of combatant, prisoner of war (API Article 47), or any of the categories of protected persons provided for by the Geneva Conventions, unless they are wounded or sick, although they must always benefit from humane treatment.

Are mercenaries considered civilians?

Mercenaries are civilians and not recognised combatants. Personnel of PSCs/PMCs could be either, depending on their relationship with the conflicting parties and nature of their activities.

Is it against international law to be a mercenary?

The United Nations Mercenary Convention, officially the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries, is a 2001 United Nations treaty that prohibits the recruitment, training, use, and financing of mercenaries.

What are the laws regarding mercenaries?

No U.S. law currently restricts or prohibits U.S. persons from serving in a foreign mercenary force. Only the U.S. government is restricted from hiring mercenaries under what is known as the Anti-Pinkerton Act of 1893.

Why are mercenaries prohibited?

Mercenary activity must be considered a crime in and of itself and be internationally prosecutable, both because it violates human rights and because it affects the self determination of peoples.

Status of Combatants - International Humanitarian Law - Lecture by Dr. Rustam Atadjanov

Are US mercenaries legal?

International law prohibits the use of mercenaries in armed conflict and certain peaceful situations.

Can mercenaries be legally executed?

Rule 108 of the 2005 ICRC customary IHL study prescribes that in the context of an international armed conflict, mercenaries, as defined in Additional Protocol I, do not have the right to combatant or prisoner-of-war status and may not be convicted or sentenced without previous trial.

Is hiring mercenaries a war crime?

The 1989 International Convention made the recruitment, use, training, and financing of mercenaries illegal. It also forbids the recruitment of people to fight in an armed conflict or for private gain.

When did mercenaries become illegal?

By the 20th century, the market for force was defunct. The mid-century surge in underground private warfare prompted Geneva Protocols I and II in 1977 that banned mercenaries. The primary objection is that they were warriors without a state, fighting for money rather than national ideology.

How much do Blackwater mercenaries get paid?

Average Blackwater Security hourly pay ranges from approximately $15.75 per hour for Security Officer to $17.49 per hour for Patrol Officer.

Can US citizens hire mercenaries?

The use and recruitment of mercenaries are legally forbidden by the 1989 International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries. A mercenary is defined as any person who is specially recruited locally or abroad in order to fight in an armed conflict.

Are Blackwater mercenaries?

In the book, Scahill contends that Blackwater exists as a mercenary force, and argues that Blackwater's rise is a consequence of the demobilization of the US military following the Cold War and its overextension in Iraq and Afghanistan.

How much do American mercenaries make?

The average mercenary salary in the USA is $75,000 per year or $36.06 per hour. Entry level positions start at $50,000 per year while most experienced workers make up to $100,000 per year.

What is the largest mercenary company?

Currently Blackwater (Xe Services LLC, Academi) is the largest organization of its kind in the world. The company has a headquarters located in North Carolina.

What is the dark truth about Blackwater?

In 2007, Blackwater received widespread notoriety for the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, when a group of its employees killed 17 Iraqi civilians and injured 20. Four employees were convicted in the United States but later pardoned on December 22, 2020, by President Donald Trump.

Are mercenaries considered military?

A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military.

Does the CIA hire mercenaries?

However, what is so mind-boggling is the fact that they are part of the overt and covert operations of the CIA. Here are 25 mercenary armies recruited by the CIA in its efforts to provide military support to countries in need.

Can military force be used on US citizens?

The Posse Comitatus Act is a United States federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1385, original at 20 Stat. 152) signed on June 18, 1878, by President Rutherford B. Hayes which limits the powers of the federal government in the use of federal military personnel to enforce domestic policies within the United States.

How much does a Russian mercenary make?

The pay of Wagner private military contractors (PMCs), who are usually retired regular Russian servicemen aged between 35 and 55, is estimated to be between 80,000 and 250,000 Russian rubles a month (667–2,083 USD). One source stated the pay was as high as 300,000 (US$2,500).

How hard is it to become a mercenary?

The majority of classic mercenary-like jobs on the market today typically require past military or law enforcement experience. Even better, is previous experience working in the special forces of the army, USMC, navy, or air force if seeking the higher paying security-related jobs available on the market.

How do I become a mercenary without military experience?

What is the difference between a regular soldier and a mercenary soldier?

It is a fine line but a soldier is one who fights for a particular nation or cause. A mercenary is a soldier who fights for whomever pays him and has no allegiance to any nation or cause.

What is the difference between a private military contractor and a mercenary?

The difference is trivial but important, it's a linguistic difference that defines their legality. Mercenaries are unregulated, uncontrollable individual soldiers while PMCs are heavily regulated, corporate-type entities.

What is a Blackwater mercenary?

Government Contracts

During the war in Iraq, Blackwater was one of several private security companies use to guard officials, security guards, and military installations, train the Iraqi army and police forces, and provide other support for armed forces.