International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is the body of rules and principles specifically designed to regulate the conduct of States and individuals actively involved in situations of international or non-international armed conflict. This chapter examines whether and, if so, to what extent the lex specialis of IHL adjusts the normative content of the paradigm of law enforcement to the realities of armed conflict as far as the use of lethal force outside the conduct of hostilities is concerned. The analysis takes into account those provisions of international criminal law which are specifically designed to penalize the use of lethal force in situations of armed conflict.
Keywords: IHL, international armed conflict, law enforcement, personal jurisdiction, extraterritorial jurisdiction, domestic jurisdiction, deprivation of life