This chapter addresses the question of whether the conventional right to life has become part of general international law and, if so, whether it may be derogated from under the rules of general international law. It also examines the territorial scope of the non-conventional right to life. It argues that, today, the jus cogens character of the right to life has become virtually unassailable. Outside the conduct of hostilities, even a single targeted killing carried out by State agents in deviation from the normative paradigm of law enforcement constitutes an unjustifiable violation of international jus cogens.
Keywords: human rights law, United Nations, International Court of Justice, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international law, jus cogens, customary law, general principles of law, right to life