law of war / martial law
das Kriegsrecht
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law of war
The special legal rules that apply during a war and govern the conduct of the warring parties and their treatment of the population.
Das Kriegsrecht verbietet bestimmte Angriffe auf die Zivilbevölkerung.
The law of war prohibits certain attacks on the civilian population.
martial law
A state of emergency in which military authorities or the armed forces temporarily take over important powers of government.
Nach dem Putsch verhängte die Regierung das Kriegsrecht.
After the coup, the government imposed martial law.
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| genitive | des Kriegsrechtes |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Kriegsrecht | – |
| accusative | das Kriegsrecht | – |
| dative | dem Kriegsrecht | – |
| genitive | des Kriegsrechtes des Kriegsrechts | – |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Kriegsrecht' (law of war / martial law) is made up of 'Krieg' (war) and 'Recht' (law). The 's' links the two components, so the word literally refers to law relating to war.
Das Kriegsrecht enthält besondere Regeln für den Umgang mit Gefangenen.
The law of war contains special rules for the treatment of prisoners.
When the context concerns rules for armed conflicts, 'das Kriegsrecht' (the law of war) refers to legal requirements for the warring parties. When verbs such as 'verhängen' (to impose) or 'ausrufen' (to declare) appear in the sentence, it usually refers to the state of emergency known as martial law.
Das Kriegsrecht schützt auch in einem bewaffneten Konflikt bestimmte Gruppen.
The law of war protects certain groups even during an armed conflict.
Wegen der anhaltenden Unruhen rief der Präsident im Grenzgebiet das Kriegsrecht aus.
Because of the ongoing unrest, the president declared martial law in the border region.
When referring to the rules governing armed conflicts, 'das Kriegsrecht' (the law of war) often appears with verbs and prepositional constructions such as 'einhalten' (to observe), 'verletzen' (to violate), and 'gegen das Kriegsrecht verstoßen' (to breach the law of war).
Die Armee muss das Kriegsrecht auch bei schwierigen Einsätzen einhalten.
The army must observe the law of war even during difficult operations.
For the state of emergency, common expressions include 'das Kriegsrecht verhängen' (to impose martial law), 'das Kriegsrecht ausrufen' (to declare martial law), and 'das Kriegsrecht aufheben' (to lift martial law). An area can also 'unter Kriegsrecht stehen' (be under martial law), and the population can 'unter Kriegsrecht leben' (live under martial law); in these expressions, 'Kriegsrecht' is used without an article.
Nach mehreren Tagen hob die Regierung das Kriegsrecht wieder auf.
After several days, the government lifted martial law.
Die Bevölkerung musste monatelang unter Kriegsrecht leben.
The population had to live under martial law for months.
