CYIL vol. 14 (2023)

JAN ONDŘEJ CYIL 14 (2023) jednat o kombatanta. Tuto a další otázky mohou řešit pouze speciální pravidla v podobě mezinárodní smlouvy nebo alespoň dokumentu mající povahu soft law. Pokud jde o válku na Ukrajině obě strany Ukrajina i Rusko používají zejména různé druhy dronů (bezpi lotních letadel). Většinou jsou řízeny operátory, ale určitá míra autonomnosti u některých z nich je využívána. Key words: Autonomous weapon systems, international humanitarian law, principle of prohibition of the indiscriminate attacks, excessive injury and unnecessary suffering, principle of proportionality. About the Author: Prof. JUDr. Jan Ondřej, CSc., DSc., is Professor of International Law at the Charles University Law School in Prague, and former Vice-Rector and Head of the Department of Law and Security at the Private University College of Economics Studies in Prague. Mr. Ondřej is the author of a textbook on International Public, Private and Trade Law (2014) and of many publications on international spaces (space law, law of the sea, Antarctica), e.g. the publication The Law of International Spaces (2004), disarmament and international security, e.g. the publication Disarmament – Means of Ensuring the International Security (2008). He also co-authored a publication International Humanitarian Law (2010). Introduction The development of weapon systems is moving towards autonomy in the future, which is intended to limit the risk to the intervening armed forces in an armed conflict in such a way, that the life and health of the intervening combatants are protected. The programs of these autonomous systems are designed in a way as to determine the point of intervention, eliminate human error, and limit unnecessary loss of life. Specific example of autonomous weapons are the unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), which play an important role in the war in Ukraine. Drones can be actively controlled from a distance, for example from a computer, pre-programmed using GPS coordinates, or they can be also controlled by dynamic autonomous flight systems capable of detection, aiming and hitting a ground target in detail. 1 The paper is focused on the analysis of the current rules of IHL from the point of view of autonomous weapons. 1. Definition of the autonomous weapon systems The autonomous weapon system can be defined as self-contained or independent . This term could be confused with the word automatic , which means self-acting or mechanical. Both words can express activity without human intervention, but the automatic system does not evaluate the situation and does not act by itself. Automatic weapons have automatic features. For example, the US military uses unmanned drones, Israel and South Korea use automatic surveillance weapons that distinguish targets and alert a human operator who makes the decision to fire. 2 On the contrary, the autonomous weapons are capable of distinguishing 1 DVOŘÁK, M. Bezpilotní letadla drony a oprávnění policistů k zamezení jejich provozu. [Unmanned aircraft drones and the authority of police officers to prevent their operation.] In: Gřivna, T. Richer, T., Šimánová, H. (eds.) Vliv nových technologií na trestní právo . [ The impact of new technologies on criminal law. ] Praha: Auditorium, 2022, p. 282. 2 LEWIS, J. The case for Regulating Fully Autonomous Weapons. The Yale Law Journal , 2015, vol. 124, no. 4, p. 1311.

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