Règle correspondante
Sweden
Practice Relating to Rule 50. Destruction and Seizure of Property of an Adversary
Sweden’s IHL Manual (1991) states: “According to [the 1907 Hague Regulations], it is prohibited to destroy or confiscate an enemy’s belongings so long as this is not absolutely necessary as a consequence of the demands of war.”
Sweden, International Humanitarian Law in Armed Conflict, with reference to the Swedish Total Defence System, Swedish Ministry of Defence, January 1991, Section 3.2.1.5, p. 52.
The manual adds: “In most cases, property of importance for the adversary’s military operations can be eliminated by destruction or confiscation (= capture).”
Sweden, International Humanitarian Law in Armed Conflict, with reference to the Swedish Total Defence System, Swedish Ministry of Defence, January 1991, Section 3.2.1.5, pp. 54 and 55.
The manual also regards “illegal, extensive and arbitrary destruction and appropriation of property where this is not justified by military necessity” as a grave breach of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Sweden, International Humanitarian Law in Armed Conflict, with reference to the Swedish Total Defence System, Swedish Ministry of Defence, January 1991, Section 4.2, p. 93.
