Medical Neutrality and Solidarity in the Syrian Armed Conflict

Abstract

Noninterference with health workers treating the sick and wounded during civil unrest and armed conflict is an ethical principle that has been legally recognized across the globe for 150 years, under the term “medical neutrality.” However, in the Syrian conflict, now in its third year, the deliberate targeting of health workers, including students, and hospitals as a warfare tactic has become widespread. Consequently, work performed under dangerous circumstances by the international medical community’s peers and colleagues deserves recognition, through declarations and demonstrations of international solidarity, in order to bolster the legitimacy of medical neutrality in diplomatic affairs. This article discusses the issue of medical neutrality as applied to the Syrian conflict and, furthermore, underscores the relevance of condemnation as a tactic for influencing policy.