RS 0.515.091.1 Additional Protocol of 13 October 1995 to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects

Original Language Title: RS 0.515.091.1 Protocole additionnel du 13 octobre 1995 à la Convention sur l’interdiction ou la limitation de l’emploi de certaines armes classiques qui peuvent être considérées comme produisant des effets traumatiques excessifs ou comme frappant sans di

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0.515.091.1

Original text

Additional Protocol

To the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects

Geneva, 13 October 1995

Approved by the Federal Assembly on December 8, 1997 ¹

Instrument of ratification deposited by Switzerland on 24 March 1998

Entered into force for Switzerland on 24 September 1998

(State on 6 January 2015)

Art. 1 Additional Protocol

The Protocol annexed to the Convention of 10 October 1980 on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Injurious Without discrimination ¹ ("the Convention") as Protocol IV.

" Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons (Protocol IV)

Art. 1

It is prohibited to use laser weapons specifically designed in such a way that their only combat function or combat function is to cause permanent blindness in persons whose vision is unimproved, That is, who look to the naked eye or who wear corrective lenses. The High Contracting Parties shall not transfer such weapons to any State or entity other than a State.

Art. 2

In the use of laser systems, the High Contracting Parties shall take all feasible precautions to avoid cases of permanent blindness in persons whose vision is not improved. Such precautions include the training of their armed forces and other practical measures.

Art. 3

The blindness as a fortuitous or collateral effect of the legitimate military use of laser systems, including laser systems used against optical devices, is not covered by the prohibition set out in this Protocol.

Art. 4

For the purposes of this Protocol, "permanent blindness" means a loss of the irreversible and non-correctable view, which is seriously incapacitating without any prospect of recovery. A severe disability is equivalent to a visual acuity of less than 20/200, measured in both eyes using the Snellen test."

¹ RS 0.515.091

Art. 2 Entry into force

This Protocol shall enter into force as provided for in s. 3 and 4 of Art. 5 of the Convention ¹.

(Suivent signatures)

¹ RS 0.515.091

Scope of application January 6, 2015 ²


States Parties	Ratification Statement of Succession (S)		Entry into force


South Africa ^*	26 June	1998	26 December	1998
Albania	August 28	2002	28 February	2003
Germany ^*	27 June	1997	July 30	1998
Antigua and Barbuda	August 23	2010	23 February	2011
Saudi Arabia	7 December	2007	7 June	2008
Argentina	21 October	1998	April 21	1999
Australia ^*	22 August	1997	July 30	1998
Austria ^*	27 July	1998	27 January	1999
Bangladesh	September 6	2000	6 March	2001
Belarus	13 September	2000	13 March	2001
Belgium ^*	10 March	1999	10 September	1999
Bolivia	21 September	2001	21 March	2002
Bosnia and Herzegovina	11 October	2001	April 11	2002
Brazil	4 October	1999	April 4	2000
Bulgaria	3 December	1998	3 June	1999
Burkina Faso	26 November	2003	26 May	2004
Cambodia	25 March	1997	July 30	1998
Cameroon	7 December	2006	7 June	2007
Canada ^*	5 January	1998	July 30	1998
Cape Verde	16 September	1997	July 30	1998
Chile	15 October	2003	15 April	2004
China	4 November	1998	4 May	1999
Cyprus	July 22	2003	22 January	2004
Colombia	6 March	2000	September 6	2000
Costa Rica	17 December	1998	17 June	1999
Croatia	April 25	2002	25 October	2002
Cuba	14 November	2012	14 May	2013
Denmark	April 30	1997	July 30	1998
El Salvador	26 January	2000	26 July	2000
Ecuador	16 December	2003	June 16	2004
Spain	19 January	1998	July 30	1998
Estonia	20 April	2000	20 October	2000
United States ^*	21 January	2009	July 21	2009
Finland	11 January	1996	July 30	1998
France	30 June	1998	December 30	1998
Gabon	22 September	2010	22 March	2011
Georgia	July 14	2006	14 January	2007
Greece ^*	August 5	1997	July 30	1998
Grenada	10 December	2014	10 June	2015
Guatemala	August 30	2002	28 February	2003
Guinea-Bissau	August 6	2008	February 6	2009
Honduras	30 October	2003	April 30	2004
Hungary	30 January	1998	July 30	1998
India	2 September	1999	2 March	2000
Iraq	24 September	2014	24 March	2015
Ireland ^*	March 27	1997	July 30	1998
Iceland	22 August	2008	22 February	2009
Israel ^*	30 October	2000	April 30	2001
Italy ^*	13 January	1999	July 13	1999
Jamaica	September 25	2008	25 March	2009
Japan	10 June	1997	July 30	1998
Kazakhstan	July 8	2009	8 January	2010
Kuwait	24 May	2013	24 November	2013
Latvia	March 11	1998	11 September	1998
Liberia	16 September	2005	March 16	2006
Liechtenstein ^*	19 November	1997	July 30	1998
Lithuania	3 June	1998	3 December	1998
Luxembourg	August 5	1999	5 February	2000
Macedonia	19 March	2007	19 September	2007
Madagascar	March 14	2008	September 14	2008
Maldives	7 September	2000	7 March	2001
Mali	24 October	2001	24 April	2002
Malta	24 September	2004	24 March	2005
Morocco	19 March	2002	19 September	2002
Mauritius	24 December	2002	24 June	2003
Mexico	10 March	1998	10 September	1998
Moldova	8 September	2000	8 March	2001
Mongolia	April 6	1999	6 October	1999
Montenegro	23 October	2006 S	3 June	2006
Nauru	12 November	2001	12 May	2002
Nicaragua	5 December	2000	5 June	2001
Niger	18 September	2007	18 March	2008
Norway	20 April	1998	20 October	1998
New Zealand	8 January	1998	July 30	1998
Uzbekistan	29 September	1997	July 30	1998
Pakistan	5 December	2000	5 June	2001
Panama	26 March	1997	July 30	1998
Paraguay	3 December	2008	3 June	2009
Netherlands ^*^A	25 March	1999	September 25	1999
Caribbean (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba)	28 April	2014	28 April	2014
Peru	3 July	1997	July 30	1998
Philippines	12 June	1997	July 30	1998
Poland ^*	23 September	2004	23 March	2005
Portugal	12 November	2001	12 May	2002
Qatar	16 November	2009	May 16	2010
Dominican Republic	21 June	2010	21 December	2010
Czech Republic	10 August	1998	10 February	1999
Romania	August 25	2003	25 February	2004
United Kingdom ^*	February 11	1999	August 11	1999
Russia	9 September	1999	March 9	2000
Holy See	July 22	1997	July 30	1998
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	6 December	2010	6 June	2011
Serbia	August 12	2003	12 February	2004
Seychelles	8 June	2000	8 December	2000
Sierra Leone	September 30	2004	30 March	2005
Slovakia	30 November	1999	30 May	2000
Slovenia	3 December	2002	3 June	2003
Sri Lanka	24 September	2004	24 March	2005
Sweden ^*	15 January	1997	July 30	1998
Switzerland ^*	24 March	1998	24 September	1998
Tajikistan	12 October	1999	12 April	2000
Tunisia	23 March	2006	23 September	2006
Turkey	2 March	2005	2 September	2005
Ukraine	28 May	2003	28 November	2003
Uruguay	18 September	1998	18 March	1999

* Reservations and declarations. Reservations and declarations, with the exception of those of Switzerland, are not published in the RO. The texts in English and French can be found at the United Nations Internet site: http://treaties.un.org or obtained from the Directorate of Public International Law (DDIP), International Treaty Section, 3003 Berne.
^A For the Kingdom in Europe.

Swiss Declaration ³

Switzerland declares that the provisions of Protocol IV relating to blinding laser weapons must be applicable in all circumstances.

RO 2003 4087 ; FF 1997 IV 1

¹ Art. 2 al. 1 of the AF of 8 Dec. 1997 ( RO 2003 4085 ).
² RO 2003 4087 , 2006 811, 2007 4399, 2009 3877, 2011 467, 2015 267. A version of the updated scope of application is published on the DFAE website (www.dfae.admin.ch/traites).
³ Art. 2 al. 1 of the AF of 8 Dec. 1997 ( RO 2003 4085 ).

Status January 6, 2015