Analyzing the Salisbury Incident under International Law

Year 2022, Volume: 42 Issue: 1, 27 - 52, 29.06.2022

Selman Özdan Büşra Beydüz

Abstract

On March 04, 2018, Sergei Skripal (former Russian spy) and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were found unconscious in Salisbury in the United Kingdom. An investigation by the authorities found that Skripal and his daughter had been exposed to Novichok nerve agent. The UK Government claimed it was highly likely that the Russian government was responsible for the poisoning. The Russian government dismissed the allegations. Nonetheless, the Salisbury case has become an international crisis. This case has been analyzed in the context of various international legal principles, including prohibition of the use of force, self-defense, and armed attack. The prohibition of the use of force, for example, requires an examination of the compatibility of nerve agent use (in particular Novichok nerve agent) with international law. In the Salisbury incident, one important question is whether there is a threshold for the use of force in respect of Article 2(4) of the United Nations (UN) Charter. Assuming the Russian government is responsible for the Salisbury incident, another crucial issue is whether the Salisbury incident is tantamount to an armed attack for the purposes of Article 51 of the UN Charter, invoking the UK’s right to forcible self-defense.

Keywords

Salisbury, the prohibition of the use of force, armed attack, self-defense, Novichok

Uluslararası Hukukta Salisbury Olayının İncelenmesi

Abstract

4 Mart 2018 tarihinde İngiltere’nin Salisbury kentinde Sergei Skripal (eski Rus ajanı) ve kızı Yulia Skripal bilinci kapalı bir şekilde bulunmuşlardır. Yetkili mercilerin incelemesi ve araştırması sonucu Sergei Skripal ve kızının Novichok isimli sinir gazına maruz kaldıkları tespit edilmiştir. İngiltere Hükümeti kullanılan gazın çeşidi ve elde edilen delillerden yola çıkarak Rusya’nın bu zehirlenme vakasından sorumlu olabileceğini ifade etmiştir. Rusya olayı üstlenmemesine rağmen iddiaların aksini kanıtlayabilecek güçlü bir delil ileri sürememiştir. Salisbury olayı, basit bir zehirlenme vakasından öteye geçerek uluslararası bir krize dönüşmüş ve kuvvet kullanma yasağı, meşru müdafaa ve silahlı saldırı konularında uluslararası hukuk altında tartışmalara sebebiyet vermiştir. Bu kapsamda, Novichok gazı özelinde sinir gazı kullanımının uluslararası hukuka uygunluğunun incelenmesi, olayın kuvvet kullanma yasağına ilişkin değerlendirilmesi için önem arz etmektedir. BM Sözleşmesi madde 2(4) dikkate alınarak, Salisbury olayında incelenecek önemli hususlardan diğeri ise, kuvvet kullanma konusunda bir eşiğin var olup olmadığıdır. Salisbury olayından Rusya Hükümeti’nin sorumlu olduğu varsayımında, incelenmesi gereken diğer önemli bir husus bu olayın BM Sözleşmesi madde 51’de düzenlenen meşru müdafaa hakkı dâhilinde silahlı saldırı boyutuna ulaşıp ulaşmadığıdır.

Keywords

Salisbury, kuvvet kullanma yasağı, silahlı saldırı, meşru müdafaa, Novichok

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