Amanpour ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric
May 7, 2026
Mirjana Spoljaric, ICRC president leading humanitarian operations and Geneva Conventions advocacy. Shomari Figures, Alabama representative focused on voting rights and redistricting. Rita Wilson, singer-actress with a new album and cancer-survivor perspective. They discuss damage and medical needs in Iran and Gaza, erosion of rules of war, detention and aid responsibilities, national redistricting battles, and late-life songwriting.
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ICRC Stresses Humane Treatment Beyond Formal Mandates
- The ICRC frames its mandate around armed conflict and insists detainees deserve humane treatment regardless of whether Geneva Conventions formally apply.
- Spoljaric said humane treatment, health access, and due process are obligations under customary law too.
Dehumanizing Rhetoric Is Eroding Rules Of War
- Spoljaric warned of a "hollowing out" of respect for the Geneva Conventions and dehumanising rhetoric lowering moral barriers.
- She linked dehumanizing language to legal and moral erosion that pressures militaries toward illegal acts.
Apply Laws Of War And De escalate To Preserve Peace Talks
- To restore a pathway to peace, Spoljaric urged leaders to apply the laws of war in spirit and de-escalate now.
- She argued that excessive destruction sows seeds for worse future conflicts and makes negotiations harder.