Under international humanitarian law it is prohibited to make the object of attack a person who has surrendered. This article explores the circumstances in which the act of surrender is effective under international humanitarian law and examines, in particular, how surrender can be achieved in practical terms during land warfare in the context of international and non-international armed conflict. First, the article situates surrender within its broader historical and theoretical setting, tracing its legal development as a rule of conventional and customary international humanitarian law and arguing that its crystallisation as a law of war derives from the lack of military necessity to directly target persons who have placed themselves outside the theatre of armed conflict, and that such conduct is unacceptable from a humanitarian perspective. Second, after a careful examination of state practice, the article proposes a three-stage test for determining whether persons have surrendered under international humanitarian law: (1) Have persons attempting to surrender engaged in a positive act which clearly reveals that they no longer intend to participate in hostilities? (2) Is it reasonable in the circumstances prevailing at the time for the opposing force to discern the offer of surrender? and (3) Have surrendered persons unconditionally submitted to the authority of their captor?

中文翻译：

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国际人道法中的投降规则

根据国际人道法，禁止以投降者为攻击对象。本文探讨了投降行为在国际人道法下有效的情况，并特别研究了在国际和非国际武装冲突背景下的陆战中如何实际实现投降。首先，本文将投降置于其更广泛的历史和理论背景中，追溯其作为传统和习惯国际人道法规则的法律发展，并认为其作为战争法的具体化源于缺乏军事必要性直接针对已将自己置身于武装冲突的战区之外，从人道主义角度来看，这种行为是不可接受的。其次，在仔细研究国家实践后，本文提出了一个三阶段的测试来确定一个人是否根据国际人道法投降：（1）试图投降的人是否从事了明确表明他们不再打算投降的积极行为参加敌对行动？(2) 在当时的普遍情况下，对方部队辨别投降提议是否合理？(3) 被移交的人是否无条件服从俘虏的权威？(1) 试图投降的人是否采取了明确表明他们不再打算参加敌对行动的积极行为？(2) 在当时的普遍情况下，对方部队辨别投降提议是否合理？(3) 被移交的人是否无条件服从俘虏的权威？(1) 试图投降的人是否采取了明确表明他们不再打算参加敌对行动的积极行为？(2) 在当时的普遍情况下，对方部队辨别投降提议是否合理？(3) 被移交的人是否无条件服从俘虏的权威？