What is "human shield"

n. deliberate placement of civilians in or around combat targets to deter an enemy from attacking those targets

Human shield is a military and political term describing the deliberate placement of non-combatants in or around combat targets to deter the enemy from attacking these combat targets. It may also refer to the use of persons to literally shield combatants during attacks, by forcing them to march in front of the combatants.

Using this technique is illegal by nations that are parties to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, and the 1998 Rome Statute.

Human Shield (, alternatively translated as "Living Wall") is a populist political party in Croatia, formed out of an anti-eviction group of the same name. The group fights foreclosures by occupying property, and forming a "human shield" as alluded to by the name. Party operated until 2014 as Alliance for Change .