Repression is similar to suppression, in that both refer to something being restrained, held back, or prevented. ... Emotional repression can have dangerous consequences, however, as passionate emotions can build up to such a point that they are eventually released as anger or, worse, as violent behaviors.
Under its traditional structure, international law prescribes certain rules of conduct for States, and it is up to every State to decide on practical measures or penal or administrative legislation to ensure that individuals whose behaviour is attributable to it, or under some primary rules even all individuals under its jurisdiction, comply with those rules – indeed, ultimately only human beings can violate or respect rules. There is, however, the growing branch of international criminal law, which consists of rules of international law specifically criminalizing certain individual behaviour and obliging States to criminally repress such behaviour. IHL was one of the first branches of international law to contain rules of international criminal law.
