ABSTRACT

Sanctions have created a range of human rights problems, many of which remain unsolved. In trying to punish a state for wrongdoing, formally imposed sanctions necessarily victimize its population. While it is easy to distinguish between the state, government and population in theory, the imposition of sanctions, in practice, obliterate this distinction. An even more intriguing problem has emerged where sanctions have been imposed as a response to human rights violations. Sanctions target the state because it is held responsible for violations, but the practical impossibility of distinguishing between the state and its population has resulted in double victimization - people victimized by human rights violations have been additionally harmed by sanctions.