A civilian in time of war is a person who is not a member of a country's military and any other fighting group.
This is what the word means under the laws of war. Civilians are the opposite of soldiers and combatants, who fight in wars.
In an international armed conflict, civilians are generally protected by international humanitarian law from being harmed except:
The treatment of protected civilians in an international armed conflict is covered by the Fourth Geneva Convention. Prisoners are covered by the Third Convention. These are based on humanitarian doctrines (ethical beliefs) and that most countries follow them as law.
In an international armed conflict, protected civilians have the right to defend themselves. If they participate in other fighting, they are usually called partisans, and they can be tried for war crimes.
In a non-international armed conflict, Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocol II protect civilians regardless of nationality from the harmful effects of war. They can also be tried for harboring non-state armed groups since rebellion is a crime under the domestic law of most nations.
The modern use of the word also has problems:
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