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Humanitarian interventions are response of the international community to grave violations of human rights involving military action of one or more States with or without the authorisation of the United Nations Security Council. There are several issues related to humanitarian interventions that are discussed by legal scholars, political scientists and diplomatic circles with regard to the use of armed force as a response to human rights violations - the issue of sovereignty of States, principle of non-intervention and unilateral use of force and justification of military interventions without the authorisation of the UN Security Council even when the interventions are aimed at protecting human rights of a civilian population. This paper discusses humanitarian interventions from the perspective of international law primarily in light of the UN Charter and the role of the UN Security Council in maintaining international peace and security. It examines the concept of state sovereignty, human rights and the application of international humanitarian law to sides in the conflict including those conducting a humanitarian intervention in order to prevent additional suffering of civilians. It provides a brief overview of the humanitarian interventions carried out as a response to armed conflicts in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]