In the war in 1876, Tuky for the first time used as a corresponding sign a red crescent, but it was officially adopted only in 1929, in the revined Geneve convention for improving of the destinies of the wounded and sick in the armies in war.

In the modern international humanitarian law, by the Geneve Convention on protecting the war victims from 1949 (I and II Convention and I additional protocol with these conventions from 1977), these two signs are completely equal and have identical functions and ways for using.Besides these, formally, as an equal sign, the sign of the red lion and the sun is also adopted, but these have only historical, and no practical meaning, because it was only used by Iran until the overruling of their Shah Reza Pahlavi. Thus, when speaking about the red Cross sign, it has to be borne in mind that the same applies to the sign od the Red Crescent , used by the Islamic countries.

The mentioned sources of the international humanitarian law, precisely prescribe the way for using of the red cross sign. When we talk about the using of the sign, as a protection then the ruls sre complete and there is not much room left fot understanding; as far as the other ways of using of the sign are concerned ( as a sign of protection, i.e. as a sign of belonging), there is a certain liberty left to the countries to regulate certain questions listed in the mentioned sources, but they are not competely defined.

In the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in accordance with the solutions included in the Geneve Convention and the I additional Protocol, the using and the protection of the red cross sign is determined by the Law on using and protecting of the red cross sign which was adopted in 1996 and published in the Gazette of the Federal Republic of Yugolsavia, No 46 of 04.10.1996. Besides, based on the authorization from this Law, in preparation are several sub-law regulations about using of the sign of the Red Cross: The Regulation Book on the way of using of the Red Cross sign; the Regulation Book on using of the sign of red cross and the special identity card of the medics within the Yugoslav Army. The Federal Board of the Yugoslav Red Cross will adopt a special Regulation on using of the red cross sign in the organizations of Red Cross of Yugoslavia.

All the mentiones sources recognize three ways of using of the red cross sign: as a protection, as a sign of belonging and as a sign of marking. Also, all the mentioned regulations make difference in using the red cross sign in peace and in war.