Geneva Convention

national | miscellaneous | news report

Monday March 24, 2003 10:54

by Bernd

Am I reading this wrong?

Are the Iraqis really violating the Geneva Convention by televising pictures of PoWs?

The Geneva convention says:

Art 13. Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated. Any unlawful act or omission by the Detaining Power causing death or seriously endangering the health of a prisoner of war in its custody is prohibited, and will be regarded as a serious breach of the present Convention. In particular, no prisoner of war may be subjected to physical mutilation or to medical or scientific experiments of any kind which are not justified by the medical, dental or hospital treatment of the prisoner concerned and carried out in his interest.

Likewise, prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity.

Measures of reprisal against prisoners of war are prohibited.

Does Iraq act in violation by showing the TV pictures of the US PoWs? I don't think so:

This is not "public curiosity", but news repoarting ... or else the pictures televised/printed of Iraqi PoWs in "Coalition" hands are in flagrant breach od the same convention.

A further thought:

By showing those guys alive and (moderately) well, Iraqi TV has made it near impossible to harm them - the world knows they were captured alive and will demand to see them home save and sound.

Should I ever become a prisoner, I would actually welcome being filmed in custody just to have proof that I was OK ... before whatever happened (fall down step stairs, involuntary but volatile contact of head to radiator, shot in the back ...). OK, it wouldn't save my life, but it would make a damn good explanation exercise for the perps ...

Out of this reason alone the "Coalition" should be happy about any televised image of PoWs ...

Twisted logic?