LAW & POLICY NEWSLETTER

Prisoners of war in focus: marking the anniversary of the Geneva Conventions on August 12

Prisoner cards of the Army officer and future French president Charles de Gaulle

© ICRC Tracing Archives, www. grandeguerre.icrc.org

They can be illustrious people, like Charles De Gaulle, Winston Churchill, François Mitterand and John McCain have been in the past. They can be loved relatives and friends. What they all have in common is their human dignity that the Geneva Conventions protect. This special edition tells you how.

Prisoners of war in contemporary armed conflict: Interpreting the Third Geneva Convention 70+ years after its negotiation

Too often the term “prisoner of war” (PoW) conjures up black-and-white images of soldiers detained in the Second World War. Recent events have brought PoWs back into the fore of the public consciousness, in particular how they must be treated and what rights they are entitled to in contemporary conflicts.

In this post published to mark the anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions Ellen Policinski, ICRC Legal Adviser, highlights aspects of the Third Geneva Convention (GCIII) that may be particularly relevant today, including some of the findings of the updated ICRC Commentary on GCIII.

Quiz Time

When was the first commentary on IHL treaties published? Learn about the long history of the ICRC commentaries in this blog.

In the International Review of the Red Cross

Read the Review article highlighting the key points of interest covered in the updated Commentary on the Third Geneva Convention.

Societal changes have implications for how the law is interpreted and applied. Is solitary confinement on prisoners of war with psychosocial disabilities still lawful in light of the modern understanding of disability?

This Review edition explores a range of ongoing challenges associated with safeguarding the human dignity of detainees.

Watch & Listen

Essential protections of prisoners of war explained in 12 minutes by ICRC Chief Legal Officer Cordula Droege.

Listen to the podcast where we discuss the updated Commentary on the GCIII’s main findings on key humanitarian issues related to the treatment of prisoners of war.

What makes prisoners of war different from other prisoners? Watch the IHLTok to learn more!

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