Geneva Conventions

I

Introduction

Geneva Conventions, series of international agreements that created and developed international humanitarian law to protect wounded combatants and those who assist them, prisoners of war, and civilians during times of war or other conflicts. The campaign for such laws began with the publication of Un Souvenir de Solferino (A Memory of Solferino, 1862; translated 1911) by Swiss philanthropist Jean Henri Dunant. The book described the suffering of wounded soldiers at the northern Italian battlefield of Solferino in June 1859. It advocated for the creation of a relief society and the adoption of a treaty that would give protection on the battlefield to the wounded and those who assisted them. These proposals ultimately led to the adoption of the Geneva Conventions and the founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which later became the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

II

The Four Geneva Conventions

There have been four Geneva Conventions, each of which has subsequently been amended. The name derives from Geneva, Switzerland, the city where the conventions were negotiated. The first Geneva Convention was adopted in 1864 and provided for the protection of sick and wounded soldiers on the field of battle. The second convention, formulated in 1906, extended those protections to sailors wounded in sea battles. The third convention, in 1929, protected prisoners of war (POWs). It legislated that POWs were not criminals, should be treated humanely, and should be released at the end of hostilities. The fourth convention, ratified in 1949, rewrote, expanded, and replaced the language of the first three conventions. The fourth convention also provided for the protection of civilians during wartime. It brought civilians under the protection of international laws that prohibit murder, torture, hostage-taking, and extra-judicial sentencing and executions.

What is now commonly called “the Geneva Conventions” refers to the three conventions that were recodified in 1949 and the fourth convention that was added that same year. Humanitarian law, also known as “the laws of war,” is comprised of the Geneva Conventions and the 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions. Whereas the Geneva Conventions primarily protect victims of war, the Hague Conventions and accompanying regulations primarily protect combatants and noncombatants by limiting the methods and means of combat. The Hague regulations protect prisoners of war; prohibit poisonous weapons and weapons calculated to cause unnecessary suffering; and killing or wounding an enemy who has surrendered. They also provide that an occupying power must respect ”the laws in force in the country.”

III

The Two Additional Protocols

In 1977 two protocols were added to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Protocol I extends the law relating to protections of victims of armed conflicts to situations where people are fighting in the exercise of their right of self-determination against colonial domination, foreign occupation, or racist regimes. Protocol II extends protection to victims of internal conflicts in which an armed opposition controls enough territory to enable it to carry out sustained military operations.

---

---

IV

The Third Geneva Convention

As amended in 1949, the Third Geneva Convention, known as the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, sets forth criteria to determine who is a POW, a protected person under this convention. Where a doubt arises about whether a person is a POW, a competent tribunal must decide his or her status; in the meantime, the person must be afforded the protections of this convention. POWs are entitled at all times to humane treatment and respect for their personal dignity and honor. Their lives and health must not be endangered. They must be protected against violence or intimidation, insults, and public curiosity. They must be maintained in conditions as favorable as those for the forces of the detaining power. No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on POWs to secure information from them. POWs who refuse to answer questions may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind. POWs are bound to give only their surnames, first names and rank, date of birth, and “army, regimental, personal or serial number.”

	More from Encarta
	•  7 tips for funding an online degree •  How to succeed in the fashion industry without being a top designer •  Presidential Myths Quiz •  Coffee break: Recharge your brain