Words
in the News
Monday 24 March 2003 Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find
explanations of difficult words below.
Geneva conventions on prisoners of war
Summary: The American Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, has condemned the sight of captured American soldiers being interviewed on Iraqi television. He said the interviews violated the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war. But what do the Conventions say, and how do they apply? This report from Alix Kroeger:
The Geneva Conventions say that prisoners of war must not be subjected to insult or public curiosity. Legal protections begin for PoWs at the moment of capture. Recognised prisoners of war have to be charged or repatriated at the end of a conflict. They're expected to give only their name, rank and number when questioned - and must be removed from the combat area as soon as possible so that they're not in danger.
Nearly two hundred countries have signed the conventions – including Iraq and the United States. The United States has itself been criticised for failing to apply the Conventions to prisoners of war captured in Afghanistan. Instead it declared them “unlawful combatants”.
