Who are prisoners of war?
Prisoners of war are people held by the opposing side during or after a war. These people could be combatants or non combatants.
Why are prisoners of war detained?
To understand why prisoners of war are detained, we must first understand the purpose of a war. A war is not fought to kill the opposing side, but to achieve an objective. The idea is to cause least damage to the country's resources and economy. Instead of brutally killing combatants/ non combatants, they are held captive because they can be used as bait to make the opposing side surrender, to extract military information and strategies, to trade prisoners,etc.
What rights do prisoners of war have/ How can prisoners of war be detained legally?
The rights of prisoners of war are defined in the Geneva Conventions. It has four treaties in addition to three protocols, with each revision ensuring no loopholes. A few basic rights outlined in the conventions are—combatants and non combatants who no longer part-take in war due to injuries or detention must receive humane treatment. Before imprisonment, a trial must be conducted. Acts such as torture, humiliation and executions are strictly condemned. Individual or collective deportation or transfer of these protected people to another area is prohibited. An individual cannot be punished for the collective actions taken by their side. The prisoners must receive basic facilities such as health care, food, clean water and proper shelter. They should also be allowed to keep in touch with family.
Case Study- Guantanamo Bay
The Guantanamo is an American prisoner detention camp located in Cuba. It was established during Bush presidency in 2002 to hold detainees from his claimed “war on terror”.
In the beginning the number of detainees were around 700 and by the end of Obama’s term only 49. Anyone who could be linked to the enemies (causers of the 9/11 blast) were captured and their capture was justified by the logic: better to detain an innocent man rather than free a guilty one. Their interrogation techniques include sleep deprivation, physical abuse, stress positions, waterboarding, etc. A detainee was sent back to Uruguay for medical attention because his back was severely injured due this inhumane treatment. Despite proof of such activities, the senior officers who were interrogated swiftly warded away questions regarding treatment of the detainees, insisting that nothing of the kind was observed under their watch.
A few years ago, as a form of protest, the detainees began a hunger strike and the practice of ‘splashing’—flinging urine and faeces at soldiers, the captured the attention of international media. Due to the hunger strike, a few detainees perished. In fear of receiving more negative attention because of these deaths, a force feeding program was implemented. This also caused severe health problems. One of the detainees was fed much more than he could handle which resulted in severe internal bloating and excruciating pain.
Only a short while after taking office, Obama signed an order to close the detention camp, but the republicans were adamant to keep it open. The same year, in December he tried to shift the camp to a prison in Illinois, but a few months later the congress stopped funding that prison. Now, with the elect of Republican candidate Donald Trump, the camp seems as secure as ever.
Prisoners of war are people held by the opposing side during or after a war. These people could be combatants or non combatants.
Why are prisoners of war detained?
To understand why prisoners of war are detained, we must first understand the purpose of a war. A war is not fought to kill the opposing side, but to achieve an objective. The idea is to cause least damage to the country's resources and economy. Instead of brutally killing combatants/ non combatants, they are held captive because they can be used as bait to make the opposing side surrender, to extract military information and strategies, to trade prisoners,etc.
What rights do prisoners of war have/ How can prisoners of war be detained legally?
The rights of prisoners of war are defined in the Geneva Conventions. It has four treaties in addition to three protocols, with each revision ensuring no loopholes. A few basic rights outlined in the conventions are—combatants and non combatants who no longer part-take in war due to injuries or detention must receive humane treatment. Before imprisonment, a trial must be conducted. Acts such as torture, humiliation and executions are strictly condemned. Individual or collective deportation or transfer of these protected people to another area is prohibited. An individual cannot be punished for the collective actions taken by their side. The prisoners must receive basic facilities such as health care, food, clean water and proper shelter. They should also be allowed to keep in touch with family.
Case Study- Guantanamo Bay
The Guantanamo is an American prisoner detention camp located in Cuba. It was established during Bush presidency in 2002 to hold detainees from his claimed “war on terror”.
In the beginning the number of detainees were around 700 and by the end of Obama’s term only 49. Anyone who could be linked to the enemies (causers of the 9/11 blast) were captured and their capture was justified by the logic: better to detain an innocent man rather than free a guilty one. Their interrogation techniques include sleep deprivation, physical abuse, stress positions, waterboarding, etc. A detainee was sent back to Uruguay for medical attention because his back was severely injured due this inhumane treatment. Despite proof of such activities, the senior officers who were interrogated swiftly warded away questions regarding treatment of the detainees, insisting that nothing of the kind was observed under their watch.
A few years ago, as a form of protest, the detainees began a hunger strike and the practice of ‘splashing’—flinging urine and faeces at soldiers, the captured the attention of international media. Due to the hunger strike, a few detainees perished. In fear of receiving more negative attention because of these deaths, a force feeding program was implemented. This also caused severe health problems. One of the detainees was fed much more than he could handle which resulted in severe internal bloating and excruciating pain.
Only a short while after taking office, Obama signed an order to close the detention camp, but the republicans were adamant to keep it open. The same year, in December he tried to shift the camp to a prison in Illinois, but a few months later the congress stopped funding that prison. Now, with the elect of Republican candidate Donald Trump, the camp seems as secure as ever.