Episode Details

The Third Geneva Convention is the most comprehensive legal framework protecting prisoners of war. Adopted in 1949 against the backdrop of immense suffering during the Second World War, it was a remarkable multilateral achievement, with additional and stronger protections than had ever been agreed upon for prisoners of war. Today, it is universally ratified. In this post, Cordula Droege, Chief Legal Officer of the ICRC, outlines ten of the most important protections that the Convention affords prisoners of war, and how they can be understood today in light of the recently updated Commentary.