Title: Prisoner of war Content: A prisoner of war (short form: POW) is a non-combatant who has been captured or surrendered by the forces of the enemy, during an armed conflict. In past centuries, prisoners had no rights. They were usually killed or forced to be slaves. Nowadays prisoners of war have rights that are stated in the Geneva Conventions and other laws of war. ==Rights== The Third Geneva Convention gives prisoners of war many different rights. Here are some examples: * They must be treated decently, with respect * They must be allowed to tell their families and the International Committee of the Red Cross that they are a POW * They have the right to communicate with their families, and get packages * They have the right to keep their clothing, eating utensils, and personal things * They must be given adequate food, clothing, housing, and medical attention * If their captors make them work, POWs must be paid for the work they do * If they are going to be charged with a crime, they must be given a trial If they are very sick or hurt, prisoners of war have the right to be let go. After a war ends, all prisoners must be let go quickly. Prisoners of war also have the right NOT to: * Give their captors any information, except for their name, age, rank, and service number (a military identification number) * Have their money or valuable things stolen * Do forced labor, military work, or work that is dangerous, unhealthy, or degrading == Not every prisoner gets these rights == Not all people who are caught while fighting wars are "prisoners of war." The Third Geneva Convention has a strict definition of what a prisoner of war is. For example, it says that to be "prisoners of war," soldiers must: * Wear uniforms or marks on their clothes to make it clear they are soldiers * Have some sign (like a flag) that shows they are soldiers from a distance * Carry their weapons out in the open, where they can be seen * Follow the laws of war According to the Geneva Conventions, if soldiers do not meet these requirements, they are not "prisoners of war." They are "unlawful combatants" (which means "people who fight in ways that are against the law). This means they do NOT have the rights that are listed in the Geneva Conventions. This caused controversy in the early 21st century. For example, in June 2002, the United States was fighting the War in Afghanistan. The Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, announced that the people the U.S. had captured were "unlawful combatants [who] do not have any rights under the Geneva Convention[s]." The U.S. said these people were unlawful combatants, not prisoners of war, because: * They did not wear clothing that made them look any different than regular civilians * They did not organize themselves into groups with a chain of command * They did not follow the laws of war (because they gave support to Al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization) The U.S. brought some of these people to a prison in Guantánamo Bay. Because they were enemy combatants, the inmates at Guantánamo did not get the rights that the Geneva Conventions give to prisoners of war. ==War crimes against prisoners of war== When a country, or a group of people, does not give prisoners of war their rights, they are committing a war crime. However, punishing those war crimes has not always been easy. ===Punishing crimes=== The Geneva Convention lists the rights that prisoners of war have. However, there is nothing in the Geneva Convention that says how people should be punished when they do not give prisoners of war these rights. In the past, when a country broke the Geneva Convention by not giving prisoners of war their rights, many different things might happen. For example, after World War II ended, the countries that won the war set up military tribunals called the Nuremberg Trials and the Tokyo Trials. At these trials, military leaders from Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan were tried for crimes against prisoners of war (and many other things). Many of them were convicted and sentenced to death or to life in prison. However, at other times, crimes against prisoners of war might be tried in the same country where the crimes happened. This might happen before or after the war ended. Sometimes crimes against prisoners of war were not punished at all. ===The International Criminal Court=== In 2002, the International Criminal Court (ICC) was created to look into war crimes around the world, and punish people for them, if possible. The ICC has a long list of crimes that are defined as war crimes. Some war crimes against prisoners of war are: * Torture * Rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse * Hurting or killing POWs * Causing severe pain or suffering (this can be mental or physical suffering) * Forcing POWs to do military work that will hurt their own country * Using POWs as hostages * Treating POWs in cruel ways, not respecting their dignity, or humiliating them If a country, or a group of people, commit a war crime against prisoners of war, the ICC can put them on trial and punish them if they are found guilty. ==Photo gallery== ===Before the 20th century=== File:Abu-Simbel temple3.jpg|Engraving of Nubian POWs, done in Ancient Egypt between 1300 BC and 1201 BC File:Aias Kassandra Louvre G458.jpg|Art of Ajax the Lesser raping a woman POW. Done in Ancient Greece around 440-430 BC File:Sarcofago avvocato Valerius Petrnianus- optimized.jpg|Relief of a slave (at left) in Ancient Rome. The Roman Empire often made POWs into slaves File:DiezAlbumsPrisoners.jpg|Painting of Mongol riders with prisoners from the 14th century File:Columbus landing on Hispaniola adj.jpg|When Columbus invaded Haiti in 1492, his soldiers massacred POWs and made others into slavesSale, Kirkpatrick (1992). "The Conquest of Paradise: Christopher Columbus and the Columbian Legacy." Papermac. p. 155. File:Codex Magliabechiano (141 cropped).jpg|Drawing from 1535 of Aztecs using POWs for human sacrifices File:Conquista-de-México-por-Cortés-Tenochtitlan- Painting.png| Spanish conquistadors invade the Aztec Empire in 1519. The Spanish murdered many Aztec POWs and made others into slavesLópez de Gemara, Francisco (1552). Cortés: The Life of the Conqueror by His Secretary. English translation by Lesley Byrd Simpson (1964). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 207-08. File:Interior HMS Jersey 1855.jpg|American POWs from the Revolutionary War on a British prison ship File:Illustration of the Decapitation of Violent Chinese Soldiers by Utagawa Kokunimasa 1894.png|Drawing of Japanese soldiers behead Chinese POWs during the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) ===20th century=== File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1971-085-63, Begrüßungsfeier für heimgekehrte Kriegsgefangene, Berlin.jpg|Celebration for German POWs who returned after WWI (the banner says "Home greets you!") (1920) File:Katyn massacre 1.jpg|Mass grave from the Katyn massacres of 1940, where the Soviet Red Army killed around 22, 000 File:pow telegram.jpg|Telegram sent to the family of an American POW captured by Nazi Germany during WWII File:Ww2 131.jpg|Soldiers carry bodies after the Bataan Death March (1942). About 20,000 Filipino POWs and 1,600 Americans died File:Sagan harry-2.jpg|In 1944, 76 Allied POWs escaped from a Nazi POW camp through a tunnel. The Nazis re-captured 73 of them and executed 50. File:Hill303.png|Bodies of 42 American POWs killed by the North Korean Army during the Korean War (1950) File:John McCain After Being Released as Prisoner of War.jpg|North Vietnam releases some Vietnam War POWs (including John McCain) in 1973 File:TBO-4-POVs-17061988.jpg|Iranian POWs, including child soldiers, captured during the Iran-Iraq War (1988) File:JessicaLynch02.jpeg|Video of U.S. Marines and Navy SEALs rescuing American POW Jessica Lynch during the War in Iraq (2003)