Third Geneva Convention - Part III: Captivity

Part III: Captivity

This part is divided into several sections:

Section 1 covers the beginning of captivity (Articles 17–20). It dictates what information a prisoner must give and interrogation methods that the detaining power may use: "No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion". It dictates what private property a prisoner of war may keep and that the prisoner of war must be evacuated from the combat zone as soon as possible.

Section 2 covers the internment of prisoners of war and is broken down into 8 chapters which cover:

1. General observations (Articles 21–24)
2. Quarters, food and clothing (Articles 25–28)
3. Hygiene and medical attention (Articles 29–32)
4. The treatment of enemy medical personnel and chaplains retained to assist prisoners of war (Article 33)
5. Religious, intellectual and physical activities (Articles 34–38)
6. Discipline (Articles 39–42)
7. Military rank (Articles 43–45)
8. Transfer of prisoners of war after their arrival in a camp (Articles 46–48)

Section 3 (Articles 49–57) covers the type of labour that a prisoner of war may be compelled to do, taking such factors as rank, age, and sex into consideration, and that which because it is unhealthy or dangerous can only be done by prisoners of war who volunteer for such work. It goes into details about such things as the accommodation, medical facilities, and that even if the prisoner of war works for a private person the military authority remains responsible for them. Rates of pay for work done are covered by Article 62 in the next section.

Section 4 (Articles 58–68) covers the financial resources of prisoners of war.

Section 5 (Articles 69–74) covers the relations of prisoners of war with the exterior. This covers the frequency of which a prisoner of war can send and receive post, including parcels. The Detaining power has the right to censor all mail, but must do so as quickly as possible.

Section 6 covers the relations between prisoners of war and the detaining authorities: it is broken down into three chapters.

1. Complaints of prisoners of war respecting the conditions of captivity(Article 78)
2. Prisoner of war representatives (Articles 79–81). Where there is no senior officer available in a camp the section stipulates that "prisoners shall freely elect by secret ballot, every six months". The representative, whether the senior officer or an elected person, acts as a conduit between the authorities of the detaining power and the prisoners.
3. The sub-section on "Penal and disciplinary sanctions" is subdivided into three parts:
   1. General provisions (Articles 82–88)
   2. Disciplinary sanctions (Articles 89–98)
   3. Juridicial proceedings (Articles 99–108)