-Caveat Lector- http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/00000006DCFB.htm 24 March 2003Printer-friendly version
Hostages to fortune by Josie Appleton The images of five American prisoners of war (POW) being interviewed by their Iraqi captors that were shown on Iraqi TV have sparked furious reactions from American officials. US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that these pictures violate the Geneva Convention's rules for treatment of prisoners of war. 'What they are doing is wrong - showing prisoners of war in a humiliating manner.' (1) US president George W Bush said that the Iraqis could be prosecuted for war crimes: 'People who mistreat prisoners will be treated as war criminals.' (2) Lieutenant-general John Abizaid, the USA's second highest ranking officer in the Gulf, called the pictures 'disgusting'. General Myers described the images as 'one more crime of the Iraqi regime' (3). Given that for the past few days Western TV screens and newspapers have been full of images of Iraqi prisoners of war, US indignation seems somewhat overblown. The images showed five American soldiers, who reportedly appeared scared and wounded, being questioned on their names, place of birth, and reasons for coming to Iraq. 'Why do you come?...You come to kill Iraqi people?...How are you see Iraqi people?', one was asked. 'Because I was told to come here', PFC Miller from Kansas replied: 'I [was] told to shoot only if I [was] shot at.' (4) A soldier lying on the bed, apparently seriously injured, had his head forcibly turned towards the microphone to answer questions. It is claimed that these images violate Article 13 of the Geneva Convention, to which Iraq is a signatory, and which states that: 'prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity.' But the Iraqi prisoners of war who were shown being searched, handcuffed, and walking in lines with their hands above their heads could also be said to have been shown in a humiliating light for the purpose of public curiosity. 'There's been a little violation on each side', concludes Dentley F Vagts, a specialist on the laws of war at Harvard University Law School (5). And when America seems to be running the conflict as a propaganda war, with journalists 'embedded' to capture every piece of action, and attacks planned for their telegenic effect, it is perhaps hardly surprising that the Iraqis have responded in kind. America side-stepped the Geneva Convention in the Afghan conflict Before both sides start indicting each other for war crimes, a little perspective is needed. Of course, the standards for the humane treatment of prisoners of war, as codified in the Geneva Conventions, are important. When a soldier can no longer take part in hostilities, when in effect he is no longer an enemy combatant, he should be protected and treated with respect as an individual. But should showing TV interviews with prisoners of war be considered a 'war crime'? These accusations show how 'war crime', a term once reserved for crimes like the Holocaust, has taken on an ever- expanding meaning. The American prisoners were being asked questions for TV cameras; they were not being beaten or shot. Nor were they being made to sing the praises of Saddam - in 1991, American POWs were shown on TV saying: 'I think our leaders and our people have wrongly attacked the peaceful people of Iraq.' (6) In the recent film, by contrast, one of the American POWs was shown openly mocking his captors. 'I'm sorry?', 'I don't understand', was all he would say, staring defiantly into the camera. The Times (London) predicted that this man's dignity under pressure would provide a boost for American morale. What's more, America may well be making a rod for its own back here. By threatening the Iraqis with prosecution for war crimes, holding Saddam up to standards of international law, America lays itself open to criticism. After all, it was America that so blatantly side-stepped the Geneva Convention in its dealings with prisoners from the Afghan conflict, using terms like 'illegal combatant' and 'battlefield detainees' to avoid the convention's legal constraints (7). Images of hooded prisoners in cages at Guantanamo Bay were beamed around the world, and sparked outrage. American actions in Iraq will be closely watched for their compliance with international humanitarian standards. Should they fall short, American officials could well be subjected to humiliating TV interviews for the purposes of public curiosity. Read on: spiked-issue: War on Iraq (1) Sun, 24 March 2003 (2) Daily Mail, 24 March 2003 (3) Sun, 24 March 2003 (4) The Times, 24 March 2003 (5) Experts Say War Crimes Trials Likely to Follow Iraq War, Salt Take Tribune (6) US POWs Risk Torture in Iraq, '91 War Prisoners Say, Asia Reuters, 23 March 2003 (7) US flouts world opinion and Geneva Convention in treatment of Afghan war prisoners, World Socialist Website, 23 January 2002 To respond to what you've read, send a letter by clicking here What is spiked? spiked is an online publication with the modest ambition of making history as well as reporting it. spiked stands for liberty, enlightenment, experimentation and excellence. Read on... Corrections Terms & Conditions spiked, Signet House, 49-51 Farringdon Road, London, EC1M 3JP Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] © spiked 2000-2003 All rights reserved. spiked is not responsible for the content of any third-party websites. Forwarded for your information. 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