Complying with IHL in large-scale conflicts: detention operations in international armed conflicts

May 15, 2025 17 mins read Analysis / Complying with IHL in large-scale conflicts / Detention / Generating Respect for IHL / IHL / Law and Conflict / Special Themes Sylvain Vité & Isabelle Gallino

Large-scale detention operations in international armed conflicts (IACs) pose significant humanitarian, legal, and operational challenges. ...

A safety net for prisoners of war: five key principles of the Third Geneva Convention

April 27, 2023 11 mins read Detention / GCIII Commentary / Humanitarian Action / Law and Conflict Yvette Issar

After the Second World War, countries came together to improve the legal protection available to ...

The status and protection of third-country nationals in international armed conflict

October 6, 2022 8 mins read Analysis / Humanitarian Action / Law and Conflict Ramin Mahnad

In international armed conflict, citizens of non-belligerent States can (and do) find their way onto the battlefield. Whether they arrive as volunteers, security ...

On trial: the Third Geneva Convention and judicial guarantees for prisoners of war

June 23, 2022 13 mins read Analysis / GCIII Commentary / Generating Respect for IHL / Law and Conflict Yvette Issar

The first prisoners of war (POWs) in the international armed conflict in Ukraine have been ...

In the hands of belligerents: status and protection under the Geneva Conventions

May 19, 2022 10 mins read Analysis / Detention / GCIII Commentary / Humanitarian Action / Law and Conflict Ramin Mahnad

When international armed conflict breaks out and people find themselves in the power of belligerent ...

GCIII Commentary: an Islamic perspective on the treatment of prisoners of war

January 26, 2021 7 mins read Analysis / GCIII Commentary / History / Islamic Law / Law and Conflict / Religion Ahmed Al-Dawoody

While ratification of the Geneva Conventions is a relatively recent phenomenon, warfare has always been ...

GCIII Commentary: I’m a woman and a POW in a pandemic. What does the Third Geneva Convention mean for me?

December 8, 2020 11 mins read Analysis / GCIII Commentary / Gender and conflict / Generating Respect for IHL / Health Care / Humanitarian Action / Law and Conflict / Sexual Violence Heleen Hiemstra & Vanessa Murphy

While a woman’s experience in a prisoners of war (POW) camp may not differ drastically ...

GCIII Commentary: removing ambiguity on the treatment of prisoners of war

October 29, 2020 7 mins read Analysis / Detention / GCIII Commentary / Law and Conflict Tim Wood

In an era in which a number of developed nations have been accused of ill-treating or unlawfully killing captured persons or persons under ...

GCIII Commentary: If I can’t feed you, do I have to let you go?

October 22, 2020 11 mins read Analysis / Detention / GCIII Commentary / Law and Conflict Kubo Mačák

The object and purpose of the Third Geneva Convention is to ensure that prisoners of war are humanely treated at all times, while ...

GCIII Commentary: protecting the honour of prisoners of war

September 3, 2020 9 mins read Analysis / GCIII Commentary / Generating Respect for IHL / Law and Conflict / Sexual Violence Jemma Arman

The Third Geneva Convention (GCIII) provides a framework of rules for the protection of prisoners ...

GCIII Commentary: ten essential protections for prisoners of war

July 23, 2020 10 mins read Analysis / Detention / GCIII Commentary / Law and Conflict Cordula Droege

The Third Geneva Convention is the most comprehensive legal framework protecting prisoners of war. Adopted in 1949 against the backdrop of immense suffering ...

GCIII Commentary: ICRC unveils first update in sixty years

June 18, 2020 10 mins read Analysis / GCIII Commentary / Generating Respect for IHL / ICRC Commentaries / Law and Conflict Jean-Marie Henckaerts

Taking prisoners in international armed conflicts has been a common practice for centuries. The Third ...