CONVENTION (HI) RELATIVE TO THE TREATMENT
OF PRISONERS OF WAR
Signed at Geneva, 12 August 1949
INTRODUCTORY NOTE: The present Convention replaced the Prisoners of War Convention of 1929 (No. 46). It contains 143 articles whereas the 1929 Convention had only 97. Experience had shown that it was necessary to give certain regulations a more explicit form in order to preclude misinterpretation, to which certain of the former provisions were open. Since the text of the Convention is to be posted in all prisoner of war camps (see Article 41) it has to be comprehensible not only to the authorities but also to the ordinary reader. The categories of persons entitled to prisoner of war status were broadened in accordance with Conventions I and II. The conditions of captivity were more precisely defined, in particular with regard to the labour of prisoners of war, their financial resources, the relief they receive and the judicial proceedings instituted against them. The Convention establishes the principle that prisoners of war shall be released and repatriated without delay after the cessation of active hostilities (Article 118).
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 21 October 1950.
AUTHENTIC TEXTS: English and French. The text below is reprinted from the Final Record of the Diplomatic Conference of Geneva of 1949, Vol. I, Federal Political Department, Berne, pp. 243–296.
The marginal titles added to the articles of the present Convention have no official character and were not adopted by the Diplomatic Conference. They were drafted by the Conference Secretariat and are used in the edition of the Geneva Conventions published by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
TEXT PUBLISHED IN: See indications under No. 48.
Articles | |
Preamble | |
Part I. General provisions | 1–11 |
Respect for the Convention | 1 |
Application of the Convention | 2 |
Conflicts not of an international character | 3 |
Prisoners of war | 4 |
Beginning and end of application | 5 |
Special agreements | 6 |
Non-renunciation of rights | 7 |
Protecting Powers | 8 |
Activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross | 9 |
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