Saddam's POW Status and Television Appearance

[adios]

First, Saddam to me resembled the Unabomber to me in the photos of him with his scruffy, unkept beard. Rummy stated that Saddam will be afforded POW status so do his "TV appearances" violate the Geneva Convention accords?

[andyfox]

Now that you tell me TV appearances violate international law, I may have to reconsider my Hollywood Squares proposal.

[Utah]

Thats a darn good point. I don't know much about the Geneva convention (although I suspect it is almost worthless in that no one follows it) but didn't the Bushies complain that showing captured Americans on TV was a gross violation?

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
Rummy stated that Saddam will be afforded POW status so do his "TV appearances" violate the Geneva Convention accords?

[/ QUOTE ]

Fred and George were walking down a path. Fred stopped suddenly in front of a tree and said "Look at that poor tree over there. It looks like it's sick. Do you think it may have some kind of root problem? Or gypsy moths? Or some other insect infestation?"

George looked at the tree and everything around it. George said "Fred, you should take a couple steps back and take a better look." Both Fred and George took a couple steps back.

"Oh," said Fred, "the whole forest is on fire."

[Stu Pidasso]

[ QUOTE ]
Rummy stated that Saddam will be afforded POW status so do his "TV appearances" violate the Geneva Convention accords?

[/ QUOTE ]

His tv appearances don't violate the Geneva Convention because right now hes not considered a POW. He won't be given that consideration until were done humilating him on TV and have extracted all the useful information from him. Once those things are accomplished I'm sure we will give him POW status up until the War Crimes Trial starts.

Stu

[adios]

To be honest my wife brought up the POW treatment issue to me and I think she has a point. Anyway I think others question the propriety of Saddam's TV appearance:

Cardinal Says U.S. Treated Saddam 'Like a Cow'

Cardinal Says U.S. Treated Saddam 'Like a Cow'
Tue Dec 16, 7:59 AM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!


By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A top Vatican (news - web sites) official said Tuesday he felt pity and compassion for Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and criticized the U.S. military for showing video footage of him being treated "like a cow."

Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican's Justice and Peace department and a former papal envoy to the United Nations (news - web sites), told a news conference it would be "illusory" to think the arrest of the former Iraqi president would heal all the damage caused by a war which the Holy See opposed.


"I felt pity to see this man destroyed, (the military) looking at his teeth as if he were a cow. They could have spared us these pictures," he said.


"Seeing him like this, a man in his tragedy, despite all the heavy blame he bears, I had a sense of compassion for him," he said in answer to questions about Saddam's arrest.


Martino was referring to the videotape released by the U.S. military which showed a grubby, bearded and disheveled Saddam receiving a medical examination by a military doctor after his capture in an underground hole Saturday.


Martino was one of the Vatican officials most strongly opposed to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq (news - web sites).


"It's true that we should be happy that this (arrest) has come about because it is the watershed that was necessary... we hope that this will not have worse and other serious consequences," Martino said.


"But it is not the total solution to the problems of the Middle East," he said.


Martino said the Vatican hoped the arrest of Saddam "can contribute to promoting peace and the democratization of Iraq."


He added: "But is seems to me to be illusory to hope that this will repair the dramas and the damage of the defeat for humanity that a war always brings about."


The Vatican did not consider the war in Iraq "a just war" because it was not backed by the United Nations and because the Vatican believed more negotiations were necessary to avoid it.


Martino said the Vatican wanted an "appropriate institution" to put Saddam on trial but he did not elaborate.


U.S. forces were keeping the ousted 66-year-old dictator at a secret location for interrogation before he is put on trial in the months ahead. He could face the death penalty.


The news conference was called for Martino to present the World Day of Peace message, in which Pope John Paul (news - web sites) took a swipe at the United States for invading Iraq without the backing of the United Nations.

[Wake up CALL]

Perhaps noone told you the war ended, ergo no formal POW status. Milosevic's arrest was televised as well. Perhaps I missed the liberals complaining when that occurred.

[J.R.]

FYI, I think the 4th Geneva Convention applies to civilians captured during an occupation after a war. Civilians includes soldiers who stop fighting.

So it seems Saddam might fit into either definition, however, because Saddam is clearly under suspiscion of actions hostile to the security of the occupying power (the US), the US appears to be able to delay the vesting of Saddam's full rights under the Geneva convention to preserve the security of the US occupation, although the US must treat Saddam with "humanity". Its looks pretty subjective as to when the US must give Saddam his full rights.

Part 1

Article 2

"The Convention shall also apply to all cases of partial or total occupation of the territory of a High Contracting Party, even if the said occupation meets with no armed resistance."


Article 5

"Where in occupied territory an individual protected person is detained as a spy or saboteur, or as a person under definite suspicion of activity hostile to the security of the Occupying Power, such person shall, in those cases where absolute military security so requires, be regarded as having forfeited rights of communication under the present Convention.

In each case, such persons shall nevertheless be treated with humanity and, in case of trial, shall not be deprived of the rights of fair and regular trial prescribed by the present Convention. They shall also be granted the full rights and privileges of a protected person under the present Convention at the earliest date consistent with security of State or Occupying Power."

4th Geneva text

[MMMMMM]

Yeah pretty amazing that many of the same folks who supported the war in Bosnia etc. were opposed to the war in Iraq. Both Milosevic and Hussein were despots, but going into Iraq stood more to be in our interest than going into the Bosnia. So naturally the Left favored the instance where we had nothing to gain and opposed the instance where we had something to gain.

[adios]

The only reason I bring it up is that Rumsfeld stated that Saddam would be treated as a POW according to the Geneva Convention after Saddam was captured. So I assume that Rumsfeld considers him a POW since he used the term.