Prisoners of War
The rights and protections accorded to prisoners of war under the Third Geneva Convention.
Who Is a Prisoner of War?
Under the Third Geneva Convention, prisoner of war (POW) status is granted to members of the armed forces of a party to an international armed conflict who have fallen into the power of the enemy. This includes members of regular armed forces, militias and volunteer corps forming part of those forces, and members of organized resistance movements meeting certain conditions (having a commander, wearing distinctive signs, carrying arms openly, and conducting operations in accordance with the laws of war).
POW status is a legal shield. It means that a captured combatant cannot be punished simply for having fought; fighting is their legal right as a combatant. They can only be tried for war crimes, not for lawful acts of war.
