8.4c the Geneva Convention

Question 1

what is it

Answer 1

• established in 1864
• signed by 16 European countries and some American states following the need for humanitarian protection arising from advances in weapons technology
• the current Geneva Convention has been ratified by 196 countries but not all have agreed to sign the 1977 and 2005 protocols
• the Geneva Conventions are a series of four international treaties applied at times of armed conflict
• they create rules for war situations, esp offering protection to civilians, medical workers, aid workers etc.

Question 2

controversies

Answer 2

• war crimes have been tried at Internal Criminal Tribunals for the civil wars in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia
  but other situations such as Sudan (2003-4) and Syria (2011-) were not dealt with in the same way
• NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported that many countries breach the GC by torturing or mistreating their citizens
• this occurred in 82% of the 160 countries surveyed
• Amnesty International’s report on torture showed that 141 countries still use torture, including the USA

Question 3

evaluation - is it effective in promoting human rights?

Answer 3

• almost been universally ratified
• few cases of violations of the GC ever come to trial –> UN bureaucracy
• the successful prosecution of countries, organisations or individuals who commit war crimes is rare –> little reliable evidence and few witnesses