In international law, the term is used to refer to persons who are members of the armed forces of one belligerent and captured by another belligerent. Persons belonging to the armed forces of the country include the composition of the army, the militia, the rebel population, as well as doctors, lawyers, workers engaged in serving the army, and correspondent staff.
The essence of the concept
A prisoner of war is a centuries-old concept. The meaning of capture is not to humiliate or punish the enemy, but to limit the combat effectiveness of the army. The Hague conventions of 1899 and 1907 governing the treatment of prisoners during the First World War showed insolvency. In 1921, at the conference of the International Red Cross, it was decided to create a new document.
The result was the adoption in 1929 in Geneva of a document emphasizing that a prisoner of war is an entity protected by international law. The repression of prisoners was prohibited, the organization of labor of prisoners of war and the establishment of control by countries not participating in the armed conflict were specified. Representatives of the USSR refused to sign the Geneva Convention of 1929 stating that the previously signed Hague Convention contains the same provisions.
The policy of the German command
The most widespread conflict of the 20th century - World War II, turned into the horror of captivity for many Soviet soldiers. Nazi ideology dictated methods of dealing with Soviet prisoners. The German government regarded the Slavs, and with them the other peoples of the USSR, as the lower race. The territory of the Soviet Union was perceived by the Nazis as a “new living space”, its population became an obstacle to the German army. The German government stated that since the Soviet Union had not ratified the Geneva Convention of 1929, Germany was not obligated to comply with the provisions of this document with respect to Soviet soldiers. For the Nazis, a Soviet prisoner of war is not a subject protected by international law.
The government of the Third Reich prepared the procedure for treating captured Soviet citizens even before the attack on the USSR. It was prescribed to use them in military service work, which was prohibited by the Geneva Convention; the inadmissibility of the manifestation of humanity and compassion to Soviet prisoners of war was emphasized.
Treatment of prisoners
Soviet prisoners of war are the first victims of the policy of the Third Reich in relation to the East European population. The size of the rations established by the German government could not support life. Death from starvation was already within a few weeks of such "nutrition." Trying to remove hunger, desperate prisoners of war ate grass and leaves.
At first, Soviet prisoners lived in the open. To protect themselves from the cold, many dug themselves holes in the ground. Later, the German government ordered the construction of temporary structures, but mortality remained high; by the end of 1941, the number of deaths on the day of Soviet prisoners of war reached 5 thousand people. The main cause of death was the epidemic of infectious diseases, mainly typhoid fever and dysentery. The coming winter exacerbated the situation: exhausted people had nowhere to hide from the frost.
Who is a prisoner of war for the Nazis? A man of the "lower" race, whose life is of no value. In camps located in Germany, prisoners lived in dugouts and trenches. In Belarus - under the awnings, there were no walls. Captured in the first year of the war, soldiers were supposed to advance hundreds of kilometers into the German rear, making marching throws of 50-60 km per day. Meals during movement were not provided. Those who were too exhausted to move were shot on the spot. Without warning they shot those who tried to escape. The activities of the International Red Cross did not extend to Soviet prisoners of war.
POWs executions
Due to the mass executions of Soviet soldiers, the number of deaths increased. The seriously ill were shot, spending food on which did not make sense, according to the German command, as well as state and party workers, Jews, members of the Communist Party. For the Nazis, a Soviet prisoner of war is an object to be destroyed. As a result of the activities of the Nazi command, the number of dead prisoners of war from the beginning of the war until February 1942 reached 2 million people.
Use of prisoners of war as labor
The German leadership, experiencing a shortage of workers, in early 1942 decided to use Soviet prisoners in the country's economy, mainly in heavy and hazardous work. The situation saved many Soviet soldiers and officers from mass destruction. The income from labor received from prisoners was estimated at hundreds of millions of German marks.
According to various estimates, from 5.5 to 5.7 million people passed through Nazi prison camps; 3.3 to 3.9 million of them died. The Nuremberg Tribunal in its verdict qualified the ill-treatment of Soviet prisoners as a crime against humanity.
Geneva Convention 1949
Who is a prisoner of war from the point of view of international law? The legal provisions protecting prisoners are enshrined in the 1949 Geneva Convention.
It describes the rights and obligations of prisoners of war and countries captured. According to the convention, the responsibility for people lies with the state that captured it, and not an individual or military unit. Forcing a prisoner to provide any information other than his personal data is prohibited. Torture and other types of repression are considered, according to the provisions of the convention, as a war crime. The terms and conditions of the placement of those captured were discussed in detail, as well as the preservation of the uniform.
At the same time, an attempted escape may be subject only to disciplinary action. When committing an unsuccessful escape and subsequent re-capture, it is forbidden to apply any punishment. The Convention addresses issues of free religion, educational and sports activities, correspondence with loved ones. The issues of the use of prisoners as a work force were separately worked out. They must be returned to their homeland immediately after the cessation of hostilities. What does a prisoner of war mean for modern international law? According to the Geneva convection of 1949 - a person who should be treated humanely.