(UPI/Washington Times) - Pamela Hess With 30 Western volunteer "human shields" now in Baghdad and more on their way, Pentagon officials Wednesday warned that any Iraqi military personnel who put those civilians at risk would be violating international law and could face war crimes charges. Article 51 of the 1977 amendment to the 1949 Geneva Conventions specifically prohibits human shields: "The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular in attempts to shield military objects from attacks or to shield, favor or impede military operations."
2003-02-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive