american prisoners taken

[skywalker]

Originally posted by Ronn_Bman: Quote: Originally posted by me in a similar, now deleted, thread: The Iraqis have captured several coalition soldiers and video taped 4 of them being interviewed. Iraqi TV has been running the footage, and Al-Jazeera has also been carrying the video, but American networks are not showing the video (at least) until the military can notify the families. They have also showed a picture of dead US soldiers. Some on the video, we are told, were quite obviously shot in the forehead. Using the images of POWs is against the Geneva Convention (the official language is that they are to be protected from "public curiosity"), as is the use of human shields, but both methods have already been employed by Saddam.

[/QUOTE]I saw video on the news yesterday of Iraqi POWs.

I thought it was a little odd to show prisoners of war, I guess it is against the Geneva Convention. Does anyone obey those rules?

Mark

[Argus]

Originally posted by Luvian: What did they say/do?[/QB]

You can read most of it here on the BBC website...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/2878521.stm

[Ronn_Bman]

Originally posted by skywalker: I thought it was a little odd to show prisoners of war, I guess it is against the Geneva Convention. Does anyone obey those rules?

If the video you are talking about was the one with the long line of Iraqis marching towards US troops with their hands behind their heads. That was taken by the media members "embedded" with the troops. Those images were taken before the Iraqis were actually captured.

I'll repeat, the Iraqi POWs have not been displayed for "public curiosity" by the coalition. Seeing them from a distance, and inviting the media into a room with the POWs to take pictures or videos, or the military actually taking pictures or making videos and distributing those to the press are quite different.

I think if we see the videos we would immediately be able to tell the difference.

[Argus]

Originally posted by Ronn_Bman: I think if we see the videos we would immediately be able to tell the difference. [/QB]

Absolutely...we are talking night and day here.

[skywalker]

No Ronn,

The video I saw was 3 Iraqi prisoners being held, 1 was sitting crosslegged with a blanket over his head, 1 was laying sideways covered with a blanket, and the 3rd was also sitting. The reporter picked up and showed that they were given rations. I guess to show how well they are being treated. The 1st POW looked really angry.

My wife saw it too, I think it was on NBC last night.

Mark

[skywalker]

Originally posted by Ronn_Bman: Quote: Originally posted by skywalker: I thought it was a little odd to show prisoners of war, I guess it is against the Geneva Convention. Does anyone obey those rules?

If the video you are talking about was the one with the long line of Iraqis marching towards US troops with their hands behind their heads. That was taken by the media members "embedded" with the troops. Those images were taken before the Iraqis were actually captured.

I'll repeat, the Iraqi POWs have not been displayed for "public curiosity" by the coalition. Seeing them from a distance, and inviting the media into a room with the POWs to take pictures or videos, or the military actually taking pictures or making videos and distributing those to the press are quite different.

I think if we see the videos we would immediately be able to tell the difference. [/QUOTE]What I saw was definitely for display purposes.

Mark

[Mouse]

I sincerely hope both sides in this conflict respect the Geneva Convention and treat any prisoners fairly in accordance with their international obligations. Once you descend from the moral high ground, it's very difficult to climb back up.

I'm sure that at this time of heightened awareness of the need to act humanely the situation regarding the Camp X-Ray detainees must be causing some degree of embarrassment somewhere.

[Ronn_Bman]

Originally posted by skywalker: No Ronn, The video I saw was 3 Iraqi prisoners being held, 1 was sitting crosslegged with a blanket over his head, 1 was laying sideways covered with a blanket, and the 3rd was also sitting. The reporter picked up and showed that they were given rations. I guess to show how well they are being treated. The 1st POW looked really angry. My wife saw it too, I think it was on NBC last night.

I haven't seen it, so I'll take your word. Sounds like a crappy thing. Pleeeeeeeease tell me they didn't interview them....

Both MSNBC and CNN, the networks I watch most, have reported that they have been given strict rules of conduct by the military and that things like this are unacceptable.

I'll tell you something else I found ridiculous regarding the media being "embedded" with the military. There was a media team laying on the ground near a soldier who was perched and viewing hostile targets in the city. He was trying to discriminate between combatants and the women and children who had been herded into the streets by the Iraqi military. While doing a live report, they actually crawled up to the guy and started trying to interview him!?!?!?!?!?!

He was quite obviously annoyed.

[skywalker]

I don't know if there was an interview, I shut it off soon after they showed the ration pack. It was like the reporter was displaying a sideshow.

Mark

BTW I have no reason to make this up.

[Ronn_Bman]

Originally posted by skywalker: BTW I have no reason to make this up.

I know, and I certainly didn't mean to imply otherwise.