The Member of the RA NA delegation to PACE Vladimir Vardanyan gave a speech at PACE Summer Session. The MP, particularly, noted in his speech:
“Thank you, Mister Chair.
Ladies and gentlemen, being a prisoner of war is not a punishment. This is just a military measure to prevent further participation in hostilities, to not allow a person to come back to the battlefield.
What we are facing now, unfortunately, we are equalising the status of a prisoner of war with the status of a criminal. We are equalising the status of prisoner of war camps with the status of penitentiary institutions. And unfortunately, prisoners of war have become more and more subject to intimidation and torture.
Read also
This totally undermines the very logic of the Geneva Convention, which undermines the very logic of international humanitarian law, where the only option to keep a person in captivity as a prisoner of war is not to allow him or her to take part in further hostilities.
And, when we are speaking about prisoners of war, when we’re speaking about exchange, we shouldn’t forget that all the prisoners of war should be repatriated after the end of hostilities, because the undue delay of the repatriation of prisoners of war after the end of hostilities is a crime under international law.
But furthermore, what is even more important, the Geneva Convention speaks very loudly about the categories of prisoners of war who should be repatriated even during the hostilities. These are those who are amputees, who are mentally ill, who have very serious mental health issues. This category should be released even during the hostilities.
Ladies and gentlemen, we actually use this report as a reminder that international humanitarian law is still acting. And I would like to once again remind all autocratic leaders that international criminal law, crimes against humanity and war crimes have no statutes of limitations.
Thank you.”
RA NA