<They are only entitled to the protections of the Geneva Convention IF, and ONLY IF, their own government is a signatory to that convention. And, if I'm not mistaken...>
He is mistaken. States, not governments, sign the Geneva Convention (and all other treaties). This should be self-evident. When the U.S. changes from a Democratic to a Republican-run government, do all treaties become void? (No, not unless the Republican is GWB.)
So, to give the relevant example: most of the Disappeared currently in Guantanamo were Taliban soldiers. Afghanistan was, and is, a signatory to the Geneva Conventions. The Taliban was the government of the Nation of Afghanistan. The fact that the Taliban didn't (re-)sign the Geneva Conventions, or the fact that the U.S. did not recognise the Taliban, doesn't void the Treaty. Most of the people in Guantanamo (and elsewhere in the American Gulag) are, by the clear wording of the Geneva Conventions, entitled to POW status.
See
Message 18673637 |
