Ethical Principles for the Treatment of Enemy Combatants on the Battlefield

Introduction: Humanity has always aspired to eliminate conflict and hostility between nations and to replace them with peace, friendship, and peaceful coexistence. Unfortunately, however, war, violence, and the captivity of opposing forces have always existed as historical realities. What has consistently been emphasized is that even war has its own specific ethical considerations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the ethical principles governing the treatment of enemy combatants on the battlefield. Material and Methods: The research was a review method. In order to achieve the goal of the research, information gathered from scientific journal and books for investigating ethical principles for the treatment of enemy combatants on the battlefield. Conclusion: The outcome of international efforts to establish protective laws for war prisoners culminated in the four Geneva Conventions, which affirmed the rights of war victims—including prisoners of war, the wounded, civilians, children, women, and the elderly. Among these four conventions, the Third Geneva Convention specifically addresses the rights of prisoners of war. The rights outlined in these conventions include the prohibition of torture and inhumane treatment to extract information, the prohibition of using prisoners as human shields, the obligation to release prisoners when their lives are no longer at risk, the prohibition of collective punishment and public display of prisoners, as well as the right to adequate food and medical care, and respect for the prisoners’ human dignity. If implemented, these provisions can eliminate or at least reduce many of the hardships and sufferings of prisoners of war.

کلیدواژه ها:

Ethics ، War ، Prisoner ، Human rights