"Today the Geneva Conventions remain the cornerstone of contemporary international humanitarian law. They contain the essential rules protecting persons who are not or no longer taking a direct part in hostilities when they find themselves in the hands of an adverse party. These persons are, as mentioned before, the wounded and sick, the shipwrecked, the prisoners of war and civilians, including those civilians living under occupation."
--www.icrc.org: The Geneva Conventions of 1949: Origins and Current Significance
--www.icrc.org: The Geneva Conventions of 1949: Origins and Current Significance