Geneva Convention (I) 7

Geneva Convention (I)

 

Art. 63. Each of the High Contracting Parties shall be at liberty to
denounce the present Convention.

The denunciation shall be notified in writing to the Swiss Federal Council,
which shall transmit it to the Governments of all the High Contracting
Parties.

The denunciation shall take effect one year after the notification thereof
has been made to the Swiss Federal Council. However, a denunciation of
which notification has been made at a time when the denouncing Power is
involved in a conflict shall not take effect until peace has been
concluded, and until after operations connected with release and
repatriation of the persons protected by the present Convention have been
terminated.

The denunciation shall have effect only in respect of the denouncing Power.
It shall in no way impair the obligations which the Parties to the conflict
shall remain bound to fulfil by virtue of the principles of the law of
nations, as they result from the usages established among civilized
peoples, from the laws of humanity and the dictates of the public
conscience.

Art. 64. The Swiss Federal Council shall register the present Convention
with the Secretariat of the United Nations. The Swiss Federal Council shall
also inform the Secretariat of the United Nations of all ratifications,
accessions and denunciations received by it with respect to the present
Convention.

In witness whereof the undersigned, having deposited their respective full
powers, have signed the present Convention.

Done at Geneva this twelfth day of August 1949, in the English and French
languages. The original shall be deposited in the archives of the Swiss
Confederation. The Swiss Federal Council shall transmit certified copies
thereof to each of the Signatory and Acceding States.

(Here follow signatures)

ANNEX I

Draft Agreement Relating to Hospital Zones and Localities

Article 1. Hospital zones shall be strictly observed for the persons named
in Article 23 of the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the
Condition of the Wounded and Sick in the Armed Forces in the Field of 12
August 1949, and for the personnel entrusted with the organization and
administration of these zones and localities, and with the care of the
persons therein assembled.

Nevertheless, persons whose permanent residence is within such zones shall
have the right to stay there.

Art. 2. No persons residing, in whatever capacity, in a hospital zone
shall perform any work, either within or without the zone, directly
connected with military operations or the production of war material.

Art. 3. The Power establishing a hospital zone shall take all necessary
measures to prohibit access to all persons who have no right of residence
or entry therein.

Art. 4. Hospital zones shall fulfil the following conditions:
(a) They shall comprise only a small part of the territory governed by
the Power which has established them.
(b) They shall be thinly populated in relation to the possibilities of
accommodation.
(c) They shall be far removed and free from all military objectives, or
large industrial or administrative establishments.
(d) They shall not be situated in areas which, according to every
probability, may become important for the conduct of the war.

Art. 5. Hospital zones shall be subject to the following obligations:
(a) The lines of communication and means of transport which they possess
shall not be used for the transport of military personnel or
material, even in transit.
(b) They shall in no case be defended by military means.

Art. 6. Hospital zones shall be marked by means of red crosses (red
crescents, red lions and suns) on a white background placed on the outer
precincts and on the buildings. They may be similarly marked at night by
means of appropriate illumination.

Art. 7. The Powers shall communicate to all High Contracting Parties in
peacetime or on the outbreak of hostilities, a list of the hospital zones
in the territories governed by them. They shall also give notice of any new
zones set up during hostilities.

As soon as the adverse Party has receive the above-mentioned notification,
the zone shall be regularly constituted.

If, however, the adverse Party considers that the conditions of the present
agreement have not been fulfilled, it may refuse to recognize the zone by
giving immediate notice thereof to the Party responsible for the said Zone,
or may make its recognition of such zone dependent upon the institution of
the control provided for in Article 8.

Art. 8. Any Power having recognized one of several hospital zones
instituted by the adverse Party shall be entitled to demand control by one
or more Special Commissioners, for the purpose of ascertaining if the zones
fulfil the conditions and obligations stipulated in the present agreement.

For this purpose, the members of the Special Commissions shall at all times
have free access to the various zones and may even reside there
permanently. They shall be given all facilities for their duties of
inspection.

Art. 9. Should the Special Commissions note any facts which they consider
contrary to the stipulations of the present agreement, they shall at once
draw the attention of the Power governing the said zone to these facts, and
shall fix a time limit of five days within which the matter should be
rectified. They shall duly notify the Power who has recognized the zone.

If, when the time limit has expired, the Power governing the zone has not
complied with the warning, the adverse Party may declare that it is no
longer bound by the present agreement in respect of the said zone.

Art. 10. Any Power setting up one or more hospital zones and localities,
and the adverse Parties to whom their existence has been notified, shall
nominate or have nominated by neutral Powers, the persons who shall be
members of the Special Commissions mentioned in Articles 8 and 9,

Art. 11. In no circumstances may hospital zones be the object of attack.
They shall be protected and respected at all times by the Parties to the
conflict.

Art. 12. In the case of occupation of a territory, the hospital zones
therein shall continue to be respected and utilized as such.

Their purpose may, however, be modified by the Occupying Power, on
condition that all measures are taken to ensure the safety of the persons
accomodated.

Art. 13. The present agreement shall also apply to localities which the
Powers may utilize for the same purposes as hospital zones.

Conclusion

Notes

See Also

References and Further Reading

About the Author/s and Reviewer/s

Author: international


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