Geneva Convention (IV)

CHAPTER VI

Personal Property and Financial Resources
Art. 97. Internees shall be permitted to retain articles of personal use.
Monies, cheques, bonds, etc., and valuables in their possession may not be
taken from them except in accordance with established procedure. Detailed
receipts shall be given therefor.

The amounts shall be paid into the account of every internee as provided
for in Article 98. Such amounts may not be converted into any other
currency unless legislation in force in the territory in which the owner is
interned so requires or the internee gives his consent.

Articles which have above all a personal or sentimental value may not be
taken away.

A woman internee shall not be searched except by a woman.

On release or repatriation, internees shall be given all articles, monies
or other valuables taken from them during internment and shall receive in
currency the balance of any credit to their accounts kept in accordance
with Article 98, with the exception of any articles or amounts withheld by
the Detaining Power by virtue of its legislation in force. If the property
of an internee is so withheld, the owner shall receive a detailed receipt.

Family or identity documents in the possession of internees may not be
taken away without a receipt being given. At no time shall internees be
left without identity documents. If they have none, they shall be issued
with special documents drawn up by the detaining authorities, which will
serve as their identity papers until the end of their internment.

Internees may keep on their persons a certain amount of money, in cash or
in the shape of purchase coupons, to enable them to make purchases.

Art. 98. All internees shall receive regular allowances, sufficient to
enable them to purchase goods and articles, such as tobacco, toilet
requisites, etc. Such allowances may take the form of credits or purchase
coupons.

Furthermore, internees may receive allowances from the Power to which they
owe allegiance, the Protecting Powers, the organizations which may assist
them, or their families, as well as the income on their property in
accordance with the law of the Detaining Power. The amount of allowances
granted by the Power to which they o~e allegiance shall be the same for
each category of internees (infirm, sick, pregnant women, etc.) but may not
be allocated by that Power or distributed by the Detaining Power on the
basis of discriminations between internees which are prohibited by Article
27 of the present Convention.

The Detaining Power shall open a regular account for every internee, to
which shall be credited the allowances named in the present Article, the
wages earned and the remittances received, together with such sums taken
from him as may be available under the legislation in force in the
territory in which he is interned. Internees shall be granted all
facilities consistent with the legislation in force in such territory to
make remittances to their families and to other dependants. They may draw
from their accounts the amounts necessary for their personal expenses,
within the limits fixed by the Detaining Power. They shall at all times be
afforded reasonable facilities for consulting and obtaining copies of their
accounts. A statement of accounts shall be furnished to the Protecting
Power, on request, and shall accompany the internee in case of transfer.

CHAPTER VII

Administration and Discipline

Art. 99. Every place of internment shall be put under the authority of a
responsible officer, chosen from the regular military forces or the regular
civil administration of the Detaining Power. The officer in charge of the
place of internment must have in his possession a copy of the present
Convention in the official language, or one of the official languages, of
his country and shall be responsible for its application. The staff in
control of internees shall be instructed in the provisions of the present
Convention and of the administrative measures adopted to ensure its
application.

The text of the present Convention and the texts of special agreements
concluded under the said Convention shall be posted inside the place of
internment, in a language which the internees understand, or shall be in
the possession of the Internee Committee.

Regulations, orders, notices and publications of every kind shall be
communicated to the internees and posted inside the places of internment,
in a language which they understand.

Every order and command addressed to internees individually must, likewise,
be given in a language which they understand.

Art. 100. The disciplinary regime in places of internment shall be
consistent with humanitarian principles, and shall in no circumstances
include regulations imposing on internees any physical exertion dangerous
to their health or involving physical or moral victimization.
Identification by tattooing or imprinting signs or markings on the body, is
prohibited.

In particular, prolonged standing and roll-calls, punishment drill,
military drill and manoeuvres, or the reduction of food rations, are
prohibited.

Art. 101. Internees shall have the right to present to the authorities in
whose power they are, any petition with regard to the conditions of
internment to which they are subjected.

They shall also have the right to apply without restriction through the
Internee Committee or, if they consider it necessary, direct to the
representatives of the Protecting Power, in order to indicate to them any
points on which they may have complaints to make with regard to the
conditions of internment.

Such petitions and complaints shall be transmitted forthwith and without
alteration, and even if the latter are recognized to be unfounded, they may
not occasion any punishment.

Periodic reports on the situation in places of internment and as to the
needs of the internees may be sent by the Internee Committees to the
representatives of the Protecting Powers.

Art. 102. In every place of internment, the internees shall freely elect by
secret ballot every six months, the members of a Committee empowered to
represent them before the Detaining and the Protecting Powers, the
International Committee of the Red Cross and any other organization which
may assist them. The members of the Committee shall be eligible for
re-election.

Internees so elected shall enter upon their duties after their election has
been approved by the detaining authorities. The reasons for any refusals or
dismissals shall be communicated to the Protecting Powers concerned.

Art. 103. The Internee Committees shall further the physical, spiritual and
intellectual well-being of the internees.

In case the internees decide, in particular, to organize a system of mutual
assistance amongst themselves, this organization would be within the
competence of the Committees in addition to the special duties entrusted to
them under Other provisions of the present Convention.

Art. 104. Members of Internee Committees shall not be required to perform
any other work, if the accomplishment of their duties is rendered more
difficult thereby.

Members of Internee Committees may appoint from amongst the internees such
assistants as they may require. All material facilities shall be granted to
them, particularly a certain freedom of movement necessary for the
accomplishment of their duties (visits to labour detachments, receipt of
supplies, etc.).

All facilities shall likewise be accorded to members of Internee Committees
for communication by post and telegraph with the detaining authorities, the
Protecting Powers, the International Committee of the Red Cross and their
delegates, and with the organizations which give assistance to internees.
Committee members in labour detachments shall enjoy similar facilities for
communication with their Internee Committee in the principal place of
internment. Such communications shall not be limited, nor considered as
forming a part of the quota mentioned in Article 107.

Members of Internee Committees who are transferred shall be allowed a
reasonable time to acquaint their successors with current affairs.

Author: international