A Detaining Power is responsible for the well-being of its prisoners of warfrom the moment they fall into its power. This includes not only refrainingfrom prohibited acts, but also protecting the prisoners’ lives andwell-being. The obligation laid down in Article 19(1) to evacuate prisonersof war from the battlefield as soon as possible after they have fallen intothe power of the enemy is an element of this duty. Evacuation aims to ensurethat the prisoners are placed out of danger and facilitates theimplementation of other protections, such as those provided for in Article13. In line with this purpose, Article 19(2) allows for an exception toprompt evacuation: wounded or sick prisoners of war who, because of theircondition, would be at greater risk by being evacuated than by staying wherethey are, may temporarily be kept back in the danger zone.

Article 120 deals with two sets of related issues: wills and deathcertificates of prisoners of war and burial and cremation of deceasedprisoners of war.

Article 30 elaborates on the medical attention that prisoners of warare entitled to receive. It specifies a number of measures the DetainingPower must take to fulfil its general obligation under Article 15 toprovide for the maintenance of prisoners of war, including the medicalattention required by their state of health.

Article 69 is the first provision in Part III, Section V of the Conventionconcerning relations of prisoners of war with the exterior. Articles 70–77address a number of issues in this respect: the completion of capture cardsand their forwarding to the prisoners’ families and to the Central TracingAgency; prisoners’ entitlement to send and receive letters and cards and thelimits that may be set on such correspondence; relief shipments; censorshipof correspondence and the examination of relief consignments; and thepreparation, execution and transmission of legal documents. Article 69concerns the information that must be provided to prisoners of war and tothe Powers on which they depend regarding the measures the Detaining Powerhas taken to implement the provisions of Section V. The failure to complywith the obligation to inform does not absolve the Detaining Power of itsobligation to execute these measures.

The first sentence of Article 58(1) recognizes the right of the DetainingPower to determine the maximum amount of cash or of camp money – normallyissued for prisoners’ use inside the camp – that prisoners of war may havein their possession. The purpose of this provision is, on the one hand, toensure that prisoners of war have a reasonable amount of money at theirdisposal for daily purchases and, on the other hand, to limit that amount toavoid such money being used to facilitate escape or other abuses. TheDetaining Power has the unilateral right to determine the amount until anarrangement on the matter is reached with the Protecting Power, if any.

Article 62 details the regime of working pay due to prisoners of war whoare employed during their time in captivity pursuant to Articles 49–57 ofthe Third Convention. It supplements Article 54(1), as well as Articles32–33 and 35–36 in relation to prisoners who are required to perform medicalor spiritual duties and Articles 80–81 regarding the work of prisoners’representatives (and their assistants and advisers).

According to Article 102(1) of the 1945 UN Charter, ‘[e]very treaty andevery international agreement entered into by any Member of the UnitedNations after the present Charter comes into force [24 October 1945] shallas soon as possible be registered with the Secretariat and published byit’.