Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 January 2010
In a sporadic way since 1919, then systematically from the late 1960s, the ICRC has endeavoured to carry out its humanitarian activities in situations of internal disturbances and tensions, in particular to give protection and assistance to persons imprisoned in such circumstances and commonly referred to as “political detainees”.
The ICRC's rules of conduct in such situations were presented at the Twenty-third International Conference of the Red Cross (Bucharest, 1977) as part of the document entitled “The ICRC, the League and the Report on the Re-appraisal of the Role of the Red Cross”.
page 11 note 1 See International Review of the Red Cross, from 03–04 1978 to 01–02 1979 Google Scholar, as well as off-print of those extracts, ICRC, 1979.
page 12 note 2 Protocol II, Art. 1, par. 2.
page 12 note 3 Ibid.
page 12 note 4 Conference of Government Experts, document submitted by the ICRC, Title V, Protection of victims of non-international armed conflicts, 1971, p. 79.Google Scholar
page 13 note 5 Jacques, Moreillon: Le CICR et la Protection des détenus politiques, Lausanne, L'Age d'homme, 1973, 303 pages.Google Scholar
page 15 note 6 See Annex I.
page 15 note 7 See, for example:
—Commission of experts for the examination of the question of assistance to political detainees; Geneva, June 1953; published by the ICRC, 1953; 8 pages.
—Commission of experts for the study of the question of the application of humanitarian principles in the event of internal disturbances; Geneva, October 1955; published by the ICRC, 1955; 8 pages.
—Commission of experts for the study of the question of aid to the victims of internal conflicts; Geneva, October 1962; published by the ICRC; 11 pages.
page 17 note 8 See Annex II.
page 23 note 9 Its policy in these matters was made public in the October 1972 edition of the International Review of the Red Cross and presented in more detail at the Twenty-fourth International Conference of the Red Cross (Manila, 1981), where it was accompanied by commentaries on the role of National Societies when hostages are taken: Attitude of the Red Cross to the taking of hostages; report submitted by the ICRC (CGO/3/1); Geneva; 08 1981, 9 pagesGoogle Scholar. See also Annex IV.
page 24 note 10 Annex IV contains a commentary on the policy of the ICRC in this regard, as it was presented at the Manila Conference.
page 30 note 1 Handbook of the International Red Cross, Geneva, International Committee of the Red Cross, League of Red Cross Societies, 10th Edition, 1953, pp. 414–415.Google Scholar
page 33 note 1 The term used in the document varies according to different situations and countries.