# Does showing pictures of Hussein brothers' corpses violate Geneva Convention rules? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-showing-pictures-of-hussein-brothers-corpses-violate-geneva-convention-rules/190716 "2003-07-24T21:01:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pezwookiee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@pezwookiee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezwookiee)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-showing-pictures-of-hussein-brothers-corpses-violate-geneva-convention-rules/190716/1 "2003-07-24T21:01:32Z")
I don’t see that anyone’s answered this yet, but if it’s been asked and I somehow glanced over it, my apologies. Does showing the pictures of the dead bodies of the Hussein brothers violate the Geneva Convention in any way? I remember there was a big uproar over the Iraqis showing pictures of dead American soldiers. What exactly are the rules about showing photographs of casualties of war? ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-showing-pictures-of-hussein-brothers-corpses-violate-geneva-convention-rules/190716/2 "2003-07-24T21:07:48Z")
I don’t think the US wants to do it, but the Iraqies are a visual lot, if you will. They want the bodies dragged through the streets, hanging off the back of a truck. A fine idea, I say, but decorum will rule. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-showing-pictures-of-hussein-brothers-corpses-violate-geneva-convention-rules/190716/3 "2003-07-24T21:21:28Z")
The idea behind the rule was so that there would not be a chance that relatives would see pictures of the corpse before they had been notified. In this case the relatives should have been aware of the deaths. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-showing-pictures-of-hussein-brothers-corpses-violate-geneva-convention-rules/190716/4 "2003-07-24T21:37:25Z")
From the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field: > [@](#): > > Article 16 > … > > Parties to the conflict shall prepare and forward to each other through the same bureau, certificates of death or duly authenticated lists of the dead. They shall likewise collect and forward through the same bureau one half of a double identity disc, last wills or other documents of importance to the next of kin, money and in general all articles of an intrinsic or sentimental value, which are found on the dead. These articles, together with unidentified articles, shall be sent in sealed packets, accompanied by statements giving all particulars necessary for the identification of the deceased owners, as well as by a complete list of the contents of the parcel. > [@](#): > > Article 17 > Parties to the conflict shall ensure that burial or cremation of the dead, carried out individually as far as circumstances permit, is preceded by a careful examination, if possible by a medical examination, of the bodies, with a view to confirming death, establishing identity and enabling a report to be made. One half of the double identity disc, or the identity disc itself if it is a single disc, should remain on the body. > Bodies shall not be cremated except for imperative reasons of hygiene or for motives based on the religion of the deceased. In case of cremation, the circumstances and reasons for cremation shall be stated in detail in the death certificate or on the authenticated list of the dead. > > They shall further ensure that the dead are honourably interred, if possible according to the rites of the religion to which they belonged, that their graves are respected, grouped if possible according to the nationality of the deceased, properly maintained and marked so that they may always be found. For this purpose, they shall organize at the commencement of hostilities an Official Graves Registration Service, to allow subsequent exhumations and to ensure the identification of bodies, whatever the site of the graves, and the possible transportation to the home country. These provisions shall likewise apply to the ashes, which shall be kept by the Graves Registration Service until proper disposal thereof in accordance with the wishes of the home country. > > As soon as circumstances permit, and at latest at the end of hostilities, these Services shall exchange, through the Information Bureau mentioned in the second paragraph of Article 16, lists showing the exact location and markings of the graves together with particulars of the dead interred therein. [http://193.194.138.190/html/menu3/b/q\_genev1.htm](http://193.194.138.190/html/menu3/b/q_genev1.htm) There’s nothing about showing dead bodies on TV in the Geneva Convention, the earlier objection was about showing US POWs on TV which the US thought was a violation of their dignity.