The Iraqi government is laying mines which are blocking humanitarian aid from getting to Umm Kasr. I am guessing that they are intentionally trying to starve their own people so they can use that for propaganda purposes, but I am baised against Iraq. Maybe they have no idea humanitarian aid is coming, i don’t know.
I am assuming blocking humanitarian aid is a war crime, but what if the Iraqi regime isn’t intentionally blocking humanitarian aid but is doing it by accident? Is that still a war crime? And where is it covered in the Geneva convention?
Minor nitpick: The Iraqi government is not “laying mines”, present tense. They “laid mines”, past tense. The Iraqis are not still there, laying mines. The port is under control, and the mines in question are now being cleared.
The Geneva Convention is to do with the treatment of POWs, The Calculus of Logic. However, blocking humanitarian aid could be considered a “crime against humanity”.
Amnesty International accused Israel of “war crime” for, among other things, blocking humanitarian aid to Jenin, last year.
If you can spin this as a war crime, it seems like you could say any active self-defense of a nation was a similar war crime. All an invading force would have to do is carry some humanitarian aid packages and any defenders would have to lay down their arms or risk being war criminals.
It may be the stated intent of the coalition forces to use that port only for humanitarian aid purposes, but it’s still an Iraqi port, and we’re still an invading force. Do you think the US would agree not to defend LA and Miami if some invading force said they were going to use those ports for humanitarian aid only?
Only one of the Geneva Conventions is to do with prisoners of war, there are several:
Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field
Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea
Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I)
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II) http://193.194.138.190/html/intlinst.htm (at the bottom of the page under humanitarian law)
I have to say it is not a war crime or a crime against humanity, as those mines have a clear defensive purpose against an invading army.