Denmark accused of violating Geneva convention during Iraq War
The Danish military stand accused of mistreating prisoners of war
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Danish military officials are to launch an investigation into allegations that troops violated the Geneva Convention by mistreating prisoners during the Iraq War.
The Geneva Convention is a series of treaties designed to protect civilians, prisoners of war and soldiers considered incapable of fighting during wartime.
Members of the Danish military allegedly handed over at least 12 Iraqi POWs to local authorities in 2004. The personnel had received orders not to, amid fears they would be sentenced to death, according to a document obtained by a Freedom of Information request by the Danish daily broadsheet Politiken seen by the Local.De website.
The order was issued in light of the new Iraqi government’s decision to introduce the death penalty, and in a climate where prisoners faced torture and execution before cases were heard in court.
As international conventions forbid the execution of wartime prisoners, passing over the prisoners would therefore have violated the POWs’ human rights.
The document also revealed that the Danish military detained around 500 prisoners during the war, with 260 of those being passed to the Iraqi authorities and 55 to British forces.
However, The Danish military may have broken further Geneva Convention rules by recording only 43 of the 500 prisoners, and not being given handover receipts for those handed to the Iraqi authorities.
The Military Prosecution Service told the Ritzau news agency in a statement that it will launch an investigation to establish whether the information warrants criminal action.
Holger K. Nielsen, Denmark's former foreign minister and Socialist People’s Party MP, said the allegations left him “speechless”.
The revelations come as the British Government continues its six-year wait for the results of the Chilcot Inquiry into the UK’s involvement in the Iraq War,
Prime Minister David Cameron recently said he is “losing patience” after Sir John Chilcot said the report may not be ready for another year.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments