Gory online campaign Ukraine hopes will sow anti-Putin dissent probably violates Geneva Convention.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

New: Ukraine is posting grisly photos and videos of killed and captured Russian soldiers in hopes of undermining the Kremlin. That likely violates the Geneva Conventions, which demand governments protect war prisoners from “insults and public curiosity"

Link to tweet

The gory online campaign Ukraine hopes will sow anti-Putin dissent probably violates the Geneva...
Ukraine has posted hundreds of gory photos allegedly of Russian soldiers captured or killed in battle in an effort to raise anger in Russia over the cost of

[Justice matters.]

1. Well, invading a neighbor country for its natural resources (don't kid anyone)

and murdering civilians including children also must be against the Geneva conventions, right?

When conventions will never "really" punish perpetrators, what are they good for?

[AlexSFCA]

2. while ICC investigation is ongoing, those gory images should only be shared by non officials

[Emrys]

3. Quick and dirty Threadreader rebuttal

from Sergej Sumlenny, "Berlin-based Eastern Europe expert. 10+ yrs of work in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus. Former Director @boell_stiftung Kyiv (UA+BY)office":

Reg. "Ukraine may not film POWs!". It is allowed. One may not humiliate POWs, but there is no ban on filming. And as the aggressor denies the very existence of own POWs, it is in their interest to be filmed + identified, so their families could be informed they are alive and fine

Here is the text of the related article. It is clear, that treatment which can cause harm to health or even death are banned. "Public curiosity" is banned also, but it relates to public demonstration of POWs (for example, to let POWs march through a civil crowd to "present" them)

For example, a show-like march of Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk in 2014, as they were exposed to violence and insults, was a clear violation of the Convention. Filming of a formalised interrogation is not.

Moreover, I would have argued, in a current situation filming is more than legit. Let me explain. Russian command tells its soldiers, Ukrainians are blood-thirsty Nazis. Films prove, that this is a lie. Effectively, they increase readiness of Russian soldiers to capitulate...

...and this may save lives. There is a situation, when a soldier still may continue fight. If he/she can, he/she may capitulate and his/her life must be spared. If otherwise! - a soldier capitulates just seconds before his case is lost, enemy is not obliged to spare his/her life.

The standard legal explanation is simple: capitulation guarantees protection only if it is conscious, and the soldier could continue to resist, but decided not to. Otherwise, there is no capitulation as is. An attacking soldier also may not always understand the enemy capitulates

So effectively, if a Russian soldier believes, Ukrainians would torture and kill him (as his commander lie), he will not be ready to capitulate, and this may cost him his life. The named videos provide a soldier with truth and therefore strengthen his rights and his position. END

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1499101946069848074.html

Original Twitter thread here:

Link to tweet

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. Thanks for the insight. NT

[yardwork]

4. Shelling civilians also violates the Geneva Convention.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

5. +100. nt

Strange how there's no mention of that.

[The Magistrate]

7. True, Sir, Yet Drivel All The Same

When someone is engaged in murder, there's little point to commenting that well, yes, friends of the murdered folks have slapped somebody....

[qazplm135]

8. Well

How about we help Ukraine win the war first, then prosecute Russian war crimes and then we can worry about minor violations like this.

Deal?

[XiJung]

9. Ugh

[gopiscrap]

11. welcome to DU

[struggle4progress]

10. (Step 1) Russia invades and attacks civilians, violating the Geneva conventions

(Step 2) Russia complains that releasing photos of captured Russians is a violation of the Geneva conventions