The Government Is Keeping a U.S. Citizen Secretly Locked Up Without Charges

Re:The Government Is Keeping a U.S. Citizen Secretly Locked ... by maxlybbert on Thursday November 23, 2017 @06:44PM (#15768616)

Prisoners of war aren’t supposed to be punished. The basic idea is that they’re detained to prevent them from returning to the fight. The Geneva Conventions allow them to send letters, buy things, receive pay, recognize their own hierarchy, etc. The Geneva Conventions also allow them to be detained without charge until the end of the war.

If they have committed certain crimes, then they can be convicted and held after the end of the war, but that’s something of a special case. Many Confederate soldiers during the Civil War never understood this (remember, the Union declared that the South couldn’t secede, which would have made all Confederate POWs US citizens).

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The Government Is Keeping a U.S. Citizen Secretly Locked ... by maxlybbert on Saturday November 25, 2017 @09:19AM (#15776053)

Just to clarify: the US Civil War pre-dates the Geneva Conventions. So Confederate soldiers weren’t confused about whether the Conventions applied.

But they sent letters home wondering why they hadn’t been informed of charges against them, given a bail hearing, or promised a speedy trial. I think it’s a safe bet they also didn’t have an attorney represent them during any questioning. They were confused about why they were in a prison even though they hadn’t been arrested for a crime.

[ Parent | on HN ]