Sunday, December 11, 2005
Geneva Convention To Cover "Do I Look Fat In This?"
The Hague, Switzerland (FN) - In its first amendment since 1949, the Geneva Conventions were expanded today to prevent detaining powers in war time from soliciting opinions on body weight and appearance from prisoners of war.
"This is a landmark ruling in human rights. I don't think there is a man on this planet who does not understand that the question 'Do I look fat in this?' is the highest form of cruel, unusual and degrading treatment. I hope that all signatory nations hasten to ratify this new clause," said international human rights lawyer Hans Galdalman.
Hapless husbands hoping for relief from the great unanswerable question will be disappointed, legal experts say. The new protection covers only foreign combatants and does not extend to "armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties."
This ruling follows a progressive trend in international law. The last round of amendments in 1949 outlawed asking a prisoner of war if he thinks another girl is more attractive, which was allegedly a common form of torture in Nazi POW camps.
While other countries hailed the ruling, the United States repeated its position that neither this nor other Geneva Convention provisions shall apply to captured Al Qaeda members.
"First of all, they are not members of a foreign army. Second, it is vital for the morale of our troops for them to know whether their combat fatigues fit them properly," said Vice-President Dick Cheney.
posted by Mentok @ 8:41 p.m.,
