Colombia misused the symbol of the Red Cross in this month's military rescue of politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other rebel-held hostages, it said on Wednesday, admitting a possible violation of the rules of war.
Falsely portraying military personnel as Red Cross members is against the Geneva Conventions as it could put humanitarian workers at risk when they are in war zones.
Rebel leaders were duped into handing over their most prized hostages in the operation, which highlighted the success of Uribe's U.S.-backed offensive against the guerrillas.
But the use of the Red Cross symbol takes some of the shine off the mission.
Falsely portraying military personnel as Red Cross members is against the Geneva Conventions as it could put humanitarian workers at risk when they are in war zones.
Rebel leaders were duped into handing over their most prized hostages in the operation, which highlighted the success of Uribe's U.S.-backed offensive against the guerrillas.
But the use of the Red Cross symbol takes some of the shine off the mission.
topics:
News and Politics,
Politics,
Terrorism,
Colombia,
FARC,
Red Cross,
Geneva Convention,
Red Cross emblem
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I'm sure Ms. Betancourt and the rest of the hostages didn't mind too much. In fact I'd be willing to bet they wish someone had thought of it sooner.
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Although i believe you should not use the red cross symbol this way b/c red cross volunteers could be killed.
I don't think it is against the Geneva conventions since the terrorists were not a stable conformed military
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