Prisoner of War

A Prisoner of War (POW, PoW, or PW) is a combatant who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict.

During the 19th century, efforts increased to improve the treatment and processing of prisoners. The extensive period of conflict during the Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815), followed by the Anglo-American War of 1812, led to the emergence of a cartel system for the exchange of prisoners, even while the belligerents were at war. A cartel was usually arranged by the respective armed service for the exchange of like ranked personnel. The aim was to achieve a reduction in the number of prisoners held, while at the same time alleviating shortages of skilled personnel in the home country.

Later, as a result of these emerging conventions a number of international conferences were held, starting with the Brussels Conference of 1874, with nations agreeing that it was necessary to prevent inhumane treatment of prisoners and the use of weapons causing unnecessary harm. Although no agreements were immediately ratified by the participating nations, work was continued that resulted in new conventions being adopted and becoming recognized as international law, that specified that prisoners of war are required to be treated humanely and diplomatically.

Specifically, Chapter II of the Annex to the 1907 Hague Convention covered the treatment of prisoners of war in detail. These were further expanded in the Third Geneva Convention of 1929, and its revision of 1949.

Article 4 of the Third Geneva Convention protects captured military personnel, some guerrilla fighters and certain civilians. It applies from the moment a prisoner is captured until he or she is released or repatriated. One of the main provisions of the convention makes it illegal to torture prisoners and states that a prisoner can only be required to give their name, date of birth, rank and service number (if applicable).

However, nations vary in their dedication to following these laws, and historically the treatment of POWs has varied greatly. During the 20th century, Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany were notorious for atrocities against prisoners during World War II. The German military used the Soviet Union's refusal to sign the Geneva Convention as a reason for not providing the necessities of life to Russian POWs. North Korean and North Vietnamese forces routinely killed or mistreated prisoners taken during those conflicts.

Even in the 26th Century, the UNSC continues to take prisoners of war in their conflict against the Covenant, often using them as manual labour to construct fortification for defending against Covenant attack and digging graves for Covenant and UNSC dead. For much of the war, the Covenant refused to take prisoners, executing any human personnel who were captured or who surrendered After the discovery that only human "Reclaimers" could activate the Halo Array, the Covenant changed that policy. UNSC treatment of prisoners has been "humane," while Covenant PoW's have been brutally tortured and interrogated. After the ascension of the Jiralhanae to the positions formerly held by the Sangheili, UNSC PoW's were routinely captured and butchered for food for the Jiralhanae