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Every component of the ‘war on terrorism’, every situation in which persons held in Guantánamo were involved and every individual detained there have to be qualified separately. Many persons held in Guantánamo are not at all covered by international humanitarian law (IHL). Others benefit from the fundamental guarantees of IHL of non-international armed conflicts, which do not offer a legal basis for their detention - an issue dealt with by domestic law. Those persons who were arrested in Afghanistan are protected by IHL of international armed conflicts. In such conflicts, there are two categories of ‘protected persons’: combatants, who become prisoners of war protected by the Third Geneva Convention if they fall into the power of the enemy; and civilians protected by the Fourth Geneva Convention when in enemy hands. The US administration claims that the persons it holds in Guantánamo are neither combatants nor civilians, but ‘unlawful combatants’. However, no one can fall in between the two aforementioned Conventions and therefore be protected by neither of the two. There are good reasons to consider the captured Taliban as prisoners of war. As for the al Qaeda members captured in Afghanistan, it may be justified to deny them prisoner of war status, on a number of legal grounds. However, as protected civilians, they may not be deported to Guantánamo, but may be detained in Afghanistan for the prosecution and punishment of criminal offences (including for having directly participated in hostilities); or they may be interned for imperative security reasons, upon individual decision made in a regular procedure which must include a right of appeal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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War separates families; it separates prisoners of war from the Power on which they depend and civilians from their country of origin or residence. Uncertainty about what has happened to a loved one who is missing on the battlefield or in enemy-controlled territory is much more difficult to bear than the news that he has been captured and interned by the enemy, or sometimes even that he is dead. Moreover, registering a captured person helps to protect him. The provisions for obtaining, collating and transmitting this type of information are a major step forward in international humanitarian law. The National Information Bureau (hereinafter NIB) plays a key role in the system laid down for this purpose by the 1949 Geneva Conventions. The NIB has the important but difficult task of obtaining and transmitting information on protected persons of the adverse party who are in the hands of the party to the conflict to which the NIB belongs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

La guerra separa a las familias, a los prisioneros de guerra de la Potencia de la que dependen y a las personas civiles de su país de origen o de residencia. La incertidumbre por lo que respecta a la suerte que corre un allegado desaparecido en el campo de batalla o en territorio controlado por el enemigo es mucho más difícil de soportar que el anuncio de su captura o de su internamiento por el enemigo, a veces incluso más que la noticia de su fallecimiento. Además, el registro del nombre de una persona capturada por el enemigo es un factor de protectión para esa persona. Por consiguiente, las disposiciones sobre la obtención, la concentration y la transmisión de datos son un importante progreso del derecho internacional humanitario. En el sistema previsto con esta finalidad en los Convenios de Ginebra de 1949, la Oficina Nacional de Información (en adelante ONI) desempeña un cometido esencial. Tal oficina tiene la importante y difícil tarea de obtener y de transmitir todos los datos relativos a las personas protegidas pertenecientes a la parte adversaria que se encuentren en poder de la parte a la que pertenece la ONI. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

La guerre sépare les familles, les prisonniers de guerre de la Puissance dont ils dépendent et les civils de leur pays d'origine ou de résidence. L'incertitude sur le sort d'un proche disparu sur le champ de bataille ou en territoire contrôlé par l'ennemi est beaucoup plus difficile à supporter que l'annonce de sa capture ou de son internement par l'ennemi, parfois même que la nouvelle de son décès. En outre, l'enregistrement d'une personne capturée par l'ennemi est un facteur de protection pour cette personne. En conséquence, les dispositions sur l'obtention, la concentration et la transmission de renseignements sont un progrès important du droit international humanitaire. Dans le système prévu dans ce but par les Conventions de Genève de 1949, le Bureau national de renseignements (ci-après BNR) joue un rôle essentiel. Ce bureau a la tâche importante et difficile d'obtenir et de transmettre tous les renseignements sur les personnes protégées appartenant à la Partie adverse qui se trouvent au pouvoir de la Partie dont émane le BNR. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]