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Red Cross excoriates Colombia for violating Geneva Convention, August 6, 2008

During an incursion by Colombian special forces into Ecuador that rescued 15 people held prisoner by FARC for over six years, several members of the military force wore Red Cross emblems, which the Red Cross calls a violation of international law and treaties, including the Geneva Convention and may call for a trial for war crimes. The chief concern of the Red Cross is that its misuse as a disguise for paramilitaries may threaten the relief group’s neutrality and place their workers in battlefield positions in danger. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe apologized for the error, and characterized it as “an unauthorized error by a nervous soldier.”


News Stories:

"Red Cross: Colombia broke Geneva Conventions "
International Herald Tribune August 6, 2008
"Red Cross probes emblem 'misuse' "
BBC News (UK) August 6, 2008
"ICRC "deplores" improper use of emblem "
SwissInfo (Switzerland) August 6, 2008

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August 6, 2008