FEATURE - THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS

More from Gwen on the laws that govern warfare and POWs.

Strange at it may seem, there are laws that govern warfare and the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs).

Collectively, these are called the Geneva Conventions.

These Conventions, which evolved over a 140-year period of time, have been frequently amended--and just as frequently abused.

The first Convention took place in 1864, when Henri Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross, rallied world leaders to set up humanitarian standards for injured military personnel and civilians.

The more contentious problem of setting standards for the treatment of POWs wasn't addressed until after World War I.

In 1929, world leaders again convened in Geneva to hammer out a set of amendments, determining that POWs must be treated humanely.

These laws were soon violated during World War II, particularly by Nazi Germany and Japan, who routinely tortured their POWs.

The most comprehensive treaty yet, outlawing torture of any kind, was signed once again in Geneva, in 1949.

To this day, legal battles over POWs have not ended.

The U.S. government contends that the Geneva Convention does not apply to those persons who might have been involved with any act of terrorism.

The U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has held several hundred such prisoners.

Many see the Guantanamo detentions as a violation of the fundamental principle of human rights that underlies the long history of the Geneva Conventions.