violence and deteriorating conditions across the country led the organization to revise
its earlier assessment. It is therefore subject to Common Article 3 of the Geneva
Conventions.5
COMMON ARTICLE 3 TO THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS:
In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the
territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be
bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:
(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed
forces who have laid down their arms and those placed 'hors de combat' by sickness,
wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated
humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith,
sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in
any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel
treatment, and torture;
(b) taking of hostages;
(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
(d) the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous
judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial
guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.
(2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.
The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of
special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention.
B. KEY PRINCIPLES
When undertaking any kind of human rights monitoring work, including
documentation, it is critical that the following principles inform the scope and
method of work. These principles are summarized in Annex A.
Do no harm
The documentation of human rights abuses should not come at the expense of the
physical safety or emotional or mental health of the respondents.6 The interview
process should be structured so that the personal safety and security of the
respondent is not at risk. This includes keeping the interviews and the identity of the
respondent confidential, unless the respondent expressly consents to the disclosure of
her identity.
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