Section 27p. 27

PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW COMPENDIUM VOLUME II

Power, of the measures taken to carry out the provisions

of the present Section. They shall likewise inform the

parties concerned of any subsequent modifications of

such measures.

Art 70. Immediately upon capture, or not more than one

week after arrival at a camp, even if it is a transit camp,

likewise in case of sickness or transfer to hospital or to

another camp, every prisoner of war shall be enabled to

write direct to his family, on the one hand, and to the

Central Prisoners of War Agency provided for in Article

123, on the other hand, a card similar, if possible, to the

model annexed to the present Convention, informing his

relatives of his capture, address and state of health. The

said cards shall be forwarded as rapidly as possible and

may not be delayed in any manner.

Art 71. Prisoners of war shall be allowed to send and

receive letters and cards. If the Detaining Power deems it

necessary to limit the number of letters and cards sent by

each prisoner of war, the said number shall not be less

than two letters and four cards monthly, exclusive of the

capture cards provided for in Article 70, and conforming

as closely as possible to the models annexed to the

present Convention. Further limitations may be imposed

only if the Protecting Power is satisfied that it would be in

the interests of the prisoners of war concerned to do so

owing

to

difficulties

of

translation

caused

by

the

Detaining Power's inability to find sufficient qualified

linguists

to

carry

out

the

necessary

censorship.

If

limitations

must

be

placed

on

the

correspondence

addressed to prisoners of war, they may be ordered only

by the Power on which the prisoners depend, possibly at

the request of the Detaining Power. Such letters and

cards must be conveyed by the most rapid method at the

disposal of the Detaining Power; they may not be delayed

or retained for disciplinary reasons.

Prisoners of war who have been without news for a long

period, or who are unable to receive news from their next

of kin or to give them news by the ordinary postal route,

as well as those who are at a great distance from their

homes, shall be permitted to send telegrams, the fees

being charged against the prisoners of war's accounts

with the Detaining Power or paid in the currency at their

disposal. They shall likewise benefit by this measure in

cases of urgency.

As a general rule, the correspondence of prisoners of war

shall be written in their native language. The Parties to

the

conflict

may

allow

correspondence

in

other

languages.

Sacks containing prisoner of war mail must be securely

sealed and labelled so as clearly to indicate their contents,

and must be addressed to offices of destination.

Art 72. Prisoners of war shall be allowed to receive by post

or by any other means individual parcels or collective

shipments containing, in particular, foodstuffs, clothing,

medical supplies and articles of a religious, educational or

recreational

character which may meet their needs,

including books, devotional articles, scientific equipment,

examination papers, musical instruments, sports outfits

and materials allowing prisoners of war to pursue their

studies or their cultural activities.

Such shipments shall in no way free the Detaining Power

from the obligations imposed upon it by virtue of the

present Convention.

The only limits which may be placed on these shipments

shall be those proposed by the Protecting Power in the

interest

of

the

prisoners

themselves,

or

by

the

International Committee of the Red Cross or any other

organization giving assistance to the prisoners, in respect

of their own shipments only, on account of exceptional

strain on transport or communications.

The conditions for the sending of individual parcels and

collective relief shall, if necessary, be the subject of special

agreements between the Powers concerned, which may

in no case delay the receipt by the prisoners of relief

supplies.

Books

may

not

be included in parcels of

clothing and foodstuffs. Medical supplies shall, as a rule,

be sent in collective parcels.

Art 73. In the absence of special agreements between the

Powers concerned on the conditions for the receipt and

distribution of collective relief shipments, the rules and

regulations concerning collective shipments, which are

annexed to the present Convention, shall be applied.

The special agreements referred to above shall in no case

restrict the right of prisoners' representatives to take

possession of collective relief shipments intended for

prisoners of war, to proceed to their distribution or to

dispose of them in the interest of the prisoners.

Nor

shall

such

agreements

restrict

the

right

of

representatives of the Protecting Power, the International

Committee of the Red Cross or any other organization

giving assistance to prisoners of war and responsible for

the forwarding of collective shipments, to supervise their

distribution to the recipients.

Art 74. All relief shipments for prisoners of war shall be

exempt from import, customs and other dues.

Correspondence,

relief

shipments

and

authorized

remittances of money addressed to prisoners of war or

despatched by them through the post office, either direct

or through the Information Bureaux provided for in

Article 122 and the Central Prisoners of War Agency

provided for in Article 123, shall be exempt from any

postal

dues,

both

in

the

countries

of

origin

and

destination, and in intermediate countries.

If relief shipments intended for prisoners of war cannot

be sent through the post office by reason of weight or for

any other cause, the cost of transportation shall be borne

by the Detaining Power in all the territories under its

control. The other Powers party to the Convention shall

bear the cost of transport in their respective territories. In

the absence of special agreements between the Parties

concerned, the costs connected with transport of such

shipments,

other

than

costs

covered

by

the

above

exemption, shall be charged to the senders.

The High Contracting Parties shall endeavour to reduce,

so far as possible, the rates charged for telegrams sent by

prisoners of war, or addressed to them.

Art 75. Should military operations prevent the Powers

concerned from fulfilling their obligation to assure the

transport of the shipments referred to in Articles 70, 71, 72

and

77,

the

Protecting

Powers

concerned,

the

International Committee of the Red Cross or any other

organization duly approved by the Parties to the conflict

may

undertake

to

ensure

the

conveyance

of

such

shipments by suitable means (railway wagons, motor

vehicles, vessels or aircraft, etc.). For this purpose, the

High Contracting Parties shall endeavour to supply them

with such transport and to allow its circulation, especially

by granting the necessary safe-conducts.

Such transport may also be used to convey:

(a) correspondence, lists and reports exchanged between

the Central Information Agency referred to in Article 123

and the National Bureaux referred to in Article 122;

(b) correspondence and reports relating to prisoners of

war

which

the

Protecting

Powers,

the International

Committee of the Red Cross or any other body assisting

the prisoners, exchange either with their own delegates

or with the Parties to the conflict.

These provisions in no way detract from the right of any

Party to the conflict to arrange other means of transport,

if it should so prefer, nor preclude the granting of

safe-conducts, under mutually agreed conditions, to such

means of transport.

In

the

absence

of

special

agreements,

the

costs

occasioned by the use of such means of transport shall be

borne proportionally by the Parties to the conflict whose

nationals are benefited thereby.

Art 76. The censoring of correspondence addressed to

prisoners of war or despatched by them shall be done as

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