Attack on Iraq TV in breach of Geneva Convention?
Amnesty says the US attacks on Iraq’s state television station might be in breach of the Geneva convention, because the broadcaster is not a military target.
Amnesty International said that the bombing could be a breach of the
Geneva Conventions. “The bombing of a television station, simply because
it is being used for the purposes of propaganda, cannot be condoned. It
is a civilian object, and thus protected under international
humanitarian law,” it said.“To justify such an attack, coalition forces would have to show that the
– Guardian, TV station attack could be illegal.
TV station was being used for military purposes, and that the attack
properly balanced the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated
with the incidental risk to civilian life”, Claudio Cordone, Amnesty’s
director for international law, added.
Here’s the Amnesty press release.
The controversy might help explain earlier unconfirmed reports that the US had used a microwave “e-bomb” to take out the broadcaster, since such an attack supposedly entails no risk to civilians.