Prisoners of War

From Star Trek: Gamma One

Prisoners of War are civilians and military personnel who are held by enemy forces during and after armed conflict, including declared states of war. Interstellar law, both in custom and formal treaty, regulates the treatment that captured personnel can expect to receive.

Treatment of Prisoners

Most major galactic powers, including the United Federation of Planets, the Romulan Star Empire, and the former Cardassian Empire, are signatories to the Seldonis IV Convention, which regulates treatment of prisoners of war. To qualify as a prisoner of war under the treaty, the prisoner must be acting on behalf of one of the signatory powers. Usually, this is straightforward, especially for officers and enlisted captured during Starfleet operations and while wearing Starfleet uniform.

The Convention requires that prisoners be fed, clothed, housed, and provided necessary medical care during their captivity, and these requirements must be met with mindfulness to the requirements of the prisoners' species. Prisoners may be questioned, but may not be tortured for information (a rule that some powers are more likely than others to ignore), and are required to divulge only their name, rank, and serial or service number. It is considered a war crime to summarily execute prisoners, or to use them for inherently dangerous tasks (such as clearing minefields) or as test subjects (such as in medical experiments). Prisoners who are officers cannot generally be made to work, while enlisted men can be used in work parties, provided the work is not directly related to the war effort.

Escape

The laws of war recognize that officers and enlisted men have a duty to attempt escape. The forces holding the prisoners likewise have a duty to prevent escape. Accordingly, making an escape attempt, or preventing one, is simply part of the ongoing war between the belligerent powers.

Prisoners who attempt escape give up their protections as non-combatants. Accordingly, they may be injured or killed on the same basis as any other combatant on the battlefield. Should they be recaptured, however, escapees are not subject to punishment for espionage, sabotage, or escape, provided they have followed the customary laws of war in performing these actions. Recaptured escapees, however, can be subjected to closer custody than that from which they escaped, and can be deprived of certain previously-granted privileges.

Prisoners who were previously considered non-combatants, such as medical and diplomatic personnel, retain their non-combatant status in the event of an escape attempt. Provided protected personnel act in accordance with that status (for example, by remaining unarmed) the protections the laws of war afford non-combatants continue to apply to them.

Notification

In general, Starfleet Command is responsible for informing next of kin when an officer or enlisted man is taken prisoner. If possible, a notification team consisting of an officer and counselor is sent in person to the residence to make notification. Failing this, initial notification is by subspace transmission, with more formal notification to follow.

Rescued personnel are referred to as "returned to Starfleet control". Notifications of the happy event are made by subspace message, along with a brief update on the rescued personnels' health and welfare. Rescued prisoners of war generally receive the Extended Tour Ribbon if they have served honorably and their conduct has not qualified for a higher award.