HC Deb 23 June 1969 vol 785 cc191-2W
Mr. Hooley

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the recommendation of the United Nations Committee of 24 that soldiers fighting in irregular or guerilla forces for national independence should be accorded the protection of the 1949 Geneva Convention in the event of capture.

Mr. Foley

Her Majesty's Government share my hon. Friend's concern that captured guerilla fighters should at all times receive humane treatment. But the question of whether they should be accorded protection under the 1949 Geneva Convention is a matter not of policy but of law, and depends entirely on the circumstances of each case.