The paper discusses the role of mediator assumed by the Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yugoslavia in the solving of controversies between Italy and Yugoslavia in relation to Italian prisoners of war and deportees from the region of Venezia Giulia. The research is based mainly on unpublished (archival) sources and previous studies about Italian POWs and deportees in Yugoslavia. The paper presents so far unknown activities of the Delegation in favour of these prisoners, and some (political) context that conditioned and influenced them. From the very beginning, these were compromised by the distrust of the Yugoslav leadership, and at the same time the Delegation was accused of insufficient involvement by the Italian leadership. Finally, the Delegation was distrusted by the leadership of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, which sent one of its main delegates, Georges Dunand, to Yugoslavia.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2617299
The paper deals with the issue of protection of civilians during armed conflict between past and future. It adresses numerous questions, such as the historical and social circumstances that led towards the adoption of the Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war in 1949, the adoption of the Additional Protocols in 1977 and the application of existing protection to today’s reality. Through the analysis of the current situation on the basis of available documents and strategies and the existing scientific bibliography, the author concludes that the fundamental challenges of the 21st century are to achieve ratification of conventions and protocols of existing international humanitarian law of all countries involved in the conflict, but above all, effective respect for that law.
COBISS.SI-ID: 513838722
At the end of World War I, the issue of repatriation of prisoners of war emerged as one of the major problems. The end of the war, for various reasons, did not necessarily mean the end of captivity. For the first time in history, the problem of repatriation appeared as such a mass issue and conditioned the lives not only of the captives but also their families – especially women and children who were eagerly waiting the return of relatives. The delayed repatriation affected their economic and social situation and everyday life in general. The article therefore addresses the question of the by historiography almost overlooked fate of families of prisoners of war, who were waiting for news and repatriation of their relatives even years after the ceasefire in 1918. The problem is adressed in the case of the families of Slovene and Croatian prisoners of war, former Austro-Hungarian soldiers returning from captivity in Russia and Italy, on the basis of requests from relatives addressed to the General Civil Commissariat in Trieste.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1600389