Red Cross: Colombia broke Geneva Conventions in rescue operation

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Colombia broke the Geneva Conventions by using its humanitarian emblem in a military operation to rescue hostages from the FARC guerrilla group, the International Red Cross said Wednesday. The neutral ICRC said it had seen video footage showing the emblem was deliberately used in the daring ruse that resulted in the release of Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans. Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe apologized last month for the use of the red cross. He said it had not been authorized by the government. But the ICRC said in a statement released Wednesday that footage showed the emblem being worn before the operation had even begun, suggesting intentional misuse, and that this is a breach of the Geneva Conventions on the rules of war.