A prisoner of war (POW) is a member of the armed forces (or certain associated groups) of a party to an international armed conflict who falls into the power of the enemy and is thereby entitled to a specific legal status and protections under international humanitarian law.[1][2]
Core legal definition
- The Third Geneva Convention (1949) defines POWs as persons belonging to listed categories (primarily members of the armed forces of a party to the conflict, plus certain militias and volunteer corps) who have fallen into the power of the enemy. ⭐ [3][2][1]
- In practice, POWs are understood as combatants (and some specified non‑combatants like certain support personnel) captured in an international armed conflict, not civilians or ordinary criminal detainees.[2][4][5]
Who defines and interprets “POW”?
Who upholds POW protections?
Key limits and gray zones
Contemporary examples of POW situations