The Geneva Conventions protect those taking no active part in hostilities, including military forces members who have laid down their arms and those combatants placed out of the fight. Which group is explicitly included in protection?

The Geneva Conventions protect those taking no active part in hostilities, including military forces members who have laid down their arms and those combatants placed out of the fight. Which group is explicitly included in protection?

• A. Civilians
• B. Spies
• C. Military forces members who have laid down their arms
• D. Active combatants

Answer: (C)

Protection covers people not participating in fighting. The phrase not taking an active part in hostilities includes those who have laid down their arms and are out of action, i.e., hors de combat. Among the options, soldiers who have laid down their arms fit that description exactly, so they are explicitly included in protection. Active combatants are still participating in fighting and aren’t protected in the same way; spies aren’t afforded this protection, and civilians are protected as non-combatants, but the statement directly highlights those laid-down-arms soldiers as the explicitly included group.

Protection covers people not participating in fighting. The phrase not taking an active part in hostilities includes those who have laid down their arms and are out of action, i.e., hors de combat. Among the options, soldiers who have laid down their arms fit that description exactly, so they are explicitly included in protection. Active combatants are still participating in fighting and aren’t protected in the same way; spies aren’t afforded this protection, and civilians are protected as non-combatants, but the statement directly highlights those laid-down-arms soldiers as the explicitly included group.