Prosecutor v. Delalic
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Appeals Chamber
Case No. IT-96-21-A (2001)
Bosnian and Croat forces detained and mistreated civilian prisoners at Celebici village during the 1992 Balkans conflict, and the Trial Chamber convicted three of four defendants of Geneva Convention breaches, finding that a Military Investigative Commission reviewing the detentions did not satisfy Geneva Convention IV's requirements and that the detained civilians bore no weapons and engaged in no political activity. Both the defendants and the prosecution appealed the Trial Chamber's findings, including that some civilians had been unlawfully detained.
Whether confinement of civilians during armed conflict is lawful when it is not absolutely necessary for the detaining power's security and the detainees are not afforded the procedural rights Geneva Convention IV prescribes.