Historical Bill of Rights

Historical Bills
Bills of Rights

The Ten Commandments ................................................................................................ 3

Code of Urukagina (2,380-2,360 B.C.).......................................................................... 4
Code of Ur-Nammu, King of Ur (2,100-2,050 B.C.) .................................................... 5
Codex of Lipit-Ishtar of Isin (1,870 B.C.) ..................................................................... 6
Code of Hammurabi (1,790 B.C.)................................................................................... 7
Code of the Nesilim (1,650-1,500 B.C.) ........................................................................ 8
The Cyrus Cylinder (539–530 B.C.) ............................................................................. 10
Magna Carta .................................................................................................................... 11
Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of August 12,
1949 (GENEVA CONVENTION III) ............................................................................... 17
‘Bill of Rights’................................................................................................................... 36
Universal Declaration of Human Rights....................................................................... 37
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples .......................... 40
Message of the Georgia Guide-Stones ........................................................................ 46
The Constitution of a Free Society............................................................................... 47

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The Ten Commandments

I.
Thou shalt have no other Elôhîym before me.
II.
Thou shalt not make to thyself an idol, nor likeness of anything, whatever things are in the
heaven above, and whatever are in the earth beneath, and whatever are in the waters under
the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them; for I am Yahweh thy Elôhîym,
a jealous Elôhîym, recompensing the sins of the fathers upon the children, to the third and
fourth generation to them that hate me, and bestowing mercy on them that love me to
thousands of them, and on them that keep my commandments.
III.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord thy God will not
acquit him that takes his name in vain.
IV.
Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days thou shalt labour, and shalt perform all
thy work. But on the seventh day is the sabbath of Yahweh thy Elôhîym; on it thou shalt do
no work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy servant nor thy maidservant, thine ox nor
thine ass, nor any cattle of thine, nor the stranger that sojourns with thee. For in six days the
Lord made the heaven and the earth, and the sea and all things in them, and rested on the
seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the seventh
day, and hallowed it.
V.
Honour thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live
long on the good land, which Yahweh thy Elôhîym gives to thee.
VI.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
VII.
Thou shalt not steal.
VIII.
Thou shalt not kill.
IX.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
X.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; nor
his field, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any of his cattle, nor
whatever belongs to thy neighbour.

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Code of Urukagina (2,380-2,360 B.C.)

Urukagina was a ruler (énsi) of the city-state Lagash in Mesopotamia. He assumed the title of king, claiming to have been
divinely appointed, upon the downfall of his corrupt predecessor, Lugalanda. Although the actual text has not been discovered yet,
much of its content may be surmised from other references to it that have been found.

1. Since time immemorial, since life began, in those days, the head boatman appropriated boats,
the livestock official appropriated asses, the livestock official appropriated sheep, and the fisheries
inspector appropriated.... The shepherds of wool sheep paid a duty in silver on account of white
sheep, and the surveyor, chief lamentation-singer, supervisor, brewer and foremen paid a duty in
silver on account of young lambs. . . These were the conventions of former times!

2. When Ningirsu, warrior of Enlil, granted the kingship of Lagash to Urukagina, selecting him
from among the myriad people, he replaced the customs of former times, carrying out the command
that Ningirsu, his master, had given him.

3. He removed the head boatman from control over the boats, he removed the livestock official
from control over asses and sheep, he removed the fisheries inspector from control....

4. He removed the silo supervisor from control over the grain taxes of the guda-priests, he
removed the bureaucrat responsible for the paying of duties in silver on account of white sheep and
young lambs, and he removed the bureaucrat responsible for the delivery of duties by the temple
administrators to the palace.

5. The... administrators no longer plunder the orchards of the poor. When a high quality ass is
born to a shublugal, and his foreman says to him, "I want to buy it from you"; whether he lets him
buy it from him and says to him "Pay me the price I want!," or whether he does not let him buy it
from him, the foreman must not strike at him in anger.

6. When the house of an aristocrat adjoins the house of a shublugal, and the aristocrat says to
him, "I want to buy it from you"; whether he lets him buy it from him, having said to him, "Pay me
the price I want! My house is a large container—fill it with barley for me!," or whether he does not let
him buy it from him, that aristocrat must not strike at him in anger.

7. He cleared and cancelled obligations for those indentured families, citizens of Lagash living as
debtors because of grain taxes, barley payments, theft or murder.

8. Urukagina solemnly promised Ningirsu that he would never subjugate the waif and the widow
to the powerful.

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Code of Ur-Nammu, King of Ur (2,100-2,050 B.C.)

1. If a man commits a murder, that man must be killed.
2. If a man commits a robbery, he will be killed.
3. If a man commits a kidnapping, he is to be imprisoned and pay 15 shekels of silver.
4. If a slave marries a slave, and that slave is set free, he does not leave the household.
5. If a slave marries a native (i.e. free) person, he/she is to hand the firstborn son over to his
owner.
6. If a man violates the right of another and deflowers the virgin wife of a young man, they shall
kill that male.
7. If the wife of a man followed after another man and he slept with her, they shall slay that
woman, but that male shall be set free.
8. If a man proceeded by force, and deflowered the virgin slave-woman of another man, that man
must pay five shekels of silver.
9. If a man divorces his first-time wife, he shall pay her one mina of silver.
10. If it is a (former) widow whom he divorces, he shall pay her half a mina of silver.
11. If the man had slept with the widow without there having been any marriage contract, he need
not pay any silver.
12. If a man is accused of sorcery he must undergo ordeal by water; if he is proven innocent, his
accuser must pay 3 shekels.
13. If a man accused the wife of a man of adultery, and the river ordeal proved her innocent, then
the man who had accused her must pay one-third of a mina of silver.
14. If a prospective son-in-law enters the house of his prospective father-in-law, but his father-in-
law later gives his daughter to another man, the father-in-law shall return to the rejected son-in-law
twofold the amount of bridal presents he had brought.
15. If a slave escapes from the city limits, and someone returns him, the owner shall pay two
shekels to the one who returned him.
16. If a man knocks out the eye of another man, he shall weigh out ½ a mina of silver.
17. If a man has cut off another man’s foot, he is to pay ten shekels.
18. If a man, in the course of a scuffle, smashed the limb of another man with a club, he shall pay
one mina of silver.
19. If someone severed the nose of another man with a copper knife, he must pay two-thirds of a
mina of silver.
20. If a man knocks out a tooth of another man, he shall pay two shekels of silver.
21. [...] If he does not have a slave, he is to pay 10 shekels of silver. If he does not have silver, he is
to give another thing that belongs to him.
22. If a man’s slave-woman, comparing herself to her mistress, speaks insolently to her, her mouth
shall be scoured with 1 quart of salt.
23. If a man appeared as a witness, and was shown to be a perjurer, he must pay fifteen shekels of
silver.
24. If a man appears as a witness, but withdraws his oath, he must make payment, to the extent of
the value in litigation of the case.
25. If a man stealthily cultivates the field of another man and he raises a complaint, this is however
to be rejected, and this man will lose his expenses.
26. If a man flooded the field of a man with water, he shall measure out three kur of barley per iku
of field.
27. If a man had let an arable field to a(nother) man for cultivation, but he did not cultivate it,
turning it into wasteland, he shall measure out three kur of barley per iku of field.

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Codex of Lipit-Ishtar of Isin (1,870 B.C.)

1. If a man gave bare ground to another man to set out as an orchard and the latter did not
complete setting out that bare ground as an orchard, he shall give to the man who set out the orchard
the bare ground which he neglected as part of his share.
2. If a man entered the orchard of another man and was seized there for stealing, he shall pay ten
shekels of silver.
3. If a man cut down a tree in the garden of another man, he shall pay one-half mina of silver.
4. If adjacent to the house of a man the bare ground of another man has been neglected and the
owner of the house has said to the owner of the bare ground, "Because your ground has been
neglected someone may break into my house: strengthen your house," and this agreement has been
confirmed by him, the owner of the bare ground shall restore to the owner of the house any of his
property that is lost.
5. If a slave-girl or slave of a man has fled into the heart of the city and it has been confirmed that
he (or she) dwelt in the house of (another) man for one month, he shall give slave for slave.
6. If he has no slave, he shall pay fifteen shekels of silver.
7. If a man's slave has compensated his slave-ship to his master and it is confirmed (that he has
compensated) his master two-fold, that slave shall be freed.
8. If a miqtum [servant] is the grant of a king, he shall not be taken away.
9. If a miqtum went to a man of his own free will, that man shall not hold him; he (the miqtum)
may go where he desires.
10. If a man without authorization bound another man to a matter of which he (the latter) had no
knowledge, that man is not affirmed (i.e., legally obligated); he (the first man) shall bear the penalty in
regard to the matter to which he had bound him.
11. If the master of an estate or the mistress of an estate has defaulted on the tax of an estate and a
stranger has borne it, for three years he (the owner) may not be evicted. Afterwards, the man who
bore the tax of the estate shall possess that estate and the former owner of the estate shall not raise
any claim.
12. If the father is living, his daughter whether she be a high priestess, a priestess, or a hierodule
shall dwell in his house like an heir.
13. If the second wife whom he had married bore him children, the dowry which she brought from
her father's house belongs to her children but the children of his first wife and the children of his
second wife shall divide equally the property of their father.
14. If a man married his wife and she bore him children and those children are living, and a slave
also bore children for her master but the father granted freedom to the slave and her children, the
children of the slave shall not divide the estate with the children of their former master.
15. If a man's wife has not borne him children but a harlot from the public square has borne him
children, he shall provide grain, oil and clothing for that harlot. The children which the harlot has
borne him shall be his heirs, and as long as his wife lives the harlot shall not live in the house with
the wife.
16. If a son-in-law has entered the house of his (prospective) father-in-law and afterwards they
made him go out (of the house) and gave his wife to his companion, they shall present to him the
betrothal gifts which he brought and that wife may not marry his companion.
17. If a man rented an ox and injured the flesh at the nose ring, he shall pay one-third of its price.
18. If a man rented an ox and damaged its eye, he shall pay one-half its price.
19. If a man rented an ox and broke its horn, he shall pay one-fourth its price.
20. If a man rented an ox and damaged its tail, he shall pay one-fourth its price.

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Code of Hammurabi (1,790 B.C.)
ͽ If anyone ensnares another, putting a ban upon him, but he cannot prove it, then
he that ensnared him shall be put to death.
ͽ If anyone brings an accusation against a man, and the accused goes to the river
and leaps into the river, if he sinks in the river his accuser shall take possession
of his house. But if the river proves that the accused is not guilty, and he escapes
unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he
who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to
his accuser.
ͽ If anyone brings an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not
prove what he has charged, he shall, if a capital offense is charged, be put to
death.
ͽ If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and
the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then the builder shall be put
to death. (Another variant of this is, If the owner's son dies, then the builder's
son shall be put to death.)
ͽ If a son strikes his father, his hands shall be hewn off.
ͽ If a man gives his child to a nurse and the child dies in her hands, but the nurse,
unbeknown to the father and mother, nurses another child, then they shall
convict her of having nursed another child without the knowledge of the father
and mother and her breasts shall be cut off.
ͽ If anyone steals the minor son of another, he shall be put to death.
ͽ If a man takes a woman as a wife, but has no intercourse with her, this woman is
no wife to him.
ͽ If a man strikes a pregnant woman, thereby causing her to miscarry and die, the
assailant's daughter shall be put to death.
ͽ If a man puts out the eye of an equal, his eye shall be put out.
ͽ If a man knocks the teeth out of another man, his own teeth will be knocked out.
ͽ If anyone strikes the body of a man higher in rank than he, he shall receive sixty
blows with an ox-whip in public.
ͽ If a freeborn man strikes the body of another freeborn man of equal rank, he
shall pay one gold mina.
ͽ If the slave of a freed man strikes the body of a freed man, his ear shall be cut
off.
ͽ If anyone commits a robbery and is caught, he shall be put to death.
ͽ If anyone opens his ditches to water his crop, but is careless, and the water
floods his neighbor's field, he shall pay his neighbor corn for his loss.
ͽ If a judge tries a case, reaches a decision, and presents his judgment in writing;
and later it is discovered that his decision was in error, and it was his own fault,
he shall pay twelve times the fine set by him in the case and be removed from the
judge's bench.
There are 282 such laws in the Code of Hammurabi, each usually no more than a sentence or two.
The 282 laws are bracketed by a Prologue in which Hammurabi introduces himself, and an Epilogue in
which he sets forth his hopes and prayers for his code of laws.

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Code of the Nesilim (1,650-1,500 B.C.)
1. If anyone slay a man or woman in a quarrel, he shall bring this one. He shall also give four persons,
either men or women, he shall let them go to his home.
2. If anyone slay a male or female slave in a quarrel, he shall bring this one and give two persons, either
men or women, he shall let them go to his home.
3. If anyone smite a free man or woman and this one die, he shall bring this one and give two persons,
he shall let them go to his home.
4. If anyone smite a male or female slave, he shall bring this one also and give one person, he shall let
him or her go to his home.
5. If anyone slay a merchant of Hatti, he shall give one and a half pounds of silver, he shall let it go to
his home.
6. If anyone blind a free man or knock out his teeth, formerly they would give one pound of silver, now
he shall give twenty half-shekels of silver.
8. If anyone blind a male or female slave or knock out their teeth, he shall give ten half-shekels of silver,
he shall let it go to his home.
10. If anyone injure a man so that he cause him suffering, he shall take care of him. Yet he shall give
him a man in his place, who shall work for him in his house until he recovers. But if he recover, he shall
give him six half-shekels of silver. And to the physician this one shall also give the fee.
17. If anyone cause a free woman to miscarry, if it be the tenth month, he shall give ten half-shekels of
silver, if it be the fifth month, he shall give five half-shekels of silver.
18. If anyone cause a female slave to miscarry, if it be the tenth month, he shall give five half-shekels of
silver.
20. If any man of Hatti steal a Nesian slave and lead him here to the land of Hatti, and his master
discover him, he shall give him twelve half-shekels of silver, he shall let it go to his home.
21. If anyone steal a slave of a Luwian from the land of Luwia, and lead him here to the land of Hatti,
and his master discover him, he shall take his slave only.
24. If a male or female slave run away, he at whose hearth his master finds him or her, shall give fifty
half-shekels of silver a year.
31. If a free man and a female slave be fond of each other and come together and he take her for his
wife and they set up house and get children, and afterward they either become hostile or come to close
quarters, and they divide the house between them, the man shall take the children, only one child shall the
woman take.
32. If a slave take a woman as his wife, their case is the same. The majority of the children to the wife
and one child to the slave.
33. If a slave take a female slave their case is the same. The majority of children to the female slave and
one child to the slave.
34. If a slave convey the bride price to a free son and take him as husband for his daughter, nobody
dare surrender him to slavery.
36. If a slave convey the bride price to a free son and take him as husband for his daughter, nobody
dare surrender him to slavery.
40. If a soldier disappear, and a vassal arise and the vassal say, This is my military holding, but this other
one is my tenancy, and lay hands upon the fields of the soldier, he may both hold the military holding and
perform the tenancy duties. If he refuse the military service, then he forfeits the vacant fields of the
soldier. The men of the village shall cultivate them. If the king give a captive, they shall give the fields to
him, and he becomes a soldier.
98. If a free man set a house ablaze, he shall build the house, again. And whatever is inside the house,
be it a man, an ox, or a sheep that perishes, nothing of these he need compensate.
99. If a slave set a house ablaze, his master shall compensate for him. The nose of the slave and his ears
they shall cut off, and give him back to his master. But if he do not compensate, then he shall give up this
one.
158. If a man go for wages, bind sheaves, load it into carts, spread it on the straw barn and so forth "till
they clear the threshing floor, for three months his wages are thirty pecks of barley. If a woman go for
wages in the harvest, for two months he shall give twelve pecks of barley.
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159. If anyone harness a yoke of oxen, his wages are one-half peck of barley.
160. If a smith make a copper box, his wages are one hundred pecks of barley. He who makes a copper
dish of two-pound weight, his wages are one peck of emmer.
164. If anyone come for borrowing, then make a quarrel and throw down either bread or wine jug, then
he shall give one sheep, ten loaves, and one jug of beer. Then he cleanses his house by the offering. Not
until the year has elapsed may he salute again the other's house.
170. If a free man kill a serpent and speak the name of another, he shall give one pound of silver; if a
slave, this one shall die.
173. If anyone oppose the judgment of the king, his house shall become a ruin. If anyone oppose the
judgment of a lord, his head shall be cut off. If a slave rise against his master, he shall go into the pit.
176. If anyone buy an artisan's apprentice, buy either a potter, a smith, a carpenter, a leatherworker, a
tailor, a weaver, or a lace-maker, he shall give ten half-shekels.
178. A plow-ox costs fifteen half-shekels of silver, a bull costs ten half-shekels of silver, a great cow
costs seven half-shekels of silver, a sheep one half-shekel of silver, a draft horse twenty half-shekels of
silver, a mule one pound of silver, a horse fourteen half-shekels of silver.
181-182. Four pounds of copper cost one half-shekel of silver; one tub of lard, one half-shekel of silver;
two cheese one half-shekel of silver; a gown twelve half-shekels of silver; one blue woolen garment costs
twenty half-shekels of silver; breeches cost ten half-shekels of silver. . .
187. If a man have intercourse with a cow, it is a capital crime, he shall die. They shall lead him to the
king's hall. But the king may kill him, the king may grant him his life. But he shall not approach the king.
188. If a man have intercourse with his own mother, it is a capital crime, he shall die. If a man have
intercourse with a daughter, it is a capital crime, he shall die. If a man have intercourse with a son, it is a
capital crime, he shall die.
190. If a man and a woman come willingly, as men and women, and have intercourse, there shall be no
punishment. And if a man have intercourse with his stepmother, there shall be no punishment; except if
his father is living, it is a capital crime, the son shall die.
191. If a free man picks up now this woman, now that one, now in this country, then in that country,
there shall be no punishment if they came together sexually willingly.
192. If the husband of a woman die, his wife may take her husband's patrimony.
194. If a free man pick up female slaves, now one, now another, there is no punishment for intercourse.
If brothers sleep with a free woman, together, or one after the other, there is no punishment. If father and
son sleep with a female slave or harlot, together, or one after the other, there is no punishment.
195. If a man sleep with the wife of his brother, while his brother is living, it is a capital crime, he shall
die. If a man have taken a free woman, then have intercourse also with her daughter, it is a capital crime,
he shall die. If he have taken her daughter, then have intercourse with her mother or her sister, it is a
capital crime, he shall die.
197. If a man rape a woman in the mountain, it is the man's wrong, he shall die. But if he rape her in the
house, it is the woman's fault, the woman shall die. If the husband find them and then kill them, there is
no punishing the husband.
199. If anyone have intercourse with a pig or a dog, he shall die. If a man have intercourse with a horse
or a mule, there is no punishment. But he shall not approach the king, and shall not become a priest. If an
ox spring upon a man for intercourse, the ox shall die but the man shall not die. One sheep shall be
fetched as a substitute for the man, and they shall kill it. If a pig spring upon a man for intercourse, there
is no punishment. If any man have intercourse with a foreign woman and pick up this one, now that one,
there is no punishment.
200. If anyone give a son for instruction, be it a carpenter, or a potter, or a weaver, or a tailor, or a
smith, he shall give six half-shekels of silver for the instruction.

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The Cyrus Cylinder (539–530 B.C.)
[…] his troops […four] quarters of the world […] a weakling was established as ruler over
his land and […] a similar one he appointed over them, like Esaglia he made […] to Ur and the rest
of the cities, a command dishonoring them […] he planned daily and in enmity, he caused the daily
offering to cease; he appointed […] he established within the city. The worship of Marduk, king of
the gods […] he showed hostility toward his city daily […] his people; he brought all of them to ruin
through servitude without rest. On account of their complaints, the lords of the gods became
furiously angry and left their land; the gods, who dwelt among them, left their homes, in anger over
his bringing into Babylon. Marduk […] to all the dwelling places, which had become ruins, and the
people of Sumer and Akkad, who were like corpses […] he turned and granted mercy. In all lands
everywhere he searched; he looked through them and sought a righteous prince after his own heart,
whom he took by the hand. He called Cyrus, king of Anshan, by name; he appointed him to lordship
over the whole world.
The land of Qutu, all the Umman-manda, he cast down at his feet. The black headed people,
whom he gave his hands to conquer, he took them in justice and righteousness. Marduk, the great
lord, looked joyously on the caring for his people on his pious works and his righteous heart. To his
city, Babylon, he caused him to go; he made him take the road to Babylon, going as a friend and
companion at his side. His numerous troops, in unknown numbers, like the waters of a river,
marched armed at his side. Without battle and conflict, he permitted him to enter Babylon. He
spared his city, Babylon, a calamity, Nabonidus, the king, who did not fear him, he delivered into his
hand. All the people of Babylon, Sumer and Akkad, princes and governors fell down before him and
kissed his feet. They rejoiced in his sovereignty; their faces shone. The lord, who by his power brings
the dead to life, who amid destruction and injury had protected them, they joyously blessed him,
honoring his name. I am Cyrus, king of the world, the great king, the powerful king, king of Babylon,
king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters of the world, son of Cambyses, the great king,
king of the city of Anshan; great grandson of Teispes, the great king, king of the city of Anshan;
eternal seed of royalty whose rule Bel and Nabu love, In whose administration they rejoice in heart.
When I made my triumphal entrance into Babylon, I took up my lordly residence in the royal palace
with joy and rejoicing; Marduk, the great lord, moved the noble heart of the residents of Babylon to
me, while I gave daily attention to his worship. My numerous troops marched peacefully into
Babylon. In all Sumer and Akkad I permitted no enemy to enter. The needs of Babylon and of all its
cities I gladly attended to. The people of Babylon [and…], and the shameful yoke was removed from
them. Their dwellings, which had fallen, I restored. I cleared out their ruins. Marduk, the great lord,
rejoiced in my pious deeds, and graciously blessed me, Cyrus, the king who worships him, and
Cambyses, my own son, and all my troops, while we, before him, joyously praised his exalted
godhead.
All the kings, dwelling in palaces, of all the quarters of the earth, from the Upper to the
Lower sea dwelling […] all the kings of the Westland dwelling in tents brought me their heavy
tribute, and in Babylon kissed my feet. From […] to Asshur and Susa, Agade, Eshnunak, Zamban,
Meturnu, Deri, with the territory of the land of Qutu, the cities on the other side of the Tigris, whose
sites were of ancient foundation – the gods, who resided in them, I brought back to their places, and
caused them to dwell in a residence for all time. And the gods of Sumer and Akkad – whom
Nabonidus, to the anger of the lord of the gods, had brought into Babylon – by the command of
Marduk, the great lord, I caused them to take up their dwelling in residences that gladdened the heart.
May all the gods, whom I brought into their cities, pray daily before Bel and Nebo for long life for
me, and may they speak a gracious word for me and say to Marduk, my lord, “May Cyrus, the king
who worships you, and Cambyses, his son, their […] I permitted all to dwell in peace […]
Source: Rawlinson, H. C. and T. G. Pinches. A Selection from the Miscellaneous Inscriptions of Assyria and Babylonia.
Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia 5. London: Harrison, 1909.

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Magna Carta
The Great Charter
1215

Preamble: John, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, &
count of Anjou, to the archbishop, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justiciaries, foresters, sheriffs, stewards,
servants, and to all his bailiffs and liege subjects, greetings. Know that, having regard to God and for the
salvation of our soul, and those of all our ancestors and heirs, and unto the honor of God and the
advancement of his holy Church and for the rectifying of our realm, we have granted as underwritten by advice
of our venerable fathers, Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England and cardinal of the holy
Roman Church, Henry, archbishop of Dublin, William of London, Peter of Winchester, Jocelyn of Bath and
Glastonbury, Hugh of Lincoln, Walter of Worcester, William of Coventry, Benedict of Rochester, bishops; of
Master Pandulf, subdeacon and member of the household of our lord the Pope, of brother Aymeric (master of
the Knights of the Temple in England), and of the illustrious men William Marshal, earl of Pembroke, William,
earl of Salisbury, William, earl of Warenne, William, earl of Arundel, Alan of Galloway (constable of Scotland),
Waren Fitz Gerold, Peter Fitz Herbert, Hubert De Burgh (seneschal of Poitou), Hugh de Neville, Matthew Fitz
Herbert, Thomas Basset, Alan Basset, Philip d'Aubigny, Robert of Roppesley, John Marshal, John Fitz Hugh,
and others, our liegemen.
1. In the first place we have granted to God, and by this our present charter confirmed for
us and our heirs forever that the English Church shall be free, and shall have her rights entire, and
her liberties inviolate; and we will that it be thus observed; which is apparent from this that the
freedom of elections, which is reckoned most important and very essential to the English Church,
we, of our pure and unconstrained will, did grant, and did by our charter confirm and did obtain the
ratification of the same from our lord, Pope Innocent III, before the quarrel arose between us and
our barons: and this we will observe, and our will is that it be observed in good faith by our heirs
forever. We have also granted to all freemen of our kingdom, for us and our heirs forever, all the
underwritten liberties, to be had and held by them and their heirs, of us and our heirs forever.
2. If any of our earls or barons, or others holding of us in chief by military service shall have
died, and at the time of his death his heir shall be full of age and owe "relief", he shall have his
inheritance by the old relief, to wit, the heir or heirs of an earl, for the whole barony of an earl by
£100; the heir or heirs of a baron, £100 for a whole barony; the heir or heirs of a knight, 100s, at
most, and whoever owes less let him give less, according to the ancient custom of fees.
3. If, however, the heir of any one of the aforesaid has been under age and in wardship, let
him have his inheritance without relief and without fine when he comes of age.
4. The guardian of the land of an heir who is thus under age, shall take from the land of the
heir nothing but reasonable produce, reasonable customs, and reasonable services, and that without
destruction or waste of men or goods; and if we have committed the wardship of the lands of any
such minor to the sheriff, or to any other who is responsible to us for its issues, and he has made
destruction or waster of what he holds in wardship, we will take of him amends, and the land shall be
committed to two lawful and discreet men of that fee, who shall be responsible for the issues to us or
to him to whom we shall assign them; and if we have given or sold the wardship of any such land to
anyone and he has therein made destruction or waste, he shall lose that wardship, and it shall be
transferred to two lawful and discreet men of that fief, who shall be responsible to us in like manner
as aforesaid.
5. The guardian, moreover, so long as he has the wardship of the land, shall keep up the
houses, parks, fishponds, stanks, mills, and other things pertaining to the land, out of the issues of
the same land; and he shall restore to the heir, when he has come to full age, all his land, stocked with
ploughs and wainage, according as the season of husbandry shall require, and the issues of the land
can reasonable bear.
6. Heirs shall be married without disparagement, yet so that before the marriage takes place
the nearest in blood to that heir shall have notice.
7. A widow, after the death of her husband, shall forthwith and without difficulty have her
marriage portion & inheritance; nor shall she give anything for her dower, or for her marriage
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portion, or for the inheritance which her husband and she held on the day of the death of that
husband; and she may remain in the house of her husband for forty days after his death, within
which time her dower shall be assigned to her.
8. No widow shall be compelled to marry, so long as she prefers to live without a husband;
provided always that she gives security not to marry without our consent, if she holds of us, or
without the consent of the lord of whom she holds, if she holds of another.
9. Neither we nor our bailiffs will seize any land or rent for any debt, as long as the chattels
of the debtor are sufficient to repay the debt; nor shall the sureties of the debtor be distrained so long
as the principal debtor is able to satisfy the debt; and if the principal debtor shall fail to pay the debt,
having nothing wherewith to pay it, then the sureties shall answer for the debt; and let them have the
lands and rents of the debtor, if they desire them, until they are indemnified for the debt which they
have paid for him, unless the principal debtor can show proof that he is discharged thereof as against
the said sureties.
10. If one who has borrowed from the Jews any sum, great or small, die before that loan be
repaid, the debt shall not bear interest while the heir is under age, of whomsoever he may hold; and if
the debt fall into our hands, we will not take anything except the principal sum contained in the
bond.
11. And if anyone die indebted to the Jews, his wife shall have her dower and pay nothing of
that debt; and if any children of the deceased are left under age, necessaries shall be provided for
them in keeping with the holding of the deceased; and out of the residue the debt shall be paid,
reserving, however, service due to feudal lords; in like manner let it be done touching debts due to
others than Jews.
12. No scutage not aid shall be imposed on our kingdom, unless by common counsel of our
kingdom, except for ransoming our person, for making our eldest son a knight, and for once
marrying our eldest daughter; and for these there shall not be levied more than a reasonable aid. In
like manner it shall be done concerning aids from the city of London.
13. And the city of London shall have all it ancient liberties and free customs, as well by land
as by water; furthermore, we decree and grant that all other cities, boroughs, towns, and ports shall
have all their liberties & free customs.
14. And for obtaining the common counsel of the kingdom anent the assessing of an aid
(except in the three cases aforesaid) or of a scutage, we will cause to be summoned the archbishops,
bishops, abbots, earls, & greater barons, severally by our letters; and we will moveover cause to be
summoned generally, through our sheriffs and bailiffs, and others who hold of us in chief, for a fixed
date, namely, after the expiry of at least forty days, and at a fixed place; and in all letters of such
summons we will specify the reason of the summons. And when the summons has thus been made,
the business shall proceed on the day appointed, according to the counsel of such as are present,
although not all who were summoned have come.
15. We will not for the future grant to anyone license to take an aid from his own free
tenants, except to ransom his person, to make his eldest son a knight, and once to marry his eldest
daughter; and on each of these occasions there shall be levied only a reasonable aid.
16. No one shall be distrained for performance of greater service for a knight's fee, or for
any other free tenement, than is due therefrom.
17. Common pleas shall not follow our court, but shall be held in some fixed place.
18. Inquests of novel disseisin, of mort d'ancestor, and of darrein presentment shall not be
held elsewhere than in their own county courts, and that in manner following; We, or, if we should
be out of the realm, our chief justiciar, will send two justiciaries through every county four times a
year, who shall alone with four knights of the county chosen by the county, hold the said assizes in
the county court, on the day and in the place of meeting of that court.
19. And if any of the said assizes cannot be taken on the day of the county court, let there
remain of the knights and freeholders, who were present at the county court on that day, as many as
may be required for the efficient making of judgments, according as the business be more or less.

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20. A freeman shall not be amerced for a slight offense, except in accordance with the
degree of the offense; & for a grave offense he shall be amerced in accordance with the gravity of the
offense, yet saving always his "contentment"; and a merchant in the same way, saving his
"merchandise"; and a villein shall be amerced in the same way, saving his "wainage" if they have
fallen into our mercy: and none of the aforesaid amercements shall be imposed except by the oath of
honest men of the neighborhood.
21. Earls and barons shall not be amerced except through their peers, and only in accordance
with the degree of the offense.
22. A clerk shall not be amerced in respect of his lay holding except after the manner of the
others aforesaid; further, he shall not be amerced in accordance with the extent of his ecclesiastical
benefice.
23. No village or individual shall be compelled to make bridges at river banks, except those
who from of old were legally bound to do so.
24. No sheriff, constable, coroners, or others of our bailiffs, shall hold pleas of our Crown.
25. All counties, hundred, wapentakes, and trithings (except our demesne manors) shall
remain at the old rents, and without any additional payment.
26. If anyone holding of us a lay fief shall die, and our sheriff or bailiff shall exhibit our
letters patent of summons for a debt which the deceased owed us, it shall be lawful for our sheriff or
bailiff to attach and enroll the chattels of the deceased, found upon the lay fief, to the value of that
debt, at the sight of law worthy men, provided always that nothing whatever be thence removed until
the debt which is evident shall be fully paid to us; and the residue shall be left to the executors to
fulfill the will of the deceased; and if there be nothing due from him to us, all the chattels shall go to
the deceased, saving to his wife and children their reasonable shares.
27. If any freeman shall die intestate, his chattels shall be distributed by the hands of his
nearest kinsfolk & friends, under supervision of the Church, saving to every one the debts which the
deceased owed to him.
28. No constable or other bailiff of ours shall take corn or other provisions from anyone
without immediately tendering money therefore, unless he can have postponement thereof by
permission of the seller.
29. No constable shall compel any knight to give money in lieu of castle-guard, when he is
willing to perform it in his own person, or (if he himself cannot do it from any reasonable cause)
then by another responsible man. Further, if we have led or sent him upon military service, he shall
be relieved from guard in proportion to the time during which he has been on service because of us.
30. No sheriff or bailiff of ours, or other person, shall take the horses or carts of any
freeman for transport duty, against the will of the said freeman.
31. Neither we nor our bailiffs shall take, for our castles or for any other work of ours, wood
which is not ours, against the will of the owner of that wood.
32. We will not retain beyond one year and one day, the lands those who have been
convicted of felony, and the lands shall thereafter be handed over to the lords of the fiefs.
33. All kydells for the future shall be removed altogether from Thames and Medway, and
throughout all England, except upon the seashore.
34. The writ which is called praecipe shall not for the future be issued to anyone, regarding
any tenement whereby a freeman may lose his court.
35. Let there be one measure of wine throughout our whole realm; and one measure of ale;
and one measure of corn, to wit, "the London quarter"; and one width of cloth (whether dyed, or
russet, or "halberget"), to wit, two ells within the selvedges; of weights also let it be as of measures.
36. Nothing in future shall be given or taken for a writ of inquisition of life or limbs, but
freely it shall be granted, and never denied.
37. If anyone holds of us by fee-farm, either by socage or by burage, or of any other land by
knight's service, we will not (by reason of that fee-farm, socage, or burgage), have the wardship of the
heir, or of such land of his as if of the fief of that other; nor shall we have wardship of that fee-farm,
socage, or burgage, unless such fee-farm owes knight's service. We will not by reason of any small
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serjeancy which anyone may hold of us by the service of rendering to us knives, arrows, or the like,
have wardship of his heir or of the land which he holds of another lord by knight's service.
38. No bailiff for the future shall, upon his own unsupported complaint, put anyone to his
"law", without credible witnesses brought for this purposes.
39. No freemen shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised or exiled or in any way destroyed,
nor will we go upon him nor send upon him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the
law of the land.
40. To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice.
41. All merchants shall have safe and secure exit from England, and entry to England, with
the right to tarry there and to move about as well by land as by water, for buying and selling by the
ancient and right customs, quit from all evil tolls, except (in time of war) such merchants as are of the
land at war with us. And if such are found in our land at the beginning of the war, they shall be
detained, without injury to their bodies or goods, until information be received by us, or by our chief
justiciar, how the merchants of our land found in the land at war with us are treated; and if our men
are safe there, the others shall be safe in our land.
42. It shall be lawful in future for anyone (excepting always those imprisoned or outlawed in
accordance with the law of the kingdom, and natives of any country at war with us, and merchants,
who shall be treated as if above provided) to leave our kingdom and to return, safe and secure by
land and water, except for a short period in time of war, on grounds of public policy- reserving
always the allegiance due to us.
43. If anyone holding of some escheat (such as the honor of Wallingford, Nottingham,
Boulogne, Lancaster, or of other escheats which are in our hands and are baronies) shall die, his heir
shall give no other relief, & perform no other service to us than he would have done to the baron if
that barony had been in the baron's hand; and we shall hold it in the same manner in which the
baron held it.
44. Men who dwell without the forest need not henceforth come before our justiciaries of
the forest upon a general summons, unless they are in plea, or sureties of one or more, who are
attached for the forest.
45. We will appoint as justices, constables, sheriffs, or bailiffs only such as know the law of
the realm and mean to observe it well.
46. All barons who have founded abbeys, concerning which they hold charters from the
kings of England, or of which they have long continued possession, shall have the wardship of them,
when vacant, as they ought to have.
47. All forests that have been made such in our time shall forthwith be disafforsted; and a
similar course shall be followed with regard to river banks that have been placed "in defense" by us
in our time.
48. All evil customs connected with forests and warrens, foresters and warreners, sheriffs
and their officers, river banks and their wardens, shall immediately by inquired into in each county by
twelve sworn knights of the same county chosen by the honest men of the same county, and shall,
within forty days of the said inquest, be utterly
abolished, so as never to be restored, provided always that we previously have intimation thereof, or
our justiciar, if we should not be in England.
49. We will immediately restore all hostages and charters delivered to us by Englishmen, as
sureties of the peace of faithful service.
50. We will entirely remove from their bailiwicks, the relations of Gerard of Athee (so that in
future they shall have no bailiwick in England); namely, Engelard of Cigogne, Peter, Guy, and
Andrew of Chanceaux, Guy of Cigogne, Geoffrey of Martigny with his brothers, Philip Mark with
his brothers and his nephew Geoffrey, & the whole brood of the same.
51. As soon as peace is restored, we will banish from the kingdom all foreign born knights,
crossbowmen, sergeants, and mercenary soldiers who have come with horses and arms to the
kingdom's hurt.

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52. If anyone has been dispossessed or removed by us, without the legal judgment of his
peers, from his lands, castles, franchises, or from his right, we will immediately restore them to him;
and if a dispute arise over this, then let it be decided by the five and twenty barons of whom mention
is made below in the clause for securing the peace. Moreover, for all those possessions, from which
anyone has, without the lawful judgment of his peers, been disseised or removed, by our father, King
Henry, or by our brother, King Richard, and which we retain in our hand (or which as possessed by
others, to whom we are bound to warrant them) we shall have respite until the usual term of
crusaders; excepting those things about which a plea has been raised, or an inquest made by our
order, before our taking of the cross; but as soon as we return from the expedition, we will
immediately grant full justice therein.
53. We shall have, moreover, the same respite and in the same manner in rendering justice
concerning the disafforestation or retention of those forests which Henry our father and Richard our
broter afforested, & concerning the wardship of lands which are of the fief of another (namely, such
wardships as we have hitherto had by reason of a fief which anyone held of us by knight's service),
and concerning abbeys founded on other fiefs than our own, in which the lord of the fee claims to
have right; and when we have returned, or if we desist from our expedition, we will immediately
grant full justice to all who complain of such things.
54. No one shall be arrested or imprisoned upon the appeal of a woman, for the death of
any other than her husband.
55. All fines made with us unjustly and against the law of the land, and all amercements,
imposed unjustly & against the law of the land, shall be entirely remitted, or else it shall be done
concerning them according to the decision of the five and twenty barons whom mention is made
below in the clause for securing the peace, or according to the judgment of the majority of the same,
along with the aforesaid Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, if he can be present, and such others as
he may wish to bring with him for this purpose, and if he cannot be present the business shall
nevertheless proceed without him, provided always that if any one or more of the aforesaid five and
twenty barons are in a similar suit, they shall be removed as far as concerns this particular judgment,
others being substituted in their places after having been selected by the rest of the same five and
twenty for this purpose only, and after having been sworn.
56. If we have disseised or removed Welshmen from lands or liberties, or other things,
without the legal judgment of their peers in England or in Wales, they shall be immediately restored
to them; and if a dispute arise over this, then let it be decided in the marches by the judgment of their
peers; for the tenements in England according to the law of England, for tenements in Wales
according to the law of Wales, and for tenements in the marches according to the law of the
marches. Welshmen shall do the same to us and ours.
57. Further, for all those possessions from which any Welshman has, without the lawful
judgment of his peers, been disseised or removed by King Henry our father, or King Richard our
brother, and which we retain in our hand (or which are possessed by others, and which we ought to
warrant), we will have respite until the usual term of crusaders; excepting those things about which a
plea has been raised or an inquest made by our order before we took the cross; but as soon as we
return (or if perchance we desist from our expedition), we will immediately grant full justice in
accordance with the laws of the Welsh and in relation to the foresaid regions.
58. We will immediately give up the son of Llywelyn and all the hostages of Wales, and the
charters delivered to us as security for the peace.
59. We will do towards Alexander, king of Scots, concerning the return of his sisters and his
hostages, & concerning his franchises, and his right, in the same manner as we shall do towards our
owher barons of England, unless it ought to be otherwise according to the charters which we hold
from William his father, formerly king of Scots; and this shall be according to the judgment of his
peers in our court.
60. Moreover, all these aforesaid customs and liberties, the observances of which we have
granted in our kingdom as far as pertains to us towards our men, shall be observed by all of our
kingdom, as well clergy as laymen, as far as pertains to them towards their men.
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61. Since, moveover, for God and the amendment of our kingdom and for the better allaying
of the quarrel that has arisen between us and our barons, we have granted all these concessions,
desirous that they should enjoy them in complete and firm endurance forever, we give and grant to
them the underwritten security, namely, that the barons choose five and twenty barons of the
kingdom, whomsoever they will, who shall be bound with all their might, to observe and hold, and
cause to be observed, the peace and liberties we have granted & confirmed to them by this our
present Charter, so that if we, or our justiciar, or our bailiffs or any one of our officers, shall in
anything be at fault towards anyone, or shall have broken any one of the articles of this peace or of
this security, and the offense be notified to four barons of the foresaid five and twenty, the said four
barons shall repair to us (or our justiciar, if we are out of the realm) and, laying the transgression
before us, petition to have that transgression redressed without delay. And if we shall not have
corrected the transgression (or, in the event of our being out of the realm, if our justiciar shall not
have corrected it) within forty days, reckoning from the time it has been intimated to us (or to our
justiciar, if we should be out of the realm), the four barons aforesaid shall refer that matter to the rest
of the five and twenty barons, and those five and twenty barons shall, together with the community
of the whole realm, distrain and distress us in all possible ways, namely, by seizing our castles, lands,
possessions, and in any other way they can, until redress has been obtained as they deem fit, saving
harmless our own person, and the persons of our queen and children; and when redress has been
obtained, they shall resume their old relations towards us. And let whoever in the country desires it,
swear to obey the orders of the said five and twenty barons for the execution of all the aforesaid
matters, and along with them, to molest us to the utmost of his power; and we publicly and freely
grant leave to everyone who wishes to swear, and we shall never forbid anyone to swear. All those,
moveover, in the land who of themselves and of their own accord are unwilling to swear to the
twenty five to help them in constraining and molesting us, we shall by our command compel the
same to swear to the effect foresaid. And if any one of the five and twenty barons shall have died or
departed from the land, or be incapacitated in any other manner which would prevent the foresaid
provisions being carried out, those of the said twenty five barons who are left shall choose another in
his place according to their own judgment, and he shall be sworn in the same way as the others.
Further, in all matters, the execution of which is entrusted, to these twenty five barons, if perchance
these twenty five are present and disagree about anything, or if some of them, after being summoned,
are unwilling or unable to be present, that which the majority of those present ordain or command
shall be held as fixed and established, exactly as if the whole twenty five had concurred in this; and
the said twenty five shall swear that they will faithfully observe all that is aforesaid, and cause it to be
observed with all their might. And we shall procure nothing from anyone, directly or indirectly,
whereby any part of these concessions and liberties might be revoked or diminished; and if any such
things has been procured, let it be void and null, and we shall never use it personally or by another.
62. And all the will, hatreds, and bitterness that have arisen between us and our men, clergy
and lay, from the date of the quarrel, we have completely remitted and pardoned to everyone.
Moreover, all trespasses occasioned by the said quarrel, from Easter in the sixteenth year of our reign
till the restoration of peace, we have fully remitted to all, both clergy and laymen, and completely
forgiven, as far as pertains to us. And on this head, we have caused to be made for them letters
testimonial patent of the lord Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, of the lord Henry, archbishop of
Dublin, of the bishops aforesaid, and of Master Pandulf as touching this security & the concessions
aforesaid.
63. Wherefore we will and firmly order that the English Church be free, and that the men in
our kingdom have and hold all the aforesaid liberties, rights, and concessions, well and peaceably,
freely and quietly, fully & wholly, for themselves and their heirs, of us and our heirs, in all respects
and in all places forever, as is aforesaid. An oath, moreover, has been taken, as well on our part as on
the art of the barons, that all these conditions aforesaid shall be kept in good faith and without evil
intent. Given under our hand - the above named and many others being witnesses - in the meadow
which is called Runnymede, between Windsor and Staines, on the fifteenth day of June, in the
seventeenth year of our reign.
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Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of
August 12, 1949 (GENEVA CONVENTION III)
Entry into Force: 21 October 1950
The undersigned Plenipotentiaries of the Governments represented at the Diplomatic Conference held at Geneva from April 21 to
August 12, 1949, for the purpose of revising the Convention concluded at Geneva on July 27, 1929 relative to the Treatment of
Prisoners of War, have agreed as follows:
PART I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1
The High Contracting Parties undertake to
respect and to ensure respect for the present
Convention in all circumstances.
Article 2
In addition to the provisions which shall be
implemented in peace time, the present
Convention shall apply to all cases of declared war
or of any other armed conflict which may arise
between two or more of the High Contracting
Parties, even if the state of war is not recognized
by one of them. The Convention shall also apply
to all cases of partial or total occupation of the
territory of a High Contracting Party, even if the
said occupation meets with no armed resistance.
Although one of the Powers in conflict may not be
a party to the present Convention, the Powers who
are parties thereto shall remain bound by it in their
mutual relations. They shall furthermore be bound
by the Convention in relation to the said Power, if
the latter accepts and applies the provisions
thereof.
Article 3
In the case of armed conflict not of an
international character occurring in the territory of
one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to
the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a
minimum, the following provisions:
(1) Persons taking no active part in the
hostilities, including members of armed forces
who have laid down their arms & those placed
hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or
any other cause, shall in all circumstances be
treated humanely, without any adverse distinction
founded on race, color, religion or faith, sex, birth
or wealth, or any other similar criteria. To this end
the following acts are & shall remain prohibited at
any time and in any place whatsoever with respect
to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) violence to life and person, in particular
murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and
torture;
(b) taking of hostages;
(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular,
humiliating & degrading treatment;
(d) he passing of sentences & the carrying out
of executions without previous judgment
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pronounced by a regularly constituted court
affording all the judicial guarantees which are
recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.
(2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and
cared for. An impartial humanitarian body, such as
the International Committee of the Red Cross,
may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.
The Parties to the conflict should further
endeavor to bring into force, by means of special
agreements, all or part of the other provisions of
the present Convention. The application of the
preceding provisions shall not affect the legal
status of the Parties to the conflict.
Article 4
A. Prisoners of war, in the sense of the present
Convention, are persons belonging to one of the
following categories, who have fallen into the
power of the enemy:
(1) Members of the armed forces of a Party to
the conflict, as well as members of militias or
volunteer corps forming part of such armed
forces.
(2) Members of other militias & members of
other volunteer corps, including those of
organized resistance movements, belonging to a
Party to the conflict & operating in or outside their
own territory, even if this territory is occupied,
provided that such militias or volunteer corps,
including such organized resistance movements,
fulfil the following conditions:
(a) that of being commanded by a person
responsible for his subordinates;
(b) that of having a fixed distinctive sign
recognizable at a distance;
(c) that of carrying arms openly;
(d) that of conducting their operations in
accordance with the laws & customs of war.
(3) Members of regular armed forces who
profess allegiance to a government or an authority
not recognized by the Detaining Power.
(4) Persons who accompany the armed forces
without actually being members thereof, such as
civilian members of military aircraft crews, war
correspondents, supply contractors, members of
labor units or of services responsible for the
welfare of the armed forces, provided that they
have received authorization, from the armed
forces which they accompany, who shall provide
them for that purpose with an identity card similar
to the annexed model.
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(5) Members of crews, including masters, pilots
and apprentices, of the merchant marine and the
crews of civil aircraft of the Parties to the conflict,
who do not benefit by more favorable treatment
under any other provisions of international law.
(6) Inhabitants of a non-occupied territory, who
on the approach of the enemy spontaneously take
up arms to resist the invading forces, without
having had time to form themselves into regular
armed units, provided they carry arms openly and
respect the laws and customs of war.
B. The following shall likewise be treated as
prisoners of war under the present Convention:
(1) Persons belonging, or having belonged, to
the armed forces of the occupied country, if the
occupying Power considers it necessary by reason
of such allegiance to intern them, even though it
has originally liberated them while hostilities were
going on outside the territory it occupies, in
particular where such persons have made an
unsuccessful attempt to rejoin the armed forces to
which they belong & which are engaged in
combat, or where they fail to comply with a
summons made to them with a view to
internment.
(2) The persons belonging to one of the
categories enumerated in the present Article, who
have been received by neutral or non-belligerent
Powers on their territory and whom these Powers
are required to intern under international law,
without prejudice to any more favorable treatment
which these Powers may choose to give & with the
exception of Articles 8, 10, 15, 30, fifth paragraph,
58-67, 92, 126 and, where diplomatic relations
exist between the Parties to the conflict and the
neutral or nonbelligerent Power concerned, those
Articles concerning the Protecting Power. Where
such diplomatic relations exist, the Parties to a
conflict on whom these persons depend shall be
allowed to perform towards them the functions of
a Protecting Power as provided in the present
Convention, without prejudice to the functions
which these Parties normally exercise in
conformity with diplomatic and consular usage
and treaties.
C. This Article shall in no way affect the status
of medical personnel and chaplains as provided for
in Article 33 of the present Convention.
Article 5
The present Convention shall apply to the
persons referred to in Article 4 from the time they
fall into the power of the enemy and until their
final release and repatriation. Should any doubt
arise as to whether persons, having committed a
belligerent act and having fallen into the hands of
the enemy, belong to any of the categories
enumerated in Article 4, such persons shall enjoy
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the protection of the present Convention until
such time as their status has been determined by a
competent tribunal.
***
Article 7
Prisoners of war may in no circumstances
renounce in part or in entirety the rights secured to
them by the present Convention, and by the
special agreements referred to in the foregoing
Article, if such there be.
***
PART II
GENERAL PROTECTION OF
PRISONERS OF WAR
Article 12
Prisoners of war are in the hands of the enemy
Power, but not of the individuals or military units
who have captured them. Irrespective of the
individual responsibilities that may exist, the
Detaining Power is responsible for the treatment
given them. Prisoners of war may only be
transferred by the Detaining Power to a Power
which is a party to the Convention and after the
Detaining Power has satisfied itself of the
willingness and ability of such transferee Power to
apply the Convention. When prisoners of war are
transferred under such circumstances,
responsibility for the application of the
Convention rests on the Power accepting them
while they are in its custody.
Nevertheless, if that Power fails to carry out the
provisions of the Convention in any important
respect, the Power by whom the prisoners of war
were transferred shall, upon being notified by the
Protecting Power, take effective measures to
correct the situation or shall request the return of
the prisoners of war. Such requests must be
complied with.
Article 13
Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely
treated. Any unlawful act or omission by the
Detaining Power causing death or seriously
endangering the health of a prisoner of war in its
custody is prohibited, and will be regarded as a
serious breach of the present Convention. In
particular, no prisoner of war may be subjected to
physical mutilation or to medical or scientific
experiments of any kind which are not justified by
the medical, dental or hospital treatment of the
prisoner concerned and carried out in his interest.
Likewise, prisoners of war must at all times be
protected, particularly against acts of violence or
intimidation and against insults and public
curiosity. Measures of reprisal against prisoners of
war are prohibited.
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Article 14
Prisoners of war are entitled in all circumstances
to respect for their persons & their honor.
Women shall be treated with all the regard due
to their sex and shall in all cases benefit by
treatment as favorable as that granted to men.
Prisoners of war shall retain the full civil
capacity which they enjoyed at the time of their
capture. The Detaining Power may not restrict the
exercise, either within or without its own territory,
of the rights such capacity confers except in so far
as the captivity requires.
Article 15
The Power detaining prisoners of war shall be
bound to provide free of charge for their
maintenance and for the medical attention
required by their state of health.
Article 16
Taking into consideration the provisions of the
present Convention relating to rank & sex, and
subject to any privileged treatment which may be
accorded to them by reason of their state of
health, age or professional qualifications, all
prisoners of war shall be treated alike by the
Detaining Power, without any adverse distinction
based on race, nationality, religious belief or
political opinions, or any other distinction founded
on similar criteria.
PART III
CAPTIVITY
SECTION I
BEGINNING OF CAPTIVITY
Article 17
Every prisoner of war, when questioned on the
subject, is bound to give only his surname, first
names and rank, date of birth, and army,
regimental, personal or serial number, or failing
this, equivalent information.
If he willfully infringes this rule, he may render
himself liable to a restriction of the privileges
accorded to his rank or status. Each Party to a
conflict is required to furnish the persons under its
jurisdiction who are liable to become prisoners of
war, with an identity card showing the owner’s
surname, first names, rank, army, regimental,
personal or serial number or equivalent
information, and date of birth. The identity card
may, furthermore, bear the signature or the
fingerprints, or both, of the owner, and may bear,
as well, any other information the Party to the
conflict may wish to add concerning persons
belonging to its armed forces. As far as possible
the card shall measure 6.5 x 10 cm. and shall be
issued in duplicate. The identity card shall be
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shown by the prisoner of war upon demand, but
may in no case be taken away from him.
No physical or mental torture, nor any other
form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of
war to secure from them information of any kind
whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer
may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to
unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any
kind.
Prisoners of war who, owing to their physical or
mental condition, are unable to state their identity,
shall be handed over to the medical service. The
identity of such prisoners shall be established by all
possible means, subject to the provisions of the
preceding paragraph.
The questioning of prisoners of war shall be
carried out in a language which they understand.
Article 18
All effects and articles of personal use, except
arms, horses, military equipment & military
documents, shall remain in the possession of
prisoners of war, likewise their metal helmets and
gas masks and like articles issued for personal
protection. Effects and articles used for their
clothing or feeding shall likewise remain in their
possession, even if such effects and articles belong
to their regulation military equipment.
At no time should prisoners of war be without
identity documents. The Detaining Power shall
supply such documents to prisoners of war who
possess none. Badges of rank and nationality,
decorations and articles having above all a personal
or sentimental value may not be taken from
prisoners of war.
Sums of money carried by prisoners of war may
not be taken away from them except by order of
an officer, and after the amount & particulars of
the owner have been recorded in a special register
and an itemized receipt has been given, legibly
inscribed with the name, rank and unit of the
person issuing the said receipt. Sums in the
currency of the Detaining Power, or which are
changed into such currency at the prisoner’s
request, shall be placed to the credit of the
prisoner’s account as provided in Article 64. The
Detaining Power may withdraw articles of value
from prisoners of war only for reasons of security;
when such articles are withdrawn, the procedure
laid down for sums of money impounded shall
apply. Such objects, likewise sums taken away in
any currency other than that of the Detaining
Power and the conversion of which has not been
asked for by the owners, shall be kept in the
custody of the Detaining Power and shall be
returned in their initial shape to prisoners of war at
the end of their captivity.
Article 19
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Prisoners of war shall be evacuated, as soon as
possible after their capture, to camps situated in an
area far enough from the combat zone for them to
be out of danger.
Only those prisoners of war who, owing to
wounds or sickness, would run greater risks by
being evacuated than by remaining where they are,
may be temporarily kept back in a danger zone.
Prisoners of war shall not be unnecessarily
exposed to danger while awaiting evacuation from
a fighting zone.
Article 20
The evacuation of prisoners of war shall always
be effected humanely and in conditions similar to
those for the forces of the Detaining Power in
their changes of station.
The Detaining Power shall supply prisoners of
war who are being evacuated with sufficient food
and potable water, and with the necessary clothing
and medical attention. The Detaining Power shall
take all suitable precautions to ensure their safety
during evacuation, and shall establish as soon as
possible a list of the prisoners of war who are
evacuated.
If prisoners of war must, during evacuation, pass
through transit camps, their stay in such camps
shall be as brief as possible.
SECTION II
INTERNMENT OF PRISONERS OF
WAR
CHAPTER I
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
Article 21
The Detaining Power may subject prisoners of
war to internment. It may impose on them the
obligation of not leaving, beyond certain limits, the
camp where they are interned, or if the said camp
is fenced in, of not going outside its perimeter.
Subject to the provisions of the present
Convention relative to penal and disciplinary
sanctions, prisoners of war may not be held in
close confinement except where necessary to
safeguard their health and then only during the
continuation of the circumstances which make
such confinement necessary.
Prisoners of war may be partially or wholly
released on parole or promise, in so far as is
allowed by the laws of the Power on which they
depend. Such measures shall be taken particularly
in cases where this may contribute to the
improvement of their state of health. No prisoner
of war shall be compelled to accept liberty on
parole or promise.
Upon the outbreak of hostilities, each Party to
the conflict shall notify the adverse Party of the
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laws and regulations allowing or forbidding its own
nationals to accept liberty on parole or promise.
Prisoners of war who are paroled or who have
given their promise in conformity with the laws
and regulations so notified, are bound on their
personal honor scrupulously to fulfill, both
towards the Power on which they depend and
towards the Power which has captured them, the
engagements of their paroles or promises. In such
cases, the Power on which they depend is bound
neither to require nor to accept from them any
service incompatible with the parole or promise
given.
Article 22
Prisoners of war may be interned only in
premises located on land and affording every
guarantee of hygiene & healthfulness. Except in
particular cases which are justified by the interest
of the prisoners themselves, they shall not be
interned in penitentiaries.
Prisoners of war interned in unhealthy areas, or
where the climate is injurious for them, shall be
removed as soon as possible to a more favorable
climate.
The Detaining Power shall assemble prisoners
of war in camps or camp compounds according to
their nationality, language and customs, provided
that such prisoners shall not be separated from
prisoners of war belonging to the armed forces
with which they were serving at the time of their
capture, except with their consent.
Article 23
No prisoner of war may at any time be sent to,
or detained in areas where he may be exposed to
the fire of the combat zone, nor may his presence
be used to render certain points or areas immune
from military operations.
Prisoners of war shall have shelters against air
bombardment and other hazards of war, to the
same extent as the local civilian population. With
the exception of those engaged in the protection
of their quarters against the aforesaid hazards, they
may enter such shelters as soon as possible after
the giving of the alarm. Any other protective
measure taken in favor of the population shall also
apply to them.
Detaining Powers shall give the Powers
concerned, through the intermediary of the
Protecting Powers, all useful information regarding
the geographical location of prisoner of war
camps.
Whenever military considerations permit,
prisoner of war camps shall be indicated in the
day-time by the letters PW or PG, placed so as to
be clearly visible from the air. The Powers
concerned may, however, agree upon any other
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system of marking. Only prisoner of war camps
shall be marked as such.
Article 24
Transit or screening camps of a permanent kind
shall be fitted out under conditions similar to those
described in the present Section, and the prisoners
therein shall have the same treatment as in other
camps.
CHAPTER II
QUARTERS, FOOD & CLOTHING
OF PRISONERS OF WAR
Article 25
Prisoners of war shall be quartered under
conditions as favorable as those for the forces of
the Detaining Power who are billeted in the same
area. The said conditions shall make allowance for
the habits and customs of the prisoners & shall in
no case be prejudicial to their health.
The foregoing provisions shall apply in
particular to the dormitories of prisoners of war as
regards both total surface & minimum cubic space,
and the general installations, bedding and blankets.
The premises provided for the use of prisoners
of war individually or collectively, shall be entirely
protected from dampness and adequately heated
and lighted, in particular between dusk and lights
out. All precautions must be taken against the
danger of fire.
In any camps in which women prisoners of war,
as well as men, are accommodated, separate
dormitories shall be provided for them.
Article 26
The basic daily food rations shall be sufficient in
quantity, quality and variety to keep prisoners of
war in good health and to prevent loss of weight
or the development of nutritional deficiencies.
Account shall also be taken of the habitual diet of
the prisoners.
The Detaining Power shall supply prisoners of
war who work with such additional rations as are
necessary for the labor on which they are
employed.
Sufficient drinking water shall be supplied to
prisoners of war. The use of tobacco shall be
permitted.
Prisoners of war shall, as far as possible, be
associated with the preparation of their meals; they
may be employed for that purpose in the kitchens.
Furthermore, they shall be given the means of
preparing, themselves, the additional food in their
possession.
Adequate premises shall be provided for
messing. Collective disciplinary measures affecting
food are prohibited.
Article 27
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Clothing, underwear and footwear shall be
supplied to prisoners of war in sufficient quantities
by the Detaining Power, which shall make
allowance for the climate of the region where the
prisoners are detained. Uniforms of enemy armed
forces captured by the Detaining Power should, if
suitable for the climate, be made available to clothe
prisoners of war.
The regular replacement and repair of the above
articles shall be assured by the Detaining Power. In
addition, prisoners of war who work shall receive
appropriate clothing, wherever the nature of the
work demands.
Article 28
Canteens shall be installed in all camps, where
prisoners of war may procure foodstuffs, soap and
tobacco and ordinary articles in daily use. The
tariff shall never be in excess of local market
prices.
The profits made by camp canteens shall be
used for the benefit of the prisoners; a special fund
shall be created for this purpose. The prisoners’
representative shall have the right to collaborate in
the management of the canteen and of this fund.
When a camp is closed down, the credit balance
of the special fund shall be handed to an
international welfare organization, to be employed
for the benefit of prisoners of war of the same
nationality as those who have contributed to the
fund. In case of a general repatriation, such profits
shall be kept by the Detaining Power, subject to
any agreement to the contrary between the Powers
concerned.
CHAPTER III
HYGIENE AND MEDICAL
ATTENTION
Article 29
The Detaining Power shall be bound to take all
sanitary measures necessary to ensure the
cleanliness and healthfulness of camps & to
prevent epidemics.
Prisoners of war shall have for their use, day and
night, conveniences which conform to the rules of
hygiene and are maintained in a constant state of
cleanliness. In any camps in which women
prisoners of war are accommodated, separate
conveniences shall be provided for them.
Also, apart from the baths and showers with
which the camps shall be furnished prisoners of
war shall be provided with sufficient water and
soap for their personal toilet and for washing their
personal laundry; the necessary installations,
facilities and time shall be granted them for that
purpose.
Article 30
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Every camp shall have an adequate infirmary
where prisoners of war may have the attention
they require, as well as appropriate diet. Isolation
wards shall, if necessary, be set aside for cases of
contagious or mental disease.
Prisoners of war suffering from serious disease,
or whose condition necessitates special treatment,
a surgical operation or hospital care, must be
admitted to any military or civilian medical unit
where such treatment can be given, even if their
repatriation is contemplated in the near future.
Special facilities shall be afforded for the care to be
given to the disabled, in particular to the blind, and
for their. rehabilitation, pending repatriation.
Prisoners of war shall have the attention,
preferably, of medical personnel of the Power on
which they depend and, if possible, of their
nationality.
Prisoners of war may not be prevented from
presenting themselves to the medical authorities
for examination. The detaining authorities shall,
upon request, issue to every prisoner who has
undergone treatment, an official certificate
indicating the nature of his illness or injury, and
the duration and kind of treatment received. A
duplicate of this certificate shall be forwarded to
the Central Prisoners of War Agency.
The costs of treatment, including those of any
apparatus necessary for the maintenance of
prisoners of war in good health, particularly
dentures and other artificial appliances, and
spectacles, shall be borne by the Detaining Power.
Article 31
Medical inspections of prisoners of war shall be
held at least once a month. They shall include the
checking and the recording of the weight of each
prisoner of war. Their purpose shall be, in
particular, to supervise the general state of health,
nutrition and cleanliness of prisoners and to detect
contagious diseases, especially tuberculosis, malaria
and venereal disease. For this purpose the most
efficient methods available shall be employed, e.g.
periodic mass miniature radiography for the early
detection of tuberculosis.
Article 32
Prisoners of war who, though not attached to
the medical service of their armed forces, are
physicians, surgeons, dentists, nurses or medical
orderlies, may be required by the Detaining Power
to exercise their medical functions in the interests
of prisoners of war dependent on the same Power.
In that case they shall continue to be prisoners of
war, but shall receive the same treatment as
corresponding medical personnel retained by the
Detaining Power. They shall be exempted from
any other work under Article 49.
***
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CHAPTER V
RELIGIOUS, INTELLECTUAL &
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
Article 34
Prisoners of war shall enjoy complete latitude in
the exercise of their religious duties, including
attendance at the service of their faith, on
condition that they comply with the disciplinary
routine prescribed by the military authorities.
Adequate premises shall be provided where
religious services may be held.
***
Article 38
While respecting the individual preferences of
every prisoner, the Detaining Power shall
encourage the practice of intellectual, educational,
and recreational pursuits, sports and games
amongst prisoners, and shall take the measures
necessary to ensure the exercise thereof by
providing them with adequate premises and
necessary equipment.
Prisoners shall have opportunities for taking
physical exercise, including sports & games, and
for being out of doors. Sufficient open spaces shall
be provided for this purpose in all camps.
CHAPTER VI
DISCIPLINE
Article 39
Every prisoner of war camp shall be put under
the immediate authority of a responsible
commissioned officer belonging to the regular
armed forces of the Detaining Power. Such officer
shall have in his possession a copy of the present
Convention; he shall ensure that its provisions are
known to the camp staff & the guard and shall be
responsible, under the direction of his
government, for its application.
Prisoners of war, with the exception of officers,
must salute and show to all officers of the
Detaining Power the external marks of respect
provided for by the regulations applying in their
own forces.
Officer prisoners of war are bound to salute
only officers of a higher rank of the Detaining
Power; they must, however, salute the camp
commander regardless of his rank.
Article 40
The wearing of badges of rank & nationality, as
well as of decorations, shall be permitted.
Article 41
In every camp the text of the present
Convention and its Annexes and the contents of
any special agreement provided for in Article 6,
shall be posted, in the prisoners’ own language, in
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places where all may read them. Copies shall be
supplied, on request, to the prisoners who cannot
have access to the copy which has been posted.
Regulations, orders, notices & publications of
every kind relating to the conduct of prisoners of
war shall be issued to them in a language which
they understand. Such regulations, orders &
publications shall be posted in the manner
described above and copies shall be handed to the
prisoners’ representative. Every order and
command addressed to prisoners of war
individually must likewise be given in a language
which they understand.
Article 42
The use of weapons against prisoners of war,
especially against those who are escaping or
attempting to escape, shall constitute an extreme
measure, which shall always be preceded by
warnings appropriate to the circumstances.
CHAPTER VII
RANK OF PRISONERS OF WAR
Article 43
Upon the outbreak of hostilities, the Parties to
the conflict shall communicate to one another the
titles and ranks of all the persons mentioned in
Article 4 of the present Convention, in order to
ensure equality of treatment between prisoners of
equivalent rank. Titles and ranks which are
subsequently created shall form the subject of
similar communications.
The Detaining Power shall recognize
promotions in rank which have been accorded to
prisoners of war and which have been duly
notified by the Power on which these prisoners
depend.
Article 44
Officers and prisoners of equivalent status shall
be treated with the regard due to their rank and
age.
In order to ensure service in officers’ camps,
other ranks of the same armed forces who, as far
as possible, speak the same language, shall be
assigned in sufficient numbers, account being
taken of the rank of officers and prisoners of
equivalent status. Such orderlies shall not be
required to perform any other work.
Supervision of the mess by the officers
themselves shall be facilitated in every way.
Article 45
Prisoners of war other than officers & prisoners
of equivalent status shall be treated with the regard
due to their rank & age.
Supervision of the mess by the prisoners
themselves shall be facilitated in every way.
***
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SECTION III
LABOUR OF PRISONERS OF WAR
Article 49
The Detaining Power may utilize the labor of
prisoners of war who are physically fit, taking into
account their age, sex, rank & physical aptitude,
and with a view particularly to maintaining them in
a good state of physical and mental health.
Non-commissioned officers who are prisoners
of war shall only be required to do supervisory
work. Those not so required may ask for other
suitable work which shall, so far as possible, be
found for them.
If officers or persons of equivalent status ask for
suitable work, it shall be found for them, so far as
possible, but they may in no circumstances be
compelled to work.
Article 50
Besides work connected with camp
administration, installation or maintenance,
prisoners of war may be compelled to do only
such work as is included in the following classes:
(a) agriculture;
(b) industries connected with the production or
the extraction of raw materials, and manufacturing
industries, with the exception of metallurgical,
machinery and chemical industries; public works
and building operations which have no military
character or purpose;
(c) transport and handling of stores which are
not military in character or purpose;
(d) commercial business, and arts & crafts;
(e) domestic service;
(f) public utility services having no military
character or purpose. Should the above provisions
be infringed, prisoners of war shall be allowed to
exercise their right of complaint, in conformity
with Article 78.
Article 51
Prisoners of war must be granted suitable
working conditions, especially as regards
accommodation, food, clothing & equipment; such
conditions shall not be inferior to those enjoyed by
nationals of the Detaining Power employed in
similar work; account shall also be taken of
climatic conditions.
The Detaining Power, in utilizing the labor of
prisoners of war, shall ensure that in areas in which
such prisoners are employed, the national
legislation concerning the protection of labor, and,
more particularly, the regulations for the safety of
workers, are duly applied.
Prisoners of war shall receive training & be
provided with the means of protection suitable to
the work they will have to do & similar to those
accorded to the nationals of the Detaining Power.
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Subject to the provisions of Article 52, prisoners
may be submitted to the normal risks run by these
civilian workers.
Conditions of labor shall in no case be rendered
more arduous by disciplinary measures.
Article 52
Unless he be a volunteer, no prisoner of war
may be employed on labor which is of an
unhealthy or dangerous nature.
No prisoner of war shall be assigned to labor
which would be looked upon as humiliating for a
member of the Detaining Power’s own forces.
The removal of mines or similar devices shall be
considered as dangerous labor.
Article 53
The duration of the daily labor of prisoners of
war, including the time of the journey to and from,
shall not be excessive, and must in no case exceed
that permitted for civilian workers in the district,
who are nationals of the Detaining Power and
employed on the same work.
Prisoners of war must be allowed, in the middle
of the day’s work, a rest of not less than one hour.
This rest will be the same as that to which workers
of the Detaining Power are entitled, if the latter is
of longer duration. They shall be allowed in
addition a rest of twenty-four consecutive hours
every week, preferably on Sunday or the day of
rest in their country of origin. Furthermore, every
prisoner who has worked for one year shall be
granted a rest of eight consecutive days, during
which his working pay shall be paid him.
If methods of labor such as piece work are
employed, the length of the working period shall
not be rendered excessive thereby.
Article 54
The working pay due to prisoners of war shall
be fixed in accordance with the provisions of
Article 62 of the present Convention.
Prisoners of war who sustain accidents in
connection with work, or who contract a disease in
the course, or in consequence of their work, shall
receive all the care their condition may require.
The Detaining Power shall furthermore deliver to
such prisoners of war a medical certificate enabling
them to submit their claims to the Power on which
they depend, and shall send a duplicate to the
Central Prisoners of War Agency provided for in
Article 123.
Article 55
The fitness of prisoners of war for work shall be
periodically verified by medical examinations at
least once a month. The examinations shall have
particular regard to the nature of the work which
prisoners of war are required to do.
If any prisoner of war considers himself
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incapable of working, he shall be permitted to
appear before the medical authorities of his camp.
Physicians or surgeons may recommend that the
prisoners who are, in their opinion, unfit for work,
be exempted therefrom.
Article 56
The organization and administration of labor
detachments shall be similar to those of prisoner
of war camps.
Every labor detachment shall remain under the
control of and administratively part of a prisoner
of war camp. The military authorities and the
commander of the said camp shall be responsible,
under the direction of their government, for the
observance of the provisions of the present
Convention in labor detachments.
The camp commander shall keep an up-to date
record of the labor detachments dependent on his
camp, and shall communicate it to the delegates of
the Protecting Power, of the International
Committee of the Red Cross, or of other agencies
giving relief to prisoners of war, who may visit the
camp.
Article 57
The treatment of prisoners of war who work for
private persons, even if the latter are responsible
for guarding and protecting them, shall not be
inferior to that which is provided for by the
present Convention. The Detaining Power, the
military authorities and the commander of the
camp to which such prisoners belong shall be
entirely responsible for the maintenance, care,
treatment, and payment of the working pay of
such prisoners of war.
Such prisoners of war shall have the right to
remain in communication with the prisoners’
representatives in the camps on which they
depend.
SECTION IV
FINANCIAL RESOURCES OF
PRISONERS OF WAR
Article 58
Upon the outbreak of hostilities, & pending an
arrangement on this matter with the Protecting
Power, the Detaining Power may determine the
maximum amount of money in cash or in any
similar form, that prisoners may have in their
possession. Any amount in excess, which was
properly in their possession and which has been
taken or withheld from them, shall be placed to
their account, together with any monies deposited
by them, and shall not be converted into any other
currency without their consent.
If prisoners of war are permitted to purchase
services or commodities outside the camp against
payment in cash, such payments shall b~ made by
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the prisoner himself or by the camp administration
who will charge them to the accounts of the
prisoners concerned. The Detaining Power will
establish the necessary rules in this respect.
Article 59
Cash which was taken from prisoners of war, in
accordance with Article 18, at the time of their
capture, and which is in the currency of the
Detaining Power, shall be placed to their separate
accounts, in accordance with the provisions of
Article 64 of the present Section.
The amounts, in the currency of the Detaining
Power, due to the conversion of sums in other
currencies that are taken from the prisoners of war
at the same time, shall also be credited to their
separate accounts.
Article 60
The Detaining Power shall grant all prisoners of
war a monthly advance of pay, the amount of
which shall be fixed by conversion, into the
currency of the said Power, of the following
amounts:
Category I: Prisoners ranking below sergeants:
eight Swiss francs.
Category II: Sergeants and other
noncommissioned officers, or prisoners of
equivalent rank: twelve Swiss francs.
Category III: Warrant officers & commissioned
officers below the rank of major or prisoners of
equivalent rank: fifty Swiss francs.
Category IV: Majors, lieutenant-colonels,
colonels or prisoners of equivalent rank: sixty
Swiss francs.
Category V: General officers or prisoners of
war of equivalent rank: seventy-five Swiss francs.
However, the Parties to the conflict concerned
may by special agreement modify the amount of
advances of pay due to prisoners of the preceding
categories.
Furthermore, if the amounts indicated in the
first paragraph above would be unduly high
compared with the pay of the Detaining Power’s
armed forces or would, for any reason, seriously
embarrass the Detaining Power, then, pending the
conclusion of a special agreement with the Power
on which the prisoners depend to vary the
amounts indicated above, the Detaining Power:
(a) shall continue to credit the accounts of the
prisoners with the amounts indicated in the first
paragraph above;
(b) may temporarily limit the amount made
available from these advances of pay to prisoners
of war for their own use, to sums which are
reasonable, but which, for Category I, shall never
be inferior to the amount that the Detaining
Power gives to the members of its own armed
forces.
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The reasons for any limitations will be given
without delay to the Protecting Power.
Article 61
The Detaining Power shall accept for
distribution as supplementary pay to prisoners of
war sums which the Power on which the prisoners
depend may forward to them, on condition that
the sums to be paid shall be the same for each
prisoner of the same category, shall be payable to
all prisoners of that category depending on that
Power, and shall be placed in their separate
accounts, at the earliest opportunity, in accordance
with the provisions of Article 64. Such
supplementary pay shall not relieve the Detaining
Power of any obligation under this Convention.
Article 62
Prisoners of war shall be paid a fair working rate
of pay by the detaining authorities direct. The rate
shall be fixed by the said authorities, but shall at no
time be less than one-fourth of one Swiss franc for
a full working day. The Detaining Power shall
inform prisoners of war, as well as the Power on
which they depend, through the intermediary of
the Protecting Power, of the rate of daily working
pay that it has fixed.
Working pay shall likewise be paid by the
detaining authorities to prisoners of war
permanently detailed to duties or to a skilled or
semi-skilled occupation in connection with the
administration, installation or maintenance of
camps, and to the prisoners who are required to
carry out spiritual or medical duties on behalf of
their comrades.
The working pay of the prisoners’
representative, of his advisers, if any, and of his
assistants, shall be paid out of the fund maintained
by canteen profits. The scale of this working pay
shall be fixed by the prisoners’ representative and
approved by the camp commander. If there is no
such fund, the detaining authorities shall pay these
prisoners a fair working rate of pay.
Article 63
Prisoners of war shall be permitted to receive
remittances of money addressed to them
individually or collectively.
Every prisoner of war shall have at his disposal
the credit balance of his account as provided for in
the following Article, within the limits fixed by the
Detaining Power, which shall make such payments
as are requested. Subject to financial or monetary
restrictions which the Detaining Power regards as
essential, prisoners of war may also have payments
made abroad. In this case payments addressed by
prisoners of war to dependents shall be given
priority.
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In any event, and subject to the consent of the
Power on which they depend, prisoners may have
payments made in their own country, as follows:
the Detaining Power shall send to the aforesaid
Power through the Protecting Power, a
notification giving all the necessary particulars
concerning the prisoners of war, the beneficiaries
of the payments, and the amount of the sums to
be paid, expressed in the Detaining Power’s
currency. The said notification shall be signed by
the prisoners and countersigned by the camp
commander. The Detaining Power shall debit the
prisoners’ account by a corresponding amount; the
sums thus debited shall be placed by it to the
credit of the Power on which the prisoners
depend.
To apply the foregoing provisions, the
Detaining Power may usefully consult the Model
Regulations in Annex V of the present
Convention.
Article 64
The Detaining Power shall hold an account for
each prisoner of war, showing at least the
following:
(1) The amounts due to the prisoner or received
by him as advances of pay, as working pay or
derived from any other source; the sums in the
currency of the Detaining Power which were taken
from him; the sums taken from him & converted
at his request into the currency of the said Power.
(2) The payments made to the prisoner in cash,
or in any other similar form; the payments made
on his behalf and at his request; the sums
transferred under Article 63, third paragraph.
Article 65
Every item entered in the account of a prisoner
of war shall be countersigned or initialed by him,
or by the prisoners’ representative acting on his
behalf.
Prisoners of war shall at all times be afforded
reasonable facilities for consulting and obtaining
copies of their accounts, which may likewise be
inspected by the representatives of the Protecting
Powers at the time of visits to the camp.
When prisoners of war are transferred from one
camp to another, their personal accounts will
follow them. In case of transfer from one
Detaining Power to another, the monies which are
their property and are not in the currency of the
Detaining Power will follow them. They shall be
given certificates for any other monies standing to
the credit of their accounts.
The Parties to the conflict concerned may agree
to notify to each other at specific intervals through
the Protecting Power, the amount of the accounts
of the prisoners of war.
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Article 66
On the termination of captivity, through the
release of a prisoner of war or his repatriation, the
Detaining Power shall give him a statement, signed
by an authorized officer of that Power, showing
the credit balance then due to him. The Detaining
Power shall also send through the Protecting
Power to the government upon which the prisoner
of war depends, lists giving all appropriate
particulars of all prisoners of war whose captivity
has been terminated by repatriation, release,
escape, death or any other means, and showing the
amount of their credit balances. Such lists shall be
certified on each sheet by an authorized
representative of the Detaining Power. Any of the
above provisions of this Article may be varied by
mutual agreement between any two Parties to the
conflict.
The Power on which the prisoner of war
depends shall be responsible for settling with him
any credit balance due to him from the Detaining
Power on the termination of his captivity.
Article 67
Advances of pay, issued to prisoners of war in
conformity with Article 60, shall be considered as
made on behalf of the Power on which they
depend. Such advances of pay, as well as all
payments made by the said Power under Article
63, third paragraph, and Article 68, shall form the
subject of arrangements between the Powers
concerned, at the close of hostilities.
Article 68
Any claim by a prisoner of war for
compensation in respect of any injury or other
disability arising out of work shall be referred to
the Power on which he depends, through the
Protecting Power. In accordance with Article 54,
the Detaining Power will, in all cases, provide the
prisoner of war concerned with a statement
showing the nature of the injury or disability, the
circumstances in which it arose & particulars of
medical or hospital treatment given for it. This
statement will be signed by a responsible officer of
the Detaining Power and the medical particulars
certified by a medical officer.
Any claim by a prisoner of war for
compensation in respect of personal effects
monies or valuables impounded by the Detaining
Power under Article 18 and not forthcoming on
his repatriation, or in respect of loss alleged to be
due to the fault of the Detaining Power or any of
its servants, shall likewise be referred to the Power
on which he depends. Nevertheless, any such
personal effects required for use by the prisoners
of war whilst in captivity shall be replaced at the
expense of the Detaining Power. The Detaining
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Power will, in all cases, provide the prisoner of war
with a statement, signed by a responsible officer,
showing all available information regarding the
reasons why such effects, monies or valuables have
not been restored to him. A copy of this statement
will be forwarded to the Power on which he
depends through the Central Prisoners of War
Agency provided for in Article 123.
SECTION V
RELATIONS OF PRISONERS OF
WAR WITH THE EXTERIOR
Article 69
Immediately upon prisoners of war falling into
its power, the Detaining Power shall inform them
and the Powers on which they depend, through
the Protecting Power, of the measures taken to
carry out the provisions of the present Section.
They shall likewise inform the parties concerned of
any subsequent modifications of such measures.
Article 70
Immediately upon capture, or not more than
one week after arrival at a camp, even if it is a
transit camp, likewise in case of sickness or
transfer to hospital or to another camp, every
prisoner of war shall be enabled to write direct to
his family, on the one hand, and to the Central
Prisoners of War Agency provided for in Article
123, on the other hand, a card similar, if possible,
to the model annexed to the present Convention,
informing his relatives of his capture, address and
state of health. The said cards shall be forwarded
as rapidly as possible and may not be delayed in
any manner.
Article 71
Prisoners of war shall be allowed to send and
receive letters and cards. If the Detaining Power
deems it necessary to limit the number of letters
and cards sent by each prisoner of war, the said
number shall not be less than two letters and four
cards monthly, exclusive of the capture cards
provided for in Article 70, and conforming as
closely as possible to the models annexed to the
present Convention. Further limitations may be
imposed only if the Protecting Power is satisfied
that it would be in the interests of the prisoners of
war concerned to do so owing to difficulties of
translation caused by the Detaining Power’s
inability to find sufficient qualified linguists to
carry out the necessary censorship. If limitations
must be placed on the correspondence addressed
to prisoners of war, they may be ordered only by
the Power on which the prisoners depend,
possibly at the request of the Detaining Power.
Such letters and cards must be conveyed by the
most rapid method at the disposal of the
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Detaining Power; they may not be delayed or
retained for disciplinary reasons.
Prisoners of war who have been without news
for a long period, or who are unable to receive
news from their next of kin or to give them news
by the ordinary postal route, as well as those who
are at a great distance from their homes, shall be
permitted to send telegrams, the fees being
charged against the prisoners of war’s accounts
with the Detaining Power or paid in the currency
at their disposal. They shall likewise benefit by this
measure in cases of urgency.
As a general rule, the correspondence of
prisoners of war shall be written in their native
language. The Parties to the conflict may allow
correspondence in other languages.
Sacks containing prisoner of war mail must be
securely sealed and labeled so as clearly to indicate
their contents, and must be addressed to offices of
destination.
Article 72
Prisoners of war shall be allowed to receive by
post or by any other means individual parcels or
collective shipments containing, in particular,
foodstuffs, clothing, medical supplies and articles
of a religious, educational or recreational character
which may meet their needs, including books,
devotional articles, scientific equipment,
examination papers, musical instruments, sports
outfits and materials allowing prisoners of war to
pursue their studies or their cultural activities.
Such shipments shall in no way free the
Detaining Power from the obligations imposed
upon it by virtue of the present Convention.
The only limits which may be placed on these
shipments shall be those proposed by the
Protecting Power in the interest of the prisoners
themselves, or by the International Committee of
the Red Cross or any other organization giving
assistance to the prisoners, in respect of their own
shipments only, on account of exceptional strain
on transport or communications.
The conditions for the sending of individual
parcels and collective relief shall, if necessary, be
the subject of special agreements between the
Powers concerned, which may in no case delay the
receipt by the prisoners of relief supplies. Books
may not be included in parcels of clothing &
foodstuffs. Medical supplies shall, as a rule, be sent
in collective parcels.
***
Article 76
The censoring of correspondence addressed to
prisoners of war or dispatched by them shall be
done as quickly as possible. Mail shall be censored
only by the dispatching State and the receiving
State, and once only by each.
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The examination of consignments intended for
prisoners of war shall not be carried out under
conditions that will expose the goods contained in
them to deterioration; except in the case of written
or printed matter, it shall be done in the presence
of the addressee, or of a fellow-prisoner duly
delegated by him.
The delivery to prisoners of individual or
collective consignments shall not be delayed under
the pretext of difficulties of censorship.
Any prohibition of correspondence ordered by
Parties to the conflict, either for military or
political reasons, shall be only temporary and its
duration shall be as short as possible.
***
SECTION VI
RELATIONS BETWEEN
PRISONERS OF WAR AND THE
AUTHORITIES
CHAPTER I
COMPLAINTS OF PRISONERS
OF WAR RESPECTING THE
CONDITIONS OF CAPTIVITY
Article 78
Prisoners of war shall have the right to make
known to the military authorities in whose power
they are, their requests regarding the conditions of
captivity to which they are subjected.
They shall also have the unrestricted right to
apply to the representatives of the Protecting
Powers either through their prisoners’
representative or, if they consider it necessary,
direct, in order to draw their attention to any
points on which they may have complaints to
make regarding their conditions of captivity.
These requests and complaints shall not be
limited nor considered to be a part of the
correspondence quota referred to in Article 71.
They must be transmitted immediately. Even if
they are recognized to be unfounded, they may not
give rise to any punishment.
Prisoners’ representatives may send periodic
reports on the situation in the camps and the
needs of the prisoners of war to the
representatives of the Protecting Powers.
CHAPTER II
PRISONER OF WAR
REPRESENTATIVES
Article 79
In all places where there are prisoners of war,
except in those where there are officers, the
prisoners shall freely elect by secret ballot, every
six months, and also in case of vacancies,
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prisoners’ representatives entrusted with
representing them before the military authorities,
the Protecting Powers, the International
Committee of the Red Cross and any other
organization which may assist them. These
prisoners’ representatives shall be eligible for re-
election.
In camps for officers and persons of equivalent
status or in mixed camps, the senior officer among
the prisoners of war shall be recognized as the
camp prisoners’ representative. In camps for
officers, he shall be assisted by one or more
advisers chosen by the officers; in mixed camps,
his assistants shall be chosen from among the
prisoners of war who are not officers & shall be
elected by them.
Officer prisoners of war of the same nationality
shall be stationed in labor camps for prisoners of
war, for the purpose of carrying out the camp
administration duties for which the prisoners of
war are responsible. These officers may be elected
as prisoners’ representatives under the first
paragraph of this Article. In such a case the
assistants to the prisoners’ representatives shall be
chosen from among those prisoners of war who
are not officers.
Every representative elected must be approved
by the Detaining Power before he has the right to
commence his duties. Where the Detaining Power
refuses to approve a prisoner of war elected by his
fellow prisoners of war, it must inform the
Protecting Power of the reason for such refusal.
In all cases the prisoners’ representative must
have the same nationality, language and customs as
the prisoners of war whom he represents. Thus,
prisoners of war distributed in different sections of
a camp, according to their nationality, language or
customs, shall have for each section their own
prisoners’ representative, in accordance with the
foregoing paragraphs.
Article 80
Prisoners’ representatives shall further the
physical, spiritual and intellectual wellbeing of
prisoners of war.
In particular, where the prisoners decide to
organize amongst themselves a system of mutual
assistance, this organization will be within the
province of the prisoners’ representative, in
addition to the special duties entrusted to him by
other provisions of the present Convention.
Prisoners’ representatives shall not be held
responsible, simply by reason of their duties, for
any offences committed by prisoners of war.
Article 81
Prisoners’ representatives shall not be required
to perform any other work, if the accomplishment
of their duties is thereby made more difficult.
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Prisoners’ representatives may appoint from
amongst the prisoners such assistants as they may
require. All material facilities shall be granted
them, particularly a certain freedom of movement
necessary for the accomplishment of their duties
(inspection of labor detachments, receipt of
supplies, etc.).
Prisoners’ representatives shall be permitted to
visit premises where prisoners of war are detained,
and every prisoner of war shall have the right to
consult freely his prisoners’ representative.
All facilities shall likewise be accorded to the
prisoners’ representatives for communication by
post and telegraph with the detaining authorities,
the Protecting Powers, the International
Committee of the Red Cross and their delegates,
the Mixed Medical Commissions and the bodies
which give assistance to prisoners of war.
Prisoners’ representatives of labor detachments
shall enjoy the same facilities for communication
with the prisoners’ representatives of the principal
camp. Such communications shall not be
restricted, nor considered as forming a part of the
quota mentioned in Article 71.
Prisoners’ representatives who are transferred
shall be allowed a reasonable time to acquaint their
successors with current affairs.
In case of dismissal, the reasons therefore shall
be communicated to the Protecting Power.
CHAPTER III
PENAL AND DISCIPLINARY
SANCTIONS
I. General Provisions
Article 82
A prisoner of war shall be subject to the laws,
regulations and orders in force in the armed forces
of the Detaining Power; the Detaining Power shall
be justified in taking judicial or disciplinary
measures in respect of any offence committed by a
prisoner of war against such laws, regulations or
orders. However, no proceedings or punishments
contrary to the provisions of this Chapter shall be
allowed.
If any law, regulation or order of the Detaining
Power shall declare acts committed by a prisoner
of war to be punishable, whereas the same acts
would not be punishable if committed by a
member of the forces of the Detaining Power,
such acts shall entail disciplinary punishments
only.
Article 83
In deciding whether proceedings in respect of
an offence alleged to have been committed by a
prisoner of war shall be judicial or disciplinary, the
Detaining Power shall ensure that the competent
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authorities exercise the greatest leniency and
adopt, wherever possible, disciplinary rather than
judicial measures.
Article 84
A prisoner of war shall be tried only by a
military court, unless the existing laws of the
Detaining Power expressly permit the civil courts
to try a member of the armed forces of the
Detaining Power in respect of the particular
offence alleged to have been committed by the
prisoner of war.
In no circumstances whatever shall a prisoner of
war be tried by a court of any kind which does not
offer the essential guarantees of independence and
impartiality as generally recognized, and, in
particular, the procedure of which does not afford
the accused the rights and means of defense
provided for in Article 105.
Article 85
Prisoners of war prosecuted under the laws of
the Detaining Power for acts committed prior to
capture shall retain, even if convicted, the benefits
of the present Convention.
Article 86
No prisoner of war may be punished more than
once for the same act or on the same charge.
Article 87
Prisoners of war may not be sentenced by the
military authorities and courts of the Detaining
Power to any penalties except those provided for
in respect of members of the armed forces of the
said Power who have committed the same acts.
When fixing the penalty, the courts or
authorities of the Detaining Power shall take into
consideration, to the widest extent possible, the
fact that the accused, not being a national of the
Detaining Power, is not bound to it by any duty of
allegiance, & that he is in its power as the result of
circumstances independent of his own will.
The said courts or authorities shall be at liberty
to reduce the penalty provided for the violation of
which the prisoner of war is accused, and shall
therefore not be bound to apply the minimum
penalty prescribed.
Collective punishment for individual acts,
corporal punishment, imprisonment in premises
without daylight and, in general, any form of
torture or cruelty, are forbidden.
No prisoner of war may be deprived of his rank
by the Detaining Power, or prevented from
wearing his badges.
Article 88
Officers, non-commissioned officers and
men who are prisoners of war undergoing a
disciplinary or judicial punishment, shall not
be subjected to more severe treatment than
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that applied in respect of the same
punishment to members of the armed forces
of the Detaining Power of equivalent rank.
A woman prisoner of war shall not be
awarded or sentenced to a punishment more
severe, or treated whilst undergoing
punishment more severely, than a woman
member of the armed forces of the
Detaining Power dealt with for a similar
offence.
In no case may a woman prisoner of war be
awarded or sentenced to a punishment more
severe, or treated whilst undergoing
punishment more severely, than a male
member of the armed forces of the
Detaining Power dealt with for a similar
offence.
Prisoners of war who have served
disciplinary or judicial sentences may not be
treated differently from other prisoners of
war.
II. Disciplinary Sanctions
Article 89
The disciplinary punishments applicable to
prisoners of war are the following:
(1) A fine which shall not exceed 50
per cent of the advances of pay and working
pay which the prisoner of war would
otherwise receive under the provisions of
Articles 60 and 62 during a period of not
more than thirty days.
(2) Discontinuance of privileges
granted over and above the treatment
provided for by the present Convention.
(3) Fatigue duties not exceeding two
hours daily.
(4) Confinement.
The punishment referred to under (3) shall
not be applied to officers.
In no case shall disciplinary punishments be
inhuman, brutal or dangerous to the health
of prisoners of war.
Article 90
The duration of any single punishment shall
in no case exceed thirty days. Any period of
confinement awaiting the hearing of a
disciplinary offence or the award of
disciplinary punishment shall be deducted
from an award pronounced against a
prisoner of war.
The maximum of thirty days provided above
may not be exceeded, even if the prisoner of
war is answerable for several acts at the
same time when he is awarded punishment,
whether such acts are related or not.
The period between the pronouncing of an
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award of disciplinary punishment and its
execution shall not exceed one month.
When a prisoner of war is awarded a further
disciplinary punishment, a period of at least
three days shall elapse between the
execution of any two of the punishments, if
the duration of one of these is ten days or
more.
Article 91
The escape of a prisoner of war shall be
deemed to have succeeded when:
(1) he has joined the armed forces of
the Power on which he depends, or those of
an allied Power;
(2) he has left the territory under the
control of the Detaining Power, or of an ally
of the said Power;
(3) he has joined a ship flying the flag
of the Power on which he depends, or of an
allied Power, in the territorial waters of the
Detaining Power, the said ship not being
under the control of the last named Power.
Prisoners of war who have made good their
escape in the sense of this Article and who
are recaptured, shall not be liable to any
punishment in respect of their previous
escape.
Article 92
A prisoner of war who attempts to escape
and is recaptured before having made good
his escape in the sense of Article 91 shall be
liable only to a disciplinary punishment in
respect of this act, even if it is a repeated
offence.
A prisoner of war who is recaptured shall be
handed over without delay to the competent
military authority.
Article 88, fourth paragraph,
notwithstanding, prisoners of war punished
as a result of an unsuccessful escape may be
subjected to special surveillance. Such
surveillance must not affect the state of their
health, must be undergone in a prisoner of
war camp, and must not entail the
suppression of any of the safeguards granted
them by the present Convention.
Article 93
Escape or attempt to escape, even if it is a
repeated offence, shall not be deemed an
aggravating circumstance if the prisoner of war is
subjected to trial by judicial proceedings in respect
of an offence committed during his escape or
attempt to escape.
In conformity with the principle stated in Article
83, offences committed by prisoners of war with
the sole intention of facilitating their escape and
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which do not entail any violence against life or
limb, such as offences against public property,
theft without intention of self-enrichment, the
drawing up or use of false papers, or the wearing
of civilian clothing, shall occasion disciplinary
punishment only.
Prisoners of war who aid or abet an escape or an
attempt to escape shall be liable on this count to
disciplinary punishment only.
Article 94
If an escaped prisoner of war is recaptured, the
Power on which he depends shall be notified
thereof in the manner defined in Article 122,
provided notification of his escape has been made.
Article 95
A prisoner of war accused of an offence against
discipline shall not be kept in confinement
pending the hearing unless a member of the armed
forces of the Detaining Power would be so kept if
he were accused of a similar offence, or if it is
essential in the interests of camp order &
discipline.
Any period spent by a prisoner of war in
confinement awaiting the disposal of an offence
against discipline shall be reduced to an absolute
minimum and shall not exceed fourteen days.
The provisions of Articles 97 and 98 of this
Chapter shall apply to prisoners of war who are in
confinement awaiting the disposal of offences
against discipline.
Article 96
Acts which constitute offences against discipline
shall be investigated immediately.
Without prejudice to the competence of courts
and superior military authorities, disciplinary
punishment may be ordered only by an officer
having disciplinary powers in his capacity as camp
commander, or by a responsible officer who
replaces him or to whom he has delegated his
disciplinary powers.
In no case may such powers be delegated to a
prisoner of war or be exercised by a prisoner of
war.
Before any disciplinary award is pronounced, the
accused shall be given precise information
regarding the offences of which he is accused, and
given an opportunity of explaining his conduct and
of defending himself. He shall be permitted, in
particular, to call witnesses and to have recourse, if
necessary, to the services of a qualified interpreter.
The decision shall be announced to the accused
prisoner of war and to the prisoners’
representative.
A record of disciplinary punishments shall be
maintained by the camp commander & shall be
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open to inspection by representatives of the
Protecting Power.
Article 97
Prisoners of war shall not in any case be
transferred to penitentiary establishments (prisons,
penitentiaries, convict prisons, etc.) to undergo
disciplinary punishment therein.
All premises in which disciplinary punishments
are undergone shall conform to the sanitary
requirements set forth in Article 25. A prisoner of
war undergoing punishment shall be enabled to
keep himself in a state of cleanliness, in conformity
with Article 29.
Officers and persons of equivalent status shall
not be lodged in the same quarters as non-
commissioned officers or men.
Women prisoners of war undergoing
disciplinary punishment shall be confined in
separate quarters from male prisoners of war &
shall be under the immediate supervision of
women.
Article 98
A prisoner of war undergoing confinement as a
disciplinary punishment, shall continue to enjoy
the benefits of the provisions of this Convention
except in so far as these are necessarily rendered
inapplicable by the mere fact that he is confined.
In no case may he be deprived of the benefits of
the provisions of Articles 78 and 126.
A prisoner of war awarded disciplinary
punishment may not be deprived of the
prerogatives attached to his rank. Prisoners of war
awarded disciplinary punishment shall be allowed
to exercise & to stay in the open air at least two
hours daily.
They shall be allowed, on their request, to be
present at the daily medical inspections. They shall
receive the attention which their state of health
requires and, if necessary, shall be removed to the
camp infirmary or to a hospital.
They shall have permission to read & write,
likewise to send and receive letters. Parcels and
remittances of money however, may be withheld
from them until the completion of the
punishment; they shall meanwhile be entrusted to
the prisoners’ representative, who-will hand over
to the infirmary the perishable goods contained in
such parcels.
III. Judicial Proceedings
Article 99
No prisoner of war may be tried or sentenced
for an act which is not forbidden by the law of the
Detaining Power or by international law, in force
at the time the said act was committed.
No moral or physical coercion may be exerted
on a prisoner of war in order to induce him to
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admit himself guilty of the act of which he is
accused.
No prisoner of war may be convicted without
having had an opportunity to present his defense
and the assistance of a qualified advocate or
counsel.
Article 100
Prisoners of war and the Protecting Powers shall
be informed as soon as possible of the offences
which are punishable by the death sentence under
the laws of the Detaining Power.
Other offences shall not thereafter be made
punishable by the death penalty without the
concurrence of the Power on which the prisoners
of war depend.
The death sentence cannot be pronounced on a
prisoner of war unless the attention of the court
has, in accordance with Article 87, second
paragraph, been particularly called to the fact that
since the accused is not a national of the Detaining
Power, he is not bound to it by any duty of
allegiance, & that he is in its power as the result of
circumstances independent of his own will.
Article 101
If the death penalty is pronounced on a prisoner
of war, the sentence shall not be executed before
the expiration of a period of at least six months
from the date when the Protecting Power receives,
at an indicated address, the detailed
communication provided for in Article 107.
Article 102
A prisoner of war can be validly sentenced only
if the sentence has been pronounced by the same
courts according to the same procedure as in the
case of members of the armed forces of the
Detaining Power, and if, furthermore, the
provisions of the present Chapter have been
observed.
Article 103
Judicial investigations relating to a prisoner of
war shall be conducted as rapidly as circumstances
permit and so that his trial shall take place as soon
as possible. A prisoner of war shall not be
confined while awaiting trial unless a member of
the armed forces of the Detaining Power would be
so confined if he were accused of a similar offence,
or if it is essential to do so in the interests of
national security. In no circumstances shall this
confinement exceed three months.
Any period spent by a prisoner of war in
confinement awaiting trial shall be deducted from
any sentence of imprisonment passed upon him
and taken into account in fixing any penalty.
The provisions of Articles 97 and 98 of this
Chapter shall apply to a prisoner of war whilst in
confinement awaiting trial.
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Article 104
In any case in which the Detaining Power has
decided to institute judicial proceedings against a
prisoner of war, it shall notify the Protecting
Power as soon as possible and at least three weeks
before the opening of the trial. This period of
three weeks shall run as from the day on which
such notification reaches the Protecting Power at
the address previously indicated by the latter to the
Detaining Power.
The said notification shall contain the following
information:
(1) Surname and first names of the prisoner of
war, his rank, his army, regimental, personal or
serial number, his date of birth, and his profession
or trade, if any;
(2) Place of internment or confinement;
(3) Specification of the charge or charges on
which the prisoner of war is to be arraigned, giving
the legal provisions applicable;
(4) Designation of the court which will try the
case, likewise the date and place fixed for the
opening of the trial.
The same communication shall be made by the
Detaining Power to the prisoners’ representative.
If no evidence is submitted, at the opening of a
trial, that the notification referred to above was
received by the Protecting Power, by the prisoner
of war and by the prisoners’ representative
concerned, at least three weeks before the opening
of the trial, then the latter cannot take place and
must be adjourned.
Article 105
The prisoner of war shall be entitled to
assistance by one of his prisoner comrades, to
defense by a qualified advocate or counsel of his
own choice, to the calling of witnesses and, if he
deems necessary, to the services of a competent
interpreter. He shall be advised of these rights by
the Detaining Power in due time before the trial.
Failing a choice by the prisoner of war, the
Protecting Power shall find him an advocate or
counsel, and shall have at least one week at its
disposal for the purpose. The Detaining Power
shall deliver to the said Power, on request, a list of
persons qualified to present the defense. Failing a
choice of an advocate or counsel by the prisoner
of war or the Protecting Power, the Detaining
Power shall appoint a competent advocate or
counsel to conduct the defense.
The advocate or counsel conducting the defense
on behalf of the prisoner of war shall have at his
disposal a period of two weeks at least before the
opening of the trial, as well as the necessary
facilities to prepare the defense of the accused. He
may, in particular, freely visit the accused &
interview him in private. He may also confer with
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any witnesses for the defense, including prisoners
of war. He shall have the benefit of these facilities
until the term of appeal or petition has expired.
Particulars of the charge or charges on which
the prisoner of war is to be arraigned, as well as
the documents which are generally communicated
to the accused by virtue of the laws in force in the
armed forces of the Detaining Power, shall be
communicated to the accused prisoner of war in a
language which he understands, and in good time
before the opening of the trial. The same
communication in the same circumstances shall be
made to the advocate or counsel conducting the
defense on behalf of the prisoner of war.
The representatives of the Protecting Power
shall be entitled to attend the trial of the case,
unless, exceptionally, this is held in camera in the
interest of State security. In such a case the
Detaining Power shall advise the Protecting Power
accordingly.
Article 106
Every prisoner of war shall have, in the same
manner as the members of the armed forces of the
Detaining Power, the right of appeal or petition
from any sentence pronounced upon him, with a
view to the quashing or revising of the sentence or
the reopening of the trial. He shall be fully
informed of his right to appeal or petition and of
the time limit within which he may do so.
Article 107
Any judgment and sentence pronounced upon a
prisoner of war shall be immediately reported to
the Protecting Power in the form of a summary
communication, which shall also indicate whether
he has the right of appeal with a view to the
quashing of the sentence or the reopening of the
trial. This communication shall likewise be sent to
the prisoners’ representative concerned. It shall
also be sent to the accused prisoner of war in a
language he understands, if the sentence was not
pronounced in his presence. The Detaining Power
shall also immediately communicate to the
Protecting Power the decision of the prisoner of
war to use or to waive his right of appeal.
Furthermore, if a prisoner of war is finally
convicted or if a sentence pronounced on a
prisoner of war in the first instance is a death
sentence, the Detaining Power shall as soon as
possible address to the Protecting Power a detailed
communication containing:
(1) the precise wording of the finding &
sentence;
(2) a summarized report of any preliminary
investigation and of the trial, emphasizing in
particular the elements of the prosecution and the
defense;
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(3) notification, where applicable, of the
establishment where the sentence will be served.
The communications provided for in the
foregoing sub-paragraphs shall be sent to the
Protecting Power at the address previously made
known to the Detaining Power.
Article 108
Sentences pronounced on prisoners of war after
a conviction has become duly enforceable, shall be
served in the same establishments and under the
same conditions as in the case of members of the
armed forces of the Detaining Power. These
conditions shall in all cases conform to the
requirements of health and humanity.
A woman prisoner of war on whom such a
sentence has been pronounced shall be confined in
separate quarters and shall be under the
supervision of women.
In any case, prisoners of war sentenced to a
penalty depriving them of their liberty shall retain
the benefit of the provisions of Articles 78 and 126
of the present Convention. Furthermore, they shall
be entitled to receive and dispatch
correspondence, to receive at least one relief parcel
monthly, to take regular exercise in the open air, to
have the medical care required by their state of
health, and the spiritual assistance they may desire.
Penalties to which they may be subjected shall
be in accordance with the provisions of Article 87,
third paragraph.
PART IV
TERMINATION OF
CAPTIVITY
SECTION I
DIRECT REPATRIATION &
ACCOMMODATION IN NEUTRAL
COUNTRIES
Article 109
Subject to the provisions of the third paragraph
of this Article, Parties to the conflict are bound to
send back to their own country, regardless of
number or rank, seriously wounded and seriously
sick prisoners of war, after having cared for them
until they are fit to travel, in accordance with the
first paragraph of the following Article.
Throughout the duration of hostilities, Parties to
the conflict shall endeavor, with the cooperation
of the neutral Powers concerned, to make
arrangements for the accommodation in neutral
countries of the sick and wounded prisoners of
war referred to in the second paragraph of the
following Article. They may, in addition, conclude
agreements with a view to the direct repatriation or
internment in a neutral country of able-bodied
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prisoners of war who have undergone a long
period of captivity.
No sick or injured prisoner of war who is
eligible for repatriation under the first paragraph of
this Article, may be repatriated against his will
during hostilities.
Article 110
The following shall be repatriated direct:
(1) Incurably wounded and sick whose mental
or physical fitness seems to have been gravely
diminished.
(2) Wounded and sick who, according to
medical opinion, are not likely to recover within
one year, whose condition requires treatment and
whose mental or physical fitness seems to have
been gravely diminished.
(3) Wounded and sick who have recovered, but
whose mental or physical fitness seems to have
been gravely & permanently diminished.
The following may be accommodated in a
neutral country:
(1) Wounded and sick whose recovery may be
expected within one year of the date of the wound
or the beginning of the illness, if treatment in a
neutral country might increase the prospects of a
more certain & speedy recovery.
(2) Prisoners of war whose mental or physical
health, according to medical opinion, is seriously
threatened by continued captivity, but whose
accommodation in a neutral country might remove
such a threat.
The conditions which prisoners of war
accommodated in a neutral country must fulfill in
order to permit their repatriation shall be fixed, as
shall likewise their status, by agreement between
the Powers concerned. In general, prisoners of war
who have been accommodated in a neutral
country, and who belong to the following
categories, should be repatriated:
(1) Those whose state of health has deteriorated
so as to fulfill the condition laid down for direct
repatriation;
(2) Those whose mental or physical powers
remain, even after treatment, considerably
impaired.
If no special agreements are concluded between
the Parties to the conflict concerned, to determine
the cases of disablement or sickness entailing
direct repatriation or accommodation in a neutral
country, such cases shall be settled in accordance
with the principles laid down in the Model
Agreement concerning direct repatriation and
accommodation in neutral countries of wounded
and sick prisoners of war and in the Regulations
concerning Mixed Medical Commissions annexed
to the present Convention.
***
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Article 115
No prisoner of war on whom a disciplinary
punishment has been imposed and who is eligible
for repatriation or for accommodation in a neutral
country, may be kept back on the plea that he has
not undergone his punishment. Prisoners of war
detained in connection with a judicial prosecution
or conviction, & who are designated for
repatriation or accommodation in a neutral
country, may benefit by such measures before the
end of the proceedings or the completion of the
punishment, if the Detaining Power consents.
Parties to the conflict shall communicate to each
other the names of those who will be detained
until the end of the proceedings or the completion
of the punishment.
***
Article 117
No repatriated person may be employed on
active military service.
SECTION II
RELEASE AND REPATRIATION OF
PRISONERS OF WAR AT THE
CLOSE OF HOSTILITIES
Article 118
Prisoners of war shall be released & repatriated
without delay after the cessation of active
hostilities.
***
SECTION III
DEATH OF PRISONERS OF WAR
Article 120
Wills of prisoners of war shall be drawn up so as
to satisfy the conditions of validity required by the
legislation of their country of origin, which will
take steps to inform the Detaining Power of its
requirements in this respect. At the request of the
prisoner of war and, in all cases, after death, the
will shall be transmitted without delay to the
Protecting Power; a certified copy shall be sent to
the Central Agency. Death certificates, in the form
annexed to the present Convention, or lists
certified by a responsible officer, of all persons
who die as prisoners of war shall be forwarded as
rapidly as possible to the Prisoner of War
Information Bureau established in accordance with
Article 122. The death certificates or certified lists
shall show particulars of identity as set out in the
third paragraph of Article 17, and also the date and
place of death, the cause of death, the date and
place of burial and all particulars necessary to
identify the graves. The burial or cremation of a
prisoner of war shall be preceded by a medical
examination of the body with a view to confirming
death and enabling a report to be made and, where
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necessary, establishing identity. The detaining
authorities shall ensure that prisoners of war who
have died in captivity are honorably buried, if
possible according to the rites of the religion to
which they belonged, and that their graves are
respected, suitably maintained and marked so as to
be found at any time. Wherever possible, deceased
prisoners of war who depended on the same
Power shall be interred in the same place.
Deceased prisoners of war shall be buried in
individual graves unless unavoidable circumstances
require the use of collective graves. Bodies may be
cremated only for imperative reasons of hygiene,
on account of the religion of the deceased or in
accordance with his express wish to this effect. In
case of cremation, the fact shall be stated and the
reasons given in the death certificate of the
deceased. In order that graves may always be
found, all particulars of burials and graves shall be
recorded with a Graves Registration Service
established by the Detaining Power. Lists of graves
and particulars of the prisoners of war interred in
cemeteries and elsewhere shall be transmitted to
the Power on which such prisoners of war
depended. Responsibility for the care of these
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graves and for records of any subsequent moves of
the bodies shall rest on the Power controlling the
territory, if a Party to the present Convention.
These provisions shall also apply to the ashes,
which shall be kept by the Graves Registration
Service until proper disposal thereof in accordance
with the wishes of the home country.
Article 121
Every death or serious injury of a prisoner of
war caused or suspected to have been caused by a
sentry, another prisoner of war, or any other
person, as well as any death the cause of which is
unknown, shall be immediately followed by an
official enquiry by the Detaining Power. A
communication on this subject shall be sent
immediately to the Protecting Power. Statements
shall be taken from witnesses, especially from
those who are prisoners of war, and a report
including such statements shall be forwarded to
the Protecting Power. If the enquiry indicates the
guilt of one or more persons, the Detaining Power
shall take all measures for the prosecution of the
person or persons responsible.
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‘Bill of Rights’
Ratified September 25th, 1789
First Congress of the United States of America

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people
to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the
owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon
probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be
searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a
presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in
the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for
the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal
case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process
of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by
an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district
shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the
accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for
obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right
of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any
court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual
punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or
disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to
the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

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Ratified December 10th, 1948
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(art. 1), adopted by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III)
Article I
All human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed
with reason and conscience and should act
towards one another in a spirit of
brotherhood.
Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights
and freedoms set forth in this Declaration,
without distinction of any kind, such as race,
colour, sex, language, religion, political or
other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status.
Furthermore, no distinction shall be
made on the basis of the political,
jurisdictional or international status of the
country or territory to which a person
belongs, whether it be independent, trust,
non-self-governing or under any other
limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty
and security of person.
Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or
servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be
prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture
or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment.
Article 6
Everyone has the right to recognition
everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7
All are equal before the law and are
entitled without any discrimination to equal
protection of the law. All are entitled to equal
protection against any discrimination in
violation of this Declaration and against any
incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective
remedy by the competent national tribunals
for acts violating the fundamental rights
granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9
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No one shall be subjected to arbitrary
arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to
a fair and public hearing by an independent
and impartial tribunal, in the determination of
his rights and obligations and of any criminal
charge against him.
Article 11
1. Everyone charged with a penal
offence has the right to be presumed innocent
until proved guilty according to law in a public
trial at which he has had all the guarantees
necessary for his defence.
2. No one shall be held guilty of any
penal offence on account of any act or
omission which did not constitute a penal
offence, under national or international law, at
the time when it was committed. Nor shall a
heavier penalty be imposed than the one that
was applicable at the time the penal offence
was committed.
Article 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary
interference with his privacy, family, home or
correspondence, nor to attacks upon his
honour and reputation. Everyone has the
right to the protection of the law against such
interference or attacks.
Article 13
1. Everyone has the right to freedom
of movement and residence within the
borders of each State.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any
country, including his own, and to return to
his country.
Article 14
1. Everyone has the right to seek and
to enjoy in other countries asylum from
persecution.
2. This right may not be invoked in
the case of prosecutions genuinely arising
from non-political crimes or from acts
contrary to the purposes and principles of the
United Nations.
Article 15
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1. Everyone has the right to a
nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived
of his nationality nor denied the right to
change his nationality.
Article 16
1. Men and women of full age,
without any limitation due to race, nationality
or religion, have the right to marry and to
found a family. They are entitled to equal
rights as to marriage, during marriage and at
its dissolution.
2. Marriage shall be entered into only
with the free and full consent of the intending
spouses.
3. The family is the natural and
fundamental group unit of society and is
entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17
1. Everyone has the right to own
property alone as well as in association with
others.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived
of his property.
Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of
thought, conscience and religion; this right
includes freedom to change his religion or
belief, and freedom, either alone or in
community with others and in public or
private, to manifest his religion or belief in
teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of
opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without
interference and to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and
regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
1. Everyone has the right to freedom
of peaceful assembly and association.
2. No one may be compelled to
belong to an association.
Article 21
1. Everyone has the right to take part
in the government of his country, directly or
through freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right to equal
access to public service in his country.
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3. The will of the people shall be the
basis of the authority of government; this will
shall be expressed in periodic and genuine
elections which shall be by universal and equal
suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by
equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22
Everyone, as a member of society,
has the right to social security and is entitled
to realization, through national effort and
international co-operation and in accordance
with the organization and resources of each
State, of the economic, social and cultural
rights indispensable for his dignity and the
free development of his personality.
Article 23
1. Everyone has the right to work, to
free choice of employment, to just and
favourable conditions of work and to
protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any
discrimination, has the right to equal pay for
equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right
to just and favourable remuneration ensuring
for himself and his family an existence worthy
of human dignity, and supplemented, if
necessary, by other means of social
protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and
to join trade unions for the protection of his
interests.
Article 24
Everyone has the right to rest and
leisure, including reasonable limitation of
working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25
1. Everyone has the right to a
standard of living adequate for the health and
well-being of himself and of his family,
including food, clothing, housing and medical
care and necessary social services, and the
right to security in the event of
unemployment, sickness, disability,
widowhood, old age or other lack of
livelihood in circumstances beyond his
control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are
entitled to special care and assistance. All
children, whether born in or out of wedlock,
shall enjoy the same social protection.
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Article 26
1. Everyone has the right to
education. Education shall be free, at least in
the elementary and fundamental stages.
Elementary education shall be compulsory.
Technical and professional education shall be
made generally available and higher education
shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of
merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the
full development of the human personality
and to the strengthening of respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall
promote understanding, tolerance and
friendship among all nations, racial or
religious groups, and shall further the
activities of the United Nations for the
maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to
choose the kind of education that shall be
given to their children.
Article 27
1. Everyone has the right freely to
participate in the cultural life of the
community, to enjoy the arts and to share in
scientific advancement and its benefits.
2. Everyone has the right to the
protection of the moral and material interests
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resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic
production of which he is the author.
Article 28
Everyone is entitled to a social and
international order in which the rights and
freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be
fully realized.
Article 29
1. Everyone has duties to the
community in which alone the free and full
development of his personality is possible.
2. In the exercise of his rights and
freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to
such limitations as are determined by law
solely for the purpose of securing due
recognition and respect for the rights and
freedoms of others and of meeting the just
requirements of morality, public order and the
general welfare in a democratic society.
3. These rights and freedoms may in
no case be exercised contrary to the purposes
and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30
Nothing in this Declaration may be
interpreted as implying for any State, group or
person any right to engage in any activity or to
perform any act aimed at the destruction of
any of the rights and freedoms set forth
herein.
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United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
[without reference to a Main Committee (A/61/L.67 and Add.1)]
61/295. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The General Assembly, Taking note of the recommendation of the Human Rights Council contained in its resolution 1/2 of 29 June
2006,1 by which the Council adopted the text of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Recalling its
resolution 61/178 of 20 December 2006, by which it decided to defer consideration of and action on the Declaration to allow time for
further consultations thereon, and also decided to conclude its consideration before the end of the sixty-first session of the General
Assembly, Adopts the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as contained in the annex to the present
resolution. 107th plenary meeting 13 September 2007

Annex
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The General Assembly, Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and good
faith in the fulfillment of the obligations assumed by States in accordance with the Charter, Affirming that
indigenous peoples are equal to all other peoples, while recognizing the right of all peoples to be different, to
consider themselves different, and to be respected as such, 1.See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-first
Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/61/53), part one, chap. II, sect. A.

Affirming also that all peoples contribute to the diversity and richness of civilizations and cultures, which
constitute the common heritage of humankind,
Affirming further that all doctrines, policies and practices based on or advocating superiority of peoples or
individuals on the basis of national origin or racial, religious, ethnic or cultural differences are racist,
scientifically false, legally invalid, morally condemnable & socially unjust,
Reaffirming that indigenous peoples, in the exercise of their rights, should be free from discrimination of any
kind,
Concerned that indigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices as a result of, inter alia, their
colonization and dispossession of their lands, territories and resources, thus preventing them from exercising,
in particular, their right to development in accordance with their own needs and interests,
Recognizing the urgent need to respect and promote the inherent rights of indigenous peoples which derive
from their political, economic and social structures and from their cultures, spiritual traditions, histories and
philosophies, especially their rights to their lands, territories and resources,
Recognizing also the urgent need to respect and promote the rights of indigenous peoples affirmed in treaties,
agreements and other constructive arrangements with States,
Welcoming the fact that indigenous peoples are organizing themselves for political, economic, social and
cultural enhancement & in order to bring to an end all forms of discrimination and oppression wherever they
occur,
Convinced that control by indigenous peoples over developments affecting them and their lands, territories
and resources will enable them to maintain and strengthen their institutions, cultures and traditions, and to
promote their development in accordance with their aspirations and needs,
Recognizing that respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures & traditional practices contributes to sustainable
and equitable development and proper management of the environment,
Emphasizing the contribution of the demilitarization of the lands and territories of indigenous peoples to
peace, economic and social progress and development, understanding and friendly relations among nations and
peoples of the world,
Recognizing in particular the right of indigenous families and communities to retain shared responsibility for the
upbringing, training, education and well-being of their children, consistent with the rights of the child,
Considering that the rights affirmed in treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements between
States and indigenous peoples are, in some situations, matters of international concern, interest, responsibility
and character,
Considering also that treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements, and the relationship they
represent, are the basis for a strengthened partnership between indigenous peoples and States,
Acknowledging that the Charter of the United Nations, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the Vienna Declaration
and Programme of Action, affirm the fundamental importance of the right to self-determination of all peoples,
by virtue of which they freely determine their political status & freely pursue their economic, social and cultural
development,
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Bearing in mind that nothing in this Declaration may be used to deny any peoples their right to self-
determination, exercised in conformity with international law,
Convinced that the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples in this Declaration will enhance
harmonious and cooperative relations between the State and indigenous peoples, based on principles of justice,
democracy, respect for human rights, non-discrimination and good faith,
Encouraging States to comply with and effectively implement all their obligations as they apply to indigenous
peoples under international instruments, in particular those related to human rights, in consultation and
cooperation with the peoples concerned,
Emphasizing that the United Nations has an important and continuing role to play in promoting and
protecting the rights of indigenous peoples,
Believing that this Declaration is a further important step forward for the recognition, promotion and
protection of the rights & freedoms of indigenous peoples and in the development of relevant activities of the
United Nations system in this field,
Recognizing and reaffirming that indigenous individuals are entitled without discrimination to all human rights
recognized in international law, and that indigenous peoples possess collective rights which are indispensable
for their existence, well-being and integral development as peoples,
Recognizing that the situation of indigenous peoples varies from region to region and from country to country
and that the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical and cultural backgrounds
should be taken into consideration,
Solemnly proclaims the following United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a
standard of achievement to be pursued in a spirit of partnership and mutual respect:
Article 1
Indigenous peoples have the right to the full enjoyment, as a collective or as individuals, of all human rights
and fundamental freedoms as recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and international human rights law.
Article 2
Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right
to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their
indigenous origin or identity.
Article 3
Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their
political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
Article 4
Indigenous peoples, in exercising their right to self-determination, have the right to autonomy or self-
government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs, as well as ways and means for financing their
autonomous functions.
Article 5
Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social
and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political,
economic, social and cultural life of the State.
Article 6
Every indigenous individual has the right to a nationality.
Article 7
1. Indigenous individuals have the rights to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person.
2. Indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples and
shall not be subjected to any act of genocide or any other act of violence, including forcibly removing children
of the group to another group.
Article 8
1. Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction
of their culture.
2. States shall provide effective mechanisms for prevention of, & redress for:
(a) Any action which has the aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural values
or ethnic identities;
(b) Any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their lands, territories or resources;
(c) Any form of forced population transfer which has the aim or effect of violating or undermining any of their rights;
(d) Any form of forced assimilation or integration;
(e) Any form of propaganda designed to promote or incite racial or ethnic discrimination directed against them.
Article 9
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Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right to belong to an indigenous community or nation, in
accordance with the traditions and customs of the community or nation concerned. No discrimination of any
kind may arise from the exercise of such a right.
Article 10
Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories. No relocation shall take
place without the free, prior & informed consent of the indigenous peoples concerned and after agreement on
just and fair compensation and, where possible, with the option of return.
Article 11
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This
includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures,
such as archaeological and historical sites, artifacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and
performing arts and literature.
2. States shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which may include restitution, developed in
conjunction with indigenous peoples, with respect to their cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property
taken without their free, prior and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs.
Article 12
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to manifest, practice, develop and teach their spiritual and religious
traditions, customs and ceremonies; the right to maintain, protect, and have access in privacy to their religious
and cultural sites; the right to the use and control of their ceremonial objects; and the right to the repatriation
of their human remains.
2. States shall seek to enable the access and/or repatriation of ceremonial objects and human remains in their
possession through fair, transparent and effective mechanisms developed in conjunction with indigenous
peoples concerned.
Article 13
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop & transmit to future generations their
histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures, and to designate and retain
their own names for communities, places and persons.
2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that this right is protected and also to ensure that indigenous
peoples can understand and be understood in political, legal and administrative proceedings, where necessary
through the provision of interpretation or by other appropriate means.
Article 14
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions
providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and
learning.
2. Indigenous individuals, particularly children, have the right to all levels and forms of education of the State
without discrimination.
3. States shall, in conjunction with indigenous peoples, take effective measures, in order for indigenous
individuals, particularly children, including those living outside their communities, to have access, when
possible, to an education in their own culture and provided in their own language.
Article 15
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the dignity and diversity of their cultures, traditions, histories and
aspirations which shall be appropriately reflected in education and public information.
2. States shall take effective measures, in consultation and cooperation with the indigenous peoples
concerned, to combat prejudice and eliminate discrimination and to promote tolerance, understanding and
good relations among indigenous peoples and all other segments of society.
Article 16
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish their own media in their own languages and to have access
to all forms of non-indigenous media without discrimination.
2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that State-owned media duly reflect indigenous cultural
diversity. States, without prejudice to ensuring full freedom of expression, should encourage privately owned
media to adequately reflect indigenous cultural diversity.
Article 17
1. Indigenous individuals and peoples have the right to enjoy fully all rights established under applicable
international and domestic labor law.
2. States shall in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples take specific measures to protect
indigenous children from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous
or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual,
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moral or social development, taking into account their special vulnerability and the importance of education for
their empowerment.
3. Indigenous individuals have the right not to be subjected to any discriminatory conditions of labor and,
inter alia, employment or salary.
Article 18
Indigenous peoples have the right to participate in decision-making in matters which would affect their
rights, through representatives chosen by themselves in accordance with their own procedures, as well as to
maintain and develop their own indigenous decision making institutions.
Article 19
States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own
representative institutions in order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent before adopting and
implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.
Article 20
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and develop their political, economic and social systems or
institutions, to be secure in the enjoyment of their own means of subsistence and development, and to engage
freely in all their traditional and other economic activities.
2. Indigenous peoples deprived of their means of subsistence & development are entitled to just and fair
redress.
Article 21
1. Indigenous peoples have the right, without discrimination, to the improvement of their economic and
social conditions, including, inter alia, in the areas of education, employment, vocational training and retraining,
housing, sanitation, health and social security.
2. States shall take effective measures and, where appropriate, special measures to ensure continuing
improvement of their economic and social conditions. Particular attention shall be paid to the rights and special
needs of indigenous elders, women, youth, children & persons with disabilities.
Article 22
1. Particular attention shall be paid to the rights and special needs of indigenous elders, women, youth,
children and persons with disabilities in the implementation of this Declaration.
2. States shall take measures, in conjunction with indigenous peoples, to ensure that indigenous women and
children enjoy the full protection and guarantees against all forms of violence and discrimination.
Article 23
Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for exercising their right
to development. In particular, indigenous peoples have the right to be actively involved in developing and
determining health, housing and other economic and social programmes affecting them and, as far as possible,
to administer such programmes through their own institutions.
Article 24
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices,
including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also
have the right to access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services.
2. Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical
and mental health. States shall take the necessary steps with a view to achieving progressively the full realization
of this right.
Article 25
Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their
traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used lands, territories, waters and coastal seas and other
resources and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations in this regard.
Article 26
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories & resources which they have traditionally
owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired.
2. Indigenous peoples have the right to own, use, develop & control the lands, territories and resources that
they possess by reason of traditional ownership or other traditional occupation or use, as well as those which
they have otherwise acquired.
3. States shall give legal recognition and protection to these lands, territories and resources. Such recognition
shall be conducted with due respect to the customs, traditions and land tenure systems of the indigenous
peoples concerned.
Article 27

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States shall establish and implement, in conjunction with indigenous peoples concerned, a fair, independent,
impartial, open & transparent process, giving due recognition to indigenous peoples’ laws, traditions, customs
and land tenure systems, to recognize & adjudicate the rights of indigenous peoples pertaining to their lands,
territories and resources, including those which were traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used.
Indigenous peoples shall have the right to participate in this process.
Article 28
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to redress, by means that can include restitution or, when this is not
possible, just, fair and equitable compensation, for the lands, territories and resources which they have
traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used, and which have been confiscated, taken, occupied, used or
damaged without their free, prior and informed consent.
2. Unless otherwise freely agreed upon by the peoples concerned, compensation shall take the form of lands,
territories and resources equal in quality, size and legal status or of monetary compensation or other
appropriate redress.
Article 29
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the conservation and protection of the environment and the
productive capacity of their lands or territories and resources. States shall establish and implement assistance
programmes for indigenous peoples for such conservation and protection, without discrimination.
2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that no storage or disposal of hazardous materials shall take
place in the lands or territories of indigenous peoples without their free, prior and informed consent.
3. States shall also take effective measures to ensure, as needed, that programmes for monitoring,
maintaining and restoring the health of indigenous peoples, as developed and implemented by the peoples
affected by such materials, are duly implemented.
Article 30
1. Military activities shall not take place in the lands or territories of indigenous peoples, unless justified by a
relevant public interest or otherwise freely agreed with or requested by the indigenous peoples concerned.
2. States shall undertake effective consultations with the indigenous peoples concerned, through appropriate
procedures and in particular through their representative institutions, prior to using their lands or territories for
military activities.
Article 31
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage,
traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as the manifestations of their sciences,
technologies and cultures, including human and genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the
properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literatures, designs, sports and traditional games and visual and
performing arts. They also have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property
over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions.
2. In conjunction with indigenous peoples, States shall take effective measures to recognize and protect the
exercise of these rights.
Article 32
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for the development
or use of their lands or territories and other resources.
2. States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own
representative institutions in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any
project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development,
utilization or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources.
3. States shall provide effective mechanisms for just and fair redress for any such activities, and appropriate
measures shall be taken to mitigate adverse environmental, economic, social, cultural or spiritual impact.
Article 33
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to determine their own identity or membership in accordance with their
customs and traditions. This does not impair the right of indigenous individuals to obtain citizenship of the
States in which they live.
2. Indigenous peoples have the right to determine the structures and to select the membership of their
institutions in accordance with their own procedures.
Article 34
Indigenous peoples have the right to promote, develop and maintain their institutional structures and their
distinctive customs, spirituality, traditions, procedures, practices and, in the cases where they exist, juridical
systems or customs, in accordance with international human rights standards.
Article 35
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Indigenous peoples have the right to determine the responsibilities of individuals to their communities.
Article 36
1. Indigenous peoples, in particular those divided by international borders, have the right to maintain and
develop contacts, relations and cooperation, including activities for spiritual, cultural, political, economic and
social purposes, with their own members as well as other peoples across borders.
2. States, in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples, shall take effective measures to facilitate
the exercise and ensure the implementation of this right.
Article 37
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the recognition, observance and enforcement of treaties, agreements
and other constructive arrangements concluded with States or their successors and to have States honour and
respect such treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements.
2. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as diminishing or eliminating the rights of indigenous
peoples contained in treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements.
Article 38
States, in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples, shall take the appropriate measures,
including legislative measures, to achieve the ends of this Declaration.
Article 39
Indigenous peoples have the right to have access to financial & technical assistance from States and through
international cooperation, for the enjoyment of the rights contained in this Declaration.
Article 40
Indigenous peoples have the right to access to and prompt decision through just and fair procedures for the
resolution of conflicts & disputes with States or other parties, as well as to effective remedies for all
infringements of their individual and collective rights. Such a decision shall give due consideration to the
customs, traditions, rules and legal systems of the indigenous peoples concerned & international human rights.
Article 41
The organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations
shall contribute to the full realization of the provisions of this Declaration through the mobilization, inter alia,
of financial cooperation and technical assistance. Ways and means of ensuring participation of indigenous
peoples on issues affecting them shall be established.
Article 42
The United Nations, its bodies, including the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and specialized
agencies, including at the country level, and States shall promote respect for and full application of the
provisions of this Declaration and follow up the effectiveness of this Declaration.
Article 43
The rights recognized herein constitute the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the
indigenous peoples of the world.
Article 44
All the rights and freedoms recognized herein are equally guaranteed to male and female indigenous
individuals.
Article 45
Nothing in this Declaration may be construed as diminishing or extinguishing the rights indigenous peoples
have now or may acquire in the future.
Article 46
1. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, people, group or person any
right to engage in any activity or to perform any act contrary to the Charter of the United Nations or construed
as authorizing or encouraging any action which would dismember or impair, totally or in part, the territorial
integrity or political unity of sovereign and independent States.
2. In the exercise of the rights enunciated in the present Declaration, human rights and fundamental
freedoms of all shall be respected. The exercise of the rights set forth in this Declaration shall be subject only
to such limitations as are determined by law and in accordance with international human rights obligations. Any
such limitations shall be non-discriminatory and strictly necessary solely for the purpose of securing due
recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for meeting the just and most compelling
requirements of a democratic society.
3. The provisions set forth in this Declaration shall be interpreted in accordance with the principles of
justice, democracy, respect for human rights, equality, non-discrimination, good governance & good faith.

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Unveiled March 22nd, 1980

Message of the Georgia Guide-Stones
“Let these be guidestones to an Age of Reason”

1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.

2. Guide reproduction wisely – improving fitness and diversity.

3. Unite humanity with a living new language.

4. Rule passion – faith - tradition and all things with tempered reason.

5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.

6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.

7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials.

8. Balance personal rights with social duties.

9. Prize truth – beauty – love – seeking harmony with the infinite.

10. Be not a cancer on the earth – Leave room for nature – Leave room for nature.

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The Constitution of a Free Society
(The Illuminati Constitution)

We the people of The Illuminati Order, in order to form a more perfect society, establish justice,
insure domestic tranquility, provide for the defense of the individual and individual rights, promote the welfare
of the individual and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity and future generations, do
ordain and establish this Constitution for the Free Society of the World. Each nation shall be
annexed/assimilated into the World Federation, as a state, at all costs. Each state shall retain its existing
borders.

Article 1a. The Declaration of Individual Rights

• Each individual has natural born rights, which no other person, entity or government of
any kind may infringe. The respect and loyalty to these rights is the moral standard of the
rational and just human beings. The natural rights of the individual are:
o The right to life.
o The right to the pursuit of happiness, without violating the rights of another
individual.
o The right to own property, intellectual and/or tangible.
o The right to perform any action needed to ensure preservation/ending of the life
of the self without damaging the environment of the planet. The environment
belongs to all and endangering it violates the individual rights of others.
o The right to earn a living through one’s own efforts, mental, physical or both.
o The right to live his/her life any way he/she likes without causing physical harm
to another individual, directly or indirectly.
o The right to defend his/her life and property and family.
o The rights to have children, ONLY if he/she can guarantee food, shelter,
clothing, safety and education for such and provide for any and all medical needs
of such.
o The right to conduct business with others based on mutual and/or contractual
agreement.
o The right to privacy in all forms.
Article 1b The Government Its Nature and Its Purpose
Section 1. The government is the institution responsible for the protection of the
individual rights, and only the government holds exclusive power to enforce certain rules of
social conduct on planet earth, and any area/planet annexed by the Federation. Civilized,
rational humans/beings, in order to be able to use their basic tools such as the mind as their
basic tool of gaining knowledge to guide their actions in order to maintain the freedom; to
think and to act according to one’s own rational judgment, need the institution of
government.
Section 2. An individual’s right can only be violated by the use of physical force of sorts.
For this reason, government has a monopoly on the use of retaliatory use of force, and the
punishment of criminals.
Section 3. It is only to secure the protection of the individual from the use of violence
by another that government is needed.
Section 4. The only source of authority of the government is the consent of the
governed. This simply means that the government is not the ruler, but the servant of the
governed.
Article 2
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Section 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the
World Federation, which shall consist of a Senate in each state, a Federal Senate and Federal
House of Representatives and Chamber of Presidents. The Senate of one state and Federal
House of Representatives shall be the Congress for that state, which shall deal with issues
related to the concerns of that state.. The same applies to every other state within the
Federation. The Federal Senate and Federal House of Representatives shall be the Congress
of the Federation, which shall deal with Federal wide issues.
Section 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of one person from each
state, chosen every four years by the people of the each state. In the event that an even
number of persons preside in the House, the Chief Justice shall be the tiebreaker.
Section 3. No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of
thirty five years, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he
shall be chosen, and all representatives and senators shall posses a degree in one of the
accepted advanced sciences.
Section 4. When vacancies happen in the Representation from any state, the executive
authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. The House of
Representatives shall choose their speaker and other officers; and shall have the sole power
of impeachment.
Section 5a. The Senate of each State shall be composed of 71 Senators chosen by a
democratic vote of the residents of the respective state whom are college professors and
schoolteacher of accepted schools, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.
Section 5b. Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first
election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes.
Section 6. No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty
years, and all senators must posses a degree in one of the advanced sciences and must be,
when elected, an inhabitant of that state for which he shall be chosen for no less than seven
years.
Section 7. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President and the
President of the State shall be a tiebreaker.
Section 8. The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachment of all and any
official within the Senate and above, state or federal. When sitting for that purpose, they
shall be on oath or affirmation.
Section 9. When the President of the State is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And
no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two thirds of the members present.
Section 10. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal
from office and imprisonment of more than seven years, and disqualification to hold and
enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the State and/or Federation: but the party
convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and
punishment, according to law.
Section 11. The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and
Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Chamber
of Presidents may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the places
of choosing Senators.
Section 12. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting
shall be on the first Monday in January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.
Section 13. Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of
its own members, and a two thirds majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business;
but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the
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attendance of absent members, in such manner, and under such penalties as each House may
provide.
Section 14. Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members
for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.
Section 15. Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time
publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas
and nays of the members of either House on any question shall, at the desire of one fifth of
those present, be entered on the journal.
Section 16. Neither House, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of
the others, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the
two lower Houses shall be sitting.
Section 17. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their
services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the Federation. They shall
in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during
their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from
the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any
other place.
Section 18. No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was
elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the Federation, which shall
have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time:
and no person holding any office under the Federation, shall be a member of either House
during his continuance in office.
Section 19. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives;
but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other Bills.
Section 20. Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the
Senate, shall, before it become a law, be presented to the President of the State, who is to
present it for a vote in the Chamber of Presidents; if it is approved the Chairman/President
of the Chamber shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with the objections of the Chamber
members to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at
large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it.
Section 21. If after such reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the
bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall
likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a law.
But in all such cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the
names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each
House respectively and made public.
Section 22. If any bill shall not be returned by the Chamber of Presidents within 30 days
after it shall have been presented to it, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if it had
signed it, unless the Congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall
not be a law.
Section 23. Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and
House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment) shall be
presented to the Chamber of Presidents; and before the same shall take effect, shall be
approved by it, or being disapproved by it, shall be reinstated by two thirds of the Senate and
House of Representatives, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a
bill.
Section 24. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect 30% income taxes or less,
to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the
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Government and Federation; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout
the Federation and shall never exceed 30% total;
• To borrow money on the credit of the Federation;
• To regulate commerce with foreign states which are not part of the Federation, but
without infringing on the business of the individual citizens of the federation.
• To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform and objective laws on the
subject of bankruptcies throughout the Federation;
• To coin money, establish the value thereof permanently, and of foreign coin, and fix
the standard of weights and measures;
• To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of
the Federation;
• To promote science and the arts, by securing for limited times, no less than 40 years,
to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and
discoveries;
• To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;
• To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas or in space,
and offenses against the law of the Federation;
• To grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land,
air, space and water;
• To provide for calling forth the federal police/militia to execute the laws of the
Federation, suppress insurrections.
• To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the police and militia, and for
governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the Federation,
reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority
of training the police and militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
• To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not
exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the
acceptance of Chamber of Presidents, become the seat of the government of the
Federation, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of
the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts,
magazines, arsenals, dockyards, space stations and other needful buildings;--And
• To make all objective laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into
execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in
the government of the World Federation, or in any department or officer thereof.
Section 25. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless
when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.
• No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.
• No other direct/indirect, tax shall be laid aside from the 30%, unless the
planet/Federation is in immediate danger, and in such case any extra tax shall be
temporary to cover the costs of the emergency needs only.
• No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported/imported from any state/planet
belonging to the federation.
• No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports
of one state over those of another: nor shall vessels bound to, or from, one state, be
obliged to enter, clear or pay duties in another.
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• No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations

made by law; and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all
public money shall be published from time to time.
• No title of nobility shall be granted by the Federation: and no person holding any
office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress,
accept of any present/gift, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from
any king, prince, or foreign state or private business or citizen.
Section 26.
• No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque
and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto
law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.
• No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on
imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its
inspection laws: and the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any state on
imports or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury of the Federation; and all such
laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress and Chamber of
Presidents.
• No state shall, without the consent of Congress and Chamber of Presidents, lay any
duty of tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any
agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war,
unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.
Article 3
Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in a Chamber of Presidents of the World
Federation. It shall have the power;
• To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a
longer term than two years;
• To provide and maintain a navy, space and planetary defense;
• To make rules for the government and regulation of the land, space, air and naval
forces;
Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct a president
of the state; to function, as the executive of the state in the Chamber of Presidents of the
World Federation.
Section 2. Only College and/or University professors qualify for such office and
theology professors are disqualified by default and state presidents must be elected by a
majority vote of the population of its respective state. The person having the greatest
number of votes shall be the President of the State, if two or more candidates have an equal
number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one
of them for President.
Section 3. The Congress may determine the time of choosing the elections, and the day
shall be the same throughout the Federation.
Section 4. No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the Federation, at the
time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither
shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of forty five
years, and been 10 years professor at college/university level, of one of the accepted
professional recognized faculty.

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Section 5. In case of the removal of State President from office, or of his death,
resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall
devolve on the Congress may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation or
inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what officer shall then act as
President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed, or a
President shall be elected.
Section 6. The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services, a compensation,
which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have
been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument or gifts from
the Federation, or any other source. Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall
take the following oath or affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully
execute the office of State President of the [STATE], and will to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the World Federation and the individual
rights of all."
Section 7. The Chairman/President of the Chamber of Presidents shall be commander
in chief of the Army and Navy of the Federation, and of the militia of the states, when called
into the actual service of the Federation; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the
Presidents of States and officers in each of the executive departments, upon any subject
relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves
and pardons for offenses against the Federation, except in cases of impeachment. He shall
have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Chamber of Presidents, to make
treaties, provided two thirds of the Presidents concur; and he shall nominate, and by and
with the advice and consent of the Chamber of Presidents, shall appoint ambassadors, other
public ministers and consuls, and all other officers of the Federation, whose appointments
are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the
Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in
the Presidents alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.
Section 8. The Chairman/President of the Chamber of Presidents shall from time to
time give to the Congress information of the state of the Federation-union, and recommend
to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on
extraordinary occasions, convene both lower Houses, or either of them, and in case of
disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them
to such time as he shall think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers
in the presence of the Chamber of Presidents; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully
executed and the constitution is not violated by such, and shall commission all the officers of
the Federation with the approval of the Chamber of Presidents by a simple majority.
Section 9. Any and all civil officers of the Federation shall be removed from office on
impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, perjury or other high crimes and
misdemeanors.
Article 4
Section 1. The judicial power of the Federation shall be vested in One Supreme Court
and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The
judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good
behavior, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services, a compensation, which shall
not be diminished during their continuance in office.

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Section 2. The Supreme Court shall be comprised of 13 Judges in each state and one
chief Judge shall preside over a panel of 13 judges whom shall oversee and preside over the
functions of the Supreme Court as follows;
Chief Judge;
Thirteen Supreme Court judges to act as overseers of the Supreme Court and its functions
Thirteen Supreme court Judges in each state to act as the Supreme Court of the state and
Federation.
Section 3. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under
this Constitution, the laws of the World Federation States, and treaties made, or which shall
be made, under their authority;--to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers
and consuls;--to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction;--to controversies to which
the Federation shall be a party;--to controversies between two or more states;--between a
state and citizens of another state;-- between citizens of different states;--between citizens of
the same state claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a state, or the
citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects. In all cases affecting ambassadors,
other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a state shall be party, the Supreme
Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme
Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and
under such regulations as the Congress shall make. The trial of all crimes, except in cases of
impeachment, shall be by jury; and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes
shall have been committed; but when not committed within any state, the trial shall be at
such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed.
Section 4. Treason against the Federation shall consist only in levying war against them,
or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted
of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession
in open court. The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no
attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the
person attainted.
Section 5. Teachers and college professors only shall elect the Supreme Court justices.
The Supreme Court in any state may veto/overturn any law on constitutional grounds, any
law which violates individual rights as stated in The Declaration of Individual Rights.
Section 6. A Special session in which all Supreme Court justices attend can be
summoned by the Chief Justice to modify this Constitution, and a two-thirds majority is
required for such as well as a small majority of the general population.
Article 5
Section 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records,
and judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress may by general laws
prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved and the
effect thereof.
Section 2. The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of
citizens in any other. A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime, who
shall flee from justice, and be found in another state, shall on demand of the executive
authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the state having
jurisdiction of the crime. No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws
thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be
discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to
whom such service or labor may be due.
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Section 3. New states may be admitted/annexed by the Congress into this union; but no
new states shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state; nor any state
be formed by the junction of two or more states, or parts of states, without the consent of
the legislatures of the states concerned as well as of the Congress and Chamber of
Presidents. The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and
regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the Federation
Government; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any
claims of the Federation, or of any particular state.
Section 4. The World Federation shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican
form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of
the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against
domestic violence.
Section 5. Any government property, which is not needed or utilized, must be sold by
lottery to all interested parties for no more than one dollar per acre. Government may not
forcefully purchase/confiscate the property of any federation citizen(s). ALL lands within
the Federation, aside from that needed for the function of government, must be privately
owned. Congress shall sell all existing or future acquired lands to the public by lottery, for no
more than one dollar per acre.
Section 6. No aid of any kind may be given, or loans of any kind may be granted to any
entity, nation or foreign government, which is not part of the World Federation under any
circumstances.
Article 6
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both upper houses shall deem it necessary, shall
propose amendments to this Constitution, or, at the request of two thirds of the Chamber of
Presidents, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be
valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Supreme
Court, be proposed by the Congress.
Article 7
Section 1. All debts contracted and engagements entered into, before the adoption of
this Constitution, shall be valid against the World Federation under this Constitution. This
Constitution, and the laws of the World Federation which shall be made in pursuance
thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the World
Federation , shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be
bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary
notwithstanding.
Section 2. The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and all executive and
judicial officers, both of the World Federation, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to
support and protect this Constitution; but no religious person shall ever be permitted to
speak publicly of any religious dogma/doctrines, or use any religious language while holding
any office or public trust under the World Federation.
Article 8
Government shall exercise absolute separation between state/government and religion
but shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Article 9

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Section 1. A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the
right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed in any way.
Section 2. Citizens may not use their arms for the use of physical force, even in self
defense/self-protection, except during the types of emergencies that require action at once,
before the police can be summoned.
Section 3. The militia, when called upon to service, are every citizen wishing to
participate, and the police.
Section 4. A person, whom has been convicted of a serious violent crime, with a deadly
weapon, does not have the right to bare arms of any kind, as he/she had forfeited his/her
right by default.
Article 10
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the
owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law and consent of the
property owner(s).
Article 11
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against
ALL unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue,
but upon VERY objective probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and
particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized and
only in cases of most serious crimes shall such be permitted.
Article 12
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a
presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces,
or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person
be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be
compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life,
liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for
public use, without just compensation; nor shall any person be arrested unless the evidence
is objectively conclusive in nature, and the related crime accused of is very serious.
Article 13
Section 1. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and
public trial, by an impartial objective jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall
have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by objective law,
and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the
witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and
to have the assistance of government/private counsel for his defense.
Section 2. A jury must consist of persons whom have obtained and completed a college
education and are versed in Objectivism. Furthermore, in the case of an atheist, agnostic, or
secularist being the defendant, he/she may request and has a right to have a jury composed
of such as sharing his/her beliefs. No religious persons of any kind may sit on a jury when
an Atheist, Agnostic, None-theist, or Freethinker is the defendant(s). No person whom had
a major legal dispute with a defendant in question, may sit on the jury. No theist Judge shall
preside over such a case, as related to none-theists
Article 14
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed 3,000 dollars, the
right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise

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reexamined in any court of the World Federation, than according to the rules of the
common law.
Article 15
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual
punishments inflicted.
Article 16
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or
disparage others retained by the each individual.
Article 17
The powers not delegated to the World Federation (Federal Government) by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, and/or
to the people. States and lower governments may not impose any taxes or fees of any kind,
with the exception of a lottery per state.
Article 18
Citizens of any foreign state shall not construe the judicial power of the World
Federation to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of
the World Federation by citizens of another state.
Article 19
The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and
Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with
themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct
ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all
persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the
number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the
seat of the government of the World Federation, directed to the President of the Senate;--
The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of
Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;--the person
having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President its respective state,
if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person
have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three
on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives/Chief Justice shall
choose immediately, by ballot, the President. And if the House of Representatives shall not
choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth
day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of
the death or other constitutional disability of the President. The person having the greatest
number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority
of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the
two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for
the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of
the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to
the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of any State of Federation
Chairman.
Article 20
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime
whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the World Federation, or
any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
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Section 3. All prisons where criminals will serve the term of their punishment must be
privatized and the prison owner(s) may put the criminals to work for profit.
Article 21
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the World Federation , and subject to the
jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the World Federation and of the state wherein they
reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or
immunities of citizens of the World Federation; nor shall any state deprive any person of life,
liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2. All persons of the age of 18 or older, or any person who works and pays
taxes for at least 6 months, has a right to vote in elections accordingly, for any official
mentioned in this Constitution.
Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of
President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the World
Federation, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of
Congress, or as an officer of the World Federation, or as a member of any state legislature,
or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the World
Federation, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or
comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House,
remove such disability on a case by case basis.
Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the World Federation, authorized by law,
including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing
insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the World Federation nor any
state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion
against the World Federation/Federation State; but all such debts, obligations and claims
shall be held illegal and void.
Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the
provisions of this article.
Article 22
Section 1. The right of citizens of the World Federation to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the World Federation or by any state on account of race, color, gender or
previous condition of servitude.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate
objective legislation.
Article 23
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect 30% taxes on incomes, from all
employed citizens, without apportionment among the states, and without regard to any
census of enumeration.
Article 24
The Senate of the World Federation shall be composed of 71 Senators from each state,
elected by the people thereof, for seven years; and each Senator shall have one vote. When
vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the Senate, the executive authority of
such state shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, that the legislature of
any state may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the
people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
Article 25

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The right of citizens of the World Federation to vote in any of the government bodies
shall not be denied or abridged by the World Federation or by any state on account of
gender. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Article 26
Section 1. The terms of the Presidents and Vice Presidents shall end at noon on the
20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of
January, at the end of their terms of office respectively.
Section 2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting
shall begin at noon on the 3rd day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different
day.
Section 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the
President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President
shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the
President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President
until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case
wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring
who shall then act as President of the State to serve in the Chamber of Presidents, or the
manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly
until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.
Section 4. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the
persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the
right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the
persons from whom the Senates may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice
shall have devolved upon them.
Article 27
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, and no
person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years
of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of
the President more than once.
Article 28
Section 1. The right of qualified citizens of the World Federation to vote in any primary
or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice
President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by
the World Federation or any state by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
Section 2. Persons whom have been unemployed for a period of 13 months or more, or
have not paid any tax in more
than 7 years do not have a right to vote. However, in the case of the unemployed, the rights
to vote shall be restored
after 3 consecutive years of employment.
Section 3. Persons whom fail to vote at least 2 times every seven years, (unless health
does not permit) in any of the
state and federal elections shall loose their right to vote permanently.
Section 4. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate
legislation.
Article 29
Section 1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or
resignation, the Vice-President shall become President.
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Section 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President
shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote
of both the Senates, State and Federal.
Section 3. Whenever a President or the Chairman of the Chamber of Presidents
transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties
of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such
powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President/Chairman as Acting President.
Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of
the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit
to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of
his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as
Acting President. Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of
the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no
inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President
and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or Presidents or of
such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President
pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written
declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.
Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that
purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter
written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is
required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is
unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to
discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers
and duties of his office.
Article 30
Section 1. The right of citizens of the World Federation, who are 18 years of age or
older, or regular tax payers, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the World Federation
or any state on account of age.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate
legislation.
Article 31
No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives
shall take effect until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.
Article 32
Section 1. The Federal government may operate a lottery as follows if it so chooses: a.
Names instead of numbers shall be drawn once per week. b. No less that 100 names shall be
selected as winners. c. 50% of all lottery income shall be assigned for the Jackpot, which
shall be divided equally between all winners whose names were drawn.
Section 2. Each State can, if it chooses to, run a lottery as well.
Section 3. Each Space Agency, such as NASA may run their own lottery for raising
additional funds.
Section 4. Each City may also run its own lottery.
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Section 6. Lottery winnings may not be taxed, since the money was already taxed once
already when the individual earned the income. Regardless, no lottery winnings may ever be
taxed.
Section 7. All lotteries must provide full documentation/disclosure on their operations,
and may not have more than one drawing per week each.
Section 8. Any citizen whom buys a ticket must have submitted their name to the
lottery.
Section 9. The Lottery system must be computerized, all moneys received must be made
public knowledge in real time, on an internet, television, radio and the outside of the
building from which the lottery operates.
Section 10. All moneys must be paid to the winners within 3 days of the drawing.
Section 11. The names of all winners shall be made public, but not their home address.
Section 12. The winners of the lottery shall be given police protection until they secure
their winnings in a bank account, and make a relocation of their residence for their safety,
which may not exceed 30 days, and the winners may refuse protection at their own risk.
Section 13. Persons employed by the lottery agency do not qualify as
winners/participants in the lottery, nor their families.
Section 14. The Lottery should provide credit-card type cards and system for
participating in the lottery instead of paper tickets.
Section 15. The Lottery shall allow for automatic entry, by means of withdrawing money
from a person’s pay check/credit-card, if a citizen wishes to do so.
Section 16. A person may, if one chooses to, pre pay for the drawing of each week in
advance, for a full year.
Section 17. In the event that a winner dies before collecting the winnings, the money
will be awarded to the closest relative, unless the winner had indicated a beneficiary when
buying the tickets.
Section 18. Each ticket shall cost no less than $5 US.
Section 19. In the event that a winner dies, and does not have any family or relatives, or
a beneficiary, the money shall be donated to the Jackpot for the following week, which shall
be added to the Jackpot 100%.
Section 20. Only federation citizens may participate in the federation lotteries, and
citizens may participate in any/and/or all lotteries.
Article 33
Section 1. Each state may operate an independent Space agency, for the purpose of
military needs and research; the protection of the planet; advancement of science.
Section 2. Any citizen may operate a Space Agency for its own purposes; as long as it
does not endanger the planet, or the property of others.
Section 3. The Federal government may operate an independent Space Agency.
Section 4. All government contracts to be awarded to the public sector for any reason,
shall be by lottery/ballot format, in which the individual or company name is selected from a
lottery, after the applicant has shown reasonable proof that it can provide the services or
goods required.
Article 34
Section 1. The Federal Government shall give to each State 20% of the 30% taxes
collected from the respective state, without any preconditions.
Section 2. All state governmental agencies and lower governments shall be funded from
the 20% tax.
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Section 3. No county, city, or town governments may charge any fees, or impose any
form of taxes on anyone, nor charge any fees for documents or services.
Section 4. Aside from the 30% tax, no form of taxes or fees may be collected by any
part of the government.
Section 5. Under no circumstances shall any property be taxed.
Section 6. All government bodies, and government itself must be efficient and effective.
Section 7. All employers shall withdraw the 30% income tax automatically from each
paycheck of each employee, and 30% tax from its own profits, each week, and transfer it to
the Treasury of the Federation within 3 days, or otherwise as prescribed by law.
Section 8. Property of any kind may not be confiscated for the purpose of collecting
taxes, nor can the government use any force/coercion to collect taxes.
Section 9. Persons whom refuse to pay taxes, shall be given the option to leave the
federation lands/space/planet, or may not enjoy the protection of the government, or the
use of any services of the government, including public roads and shall loose federation
citizenship permanently etc. etc.
Article 35
Section 1. Government shall provide a cash-less system as an alternative/option to
currency for the citizens.
Section 2. Government shall provide an electronic system for voting, and provide each
employer with electronic devices, which can be used by employees to vote on all elections
and laws, and for the schools, at the expense of the employer, with the employer’s consent.
Section 3. Government shall allow the private sector to provide devices for sale, to be
used for voting from home via Internet, or other media forms, in real time.
Section 4. When a law is about to be submitted to congress, all citizens shall have the
opportunity to vote for or in favor/against of the law in question, just so that the
government and the public know where people stand on issues.
Section 5. When electronic votes are cast, for the purpose of electing public officials the
votes are binding; when for a law, the votes are for information and educational purposes
only.
Article 36
Section 1. All laws passed must be written in crystal clear common language, so that any
high school graduate can understand the implication fully.
Section 2. All laws. Citizens shall be fully informed of any and all laws, and shall have
access to such.
Section 3. All law must be logical and objective and may not contradict this constitution
even remotely.
Section 4. All public officials and legislators must posses deep knowledge of
Objectivism, logic and rationality.
Section 5. All law must be clearly defined, so that nothing is left to interpretation.
Section 6. No person, in any branch of government is permitted to interpret any law.
Section 7. The clear definition of each law, and its meaning must be grasped and taken
from the statement of the law itself, so that citizens are not reduced to guessing, or attempt
to enter the minds of the legislators.
Section 8. All nonobjective element must be excluded from laws and legislative process.
Nonobjective laws contradict and defy the whole reason humans need a government.
Section 9. All legislators and government employees must know that each individual is
sovereign in and of oneself.
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Section 10. All legislators and government employees must read and understand and use
as a guide the book: ISBN 0-452-01101-9 by Leonard Peikoff, and all books written by our
former spoke person, her majesty-Ayn Rand.
Article 37
Section 1. Government is a necessary evil, in order to maintain civilized and enlightened
society, until such time as evolution permits otherwise.
Section 2. The power of force is a power of destruction, and government must use this
power only for the destruction of destruction.
Article 38
Section 1. The State may not intervene in the intellectual life of citizens.
Section 2. The State may not intervene in the moral life of citizens.
Article 39
The government does not have a standard to uphold, or the right to invent/create one.
Section 1. The State may not intervene in education, or schools.
Section 2. The State may not intervene in literature.
Section 3. The State may not intervene in or infringe upon science or its advancements.
Section 4. The State may not intervene in the sex life of adults, whom voluntarily
practice and or explore sex with other consenting adults.
Section 5. The State may not intervene in philosophy.
Article 40
Section 1. The State may not intervene in the realm of production and trade.
Section 2. The State may not provide humans any economic standards or benefits,
weather in regards to goods, services, or conditions of trade, in any way.
Section 3. Politicians, and Government may have nothing to do with, distribution,
production, manage, or regulate schools, hospitals, utilities, roads, parks, post offices,
railroads, steel mills, banks etc. etc.
Section 4. Government may not hand out subsidies, franchises, tariff protection, social
insurance, minimum-living standards, minimum-wage laws for workers, parity laws for
farmers, insider-trading laws for investors, fair-price laws for consumers, etc. etc.
Section 5. The state shall maintain absolute separation of itself and the economy, and
the private sector.
Article 41
Section 1. Government may not demand that any man or woman serve in the military or
police force, against their own judgement.
Section 2. Government may not finance its activities by seizing property without the
consent of the owner(s).
Section 3. This constitution recognizes that only individual citizens have rights, but the
government does not.
Section 4. This constitution’s purpose is strictly to protect the individual from tyrants
such as governments, and any mob.
Section 5. The only minority this constitution recognizes is the individual.
Section 6. This constitution is designed to thwart the lust for power by any aspiring
dictator, and any momentary
corrupt passion on the part of a group regardless of its size.
Section 7. This Constitution is to establish and recognize a nation/The World
Federation as a republic with its government strictly restricted to the protection of
individual rights.
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Section 8. Such a republic, can be considered an absolute-democracy, in that all
individuals have the same absolute rights, and as being such, majority rule applies ONLY
for the selection of public officials.
Section 9. The sole source of power of the government is the consent of the governed,
and as such, the government is an agent and servant of its citizens.
Section 10. The citizens do not have the right to delegate any powers to the government
which they do not posses, nor can a majority rule invent or create any additional rights, aside
from those birth rights prescribed/defined in The Declaration of Individual Rights.
Section 11. The Declaration of Individual Rights is the supreme law of the land, and this
Constitution as a hole is Supreme second only to Declaration of Individual Rights, and no
law may ever abolish The Declaration of Individual Rights, nor provide for anything
contrary to The Declaration of Individual Rights, in any way shape or form.
Section 12. The source of Government’s power is rational consent, based on objective
principle, and the Objectivism philosophy, and not arbitrary consent in any way shape or
form.
Article 42
Section 1. In the event that a non-federation state or nation, desires to join the
federation, all laws of that state become void, and this Constitution and the laws of the
Federation are valid, immediately upon acceptance into the World Federation, permanently.
Section 2. The World Federation, and/or any independent nation/state, which has
adopted this Constitution, may annex/take over any other nation, which suppresses and
violates the rights of its individual citizens, if it so desires.
Section 3. A free nation or Federation has a moral right to invade and take over an
oppressive government, under Section 2 of this article.
Section 4. Congress has the power to enforce this article like all others, and to provide
for the transition rules of a none-federation state being brought into the federation.
Article 43
Section 1. At any time in the near future, and upon the formation of a sizable World
Federation, the Federal Space Agency shall construct a fortress in space, for the preservation
of mankind, in the event of an unavoidable planetary disaster.
Section 2. The space fortress shall house volunteers of fertile and healthy males and
females, 3 pairs from all types of humans.
Section 3. The fortress shall be well equipped to provide for the preservation of life for
as many years as humanly possible, based on the potential danger the planet may face.
Article 44
Section 1. In the event the armed forces are to be used for war, the Executive branch
shall provide the objectives, and there after shall not tie the hands of the armed forces from
achieving the objectives.
Section 2. The head(s) of the armed forces shall have sole power of decision in case of
war, and politicians may not intervene until the war is won, or the Chairman of the Chamber
of Presidents declares that the war is over.
Article 45
Section 1. This Constitution and The Illuminati Order recognize no race, nationality or
ethnicity of any kind, aside from "human" as valid, of all the humans on planet earth.
Section 2. This Constitution and The Illuminati Order respects and honors the scientific
and technological achievements of man kind, and respects all rational, logical and objective
human beings, and demands that all future Illuminati holds such in the same regards.
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