Geneva Conventions Act, 1962

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Notice of trial of protected prisoners of war and internees to be served on protecting power.

6.—(1) The court before which—

(a) a protected prisoner of war is brought up for trial for an offence; or

(b) a protected internee is brought up for trial for an offence for which that court has power to sentence him to death or to penal servitude or imprisonment,

shall not proceed with the trial until it is proved to the satisfaction of the court that a notice containing the particulars mentioned in subsection (2) of this section, so far as they are known to the prosecutor, has been served not less than three weeks previously on the protecting power (if there is a protecting power) and, if the accused is a protected prisoner of war, on the accused and the prisoners' representative.

(2) The particulars referred to in subsection (1) of this section are—

(a) the full name and description of the accused, including the date of his birth and his profession or trade, if any, and, if the accused is a protected prisoner of war, his rank and his army, regimental, personal or serial number;

(b) his place of detention, internment or residence;

(c) the offence with which he is charged; and

(d) the court before which the trial is to take place and the time and place appointed for the trial.

(3) For the purposes of this section a document purporting—

(a) to be signed on behalf of the protecting power or by the prisoners' representative or by the person accused, as the case may be; and

(b) to be an acknowledgment of the receipt by that power, representative or person on a specified day of a notice described in the document as a notice under this section,

shall, unless the contrary is shown, be sufficient evidence that the notice required by subsection (1) of this section was served on that power, representative or person on that day.

(4) In this section, “prisoners' representative”, in relation to a particular protected prisoner of war at a particular time, means the person by whom the functions of prisoners' representative within the meaning of Article 79 of the Convention set out in the Third Schedule to this Act were exercisable in relation to that prisoner at the camp or place at which that prisoner was, at or last before that time, detained as a protected prisoner of war.

(5) A court which adjourns a trial for the purpose of enabling the requirements of this section to be complied with may, notwithstanding anything in any other enactment, remand the accused for the period of the adjournment.