[20210212]IF11587_拆除弗吉尼亚州国家公墓战俘墓碑上的纳粹标志和铭文.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated February 12, 2021Removal of Nazi Symbols and Inscriptions on Headstones of Prisoners of War in VA National CemeteriesOverview During World War II, hundreds of thousands of German, Italian, and Japanese prisoners of war (POWs) were held in the United States at various military installations. During this time, the U.S. military standardized gravestones for its servicemembers but not for POWs. Under article 120 of the 1949 Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the United States must “ensure that prisoners of war who have died in captivity are honourably buried . and that their graves are respected, suitably maintained and marked so as to be found at any time.” International law does not appear to further specify the style or content of POW grave markers. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), approximately 1,000 of the POWs who died while in the United States were buried in military cemeteries that have since been transferred from Department of Defense (DOD) jurisdiction to VA. In 2020, three of these POW headstones became a topic of controversy. The headstoneslocated in Fort Douglas Post Cemetery, Utah,