Description

With the exception of regional conventions or international covenants in the field of human rights, which have a general scope, there is no instrument of international law that expressly guarantees legal protection to political detainees.
The author points out how precarious the situation of political detainees consequently is; he defines the rules governing ICRC action and describes the means at the institution's disposal - in particular its right of initiative - for asking governments to authorize its visits to places of detention; he also stresses that greater international solidarity is necessary to guarantee the protection of political detainess.