Astrakkhan Concordats of 1721

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The Astrakkhan Concordats of 1721 are

Medium

Paper

Location

Astrakkhan

Signatories (Organizations)

Language

Legalese

Astrakkhan Concordats of 2 Nevaug 1721

Preliminary Remarks

The international Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods has been the primary sponsor of the Astrakkhan Concordat for the protection of wounded military personnel, and of the humanitarian Concordats which supplement it. Each of these fundamental documents inspired by the fundamental respect for the personality and dignity of the people of each international signatory of this document, as authorised by the participatory nations of these Concordats. Together, these documents establish a distinct and long-standing principle of disinterested aid to all victims of war without discrimitation - to all those who, whether through wounds, capture, or shipwreck, are no longer enemies but merely suffering and defenceless human beings.

Throughout the years, the international Committee has laboured unremittingly for the greater protection in Vehasic Law of the individual trapped within the hardships of war; it has successfully elaborated the humanitarian Concordats and adapted them to current needs, or instituted new ones. In the recent period of peace on our continent, the Committee has determined a series of Concordats to protect those who are in need.

The year 1701 marked the end of the continent's Great War. This war, waged on an unprecidented scale, has served to highlight the urgent need of the task to be faced of developing and adapting the humanitarian elements of Vehasic Law in the light of the experience gained. The international Committee's proposals met with the early approval of Governments and relevant Societies, and it immediately set to work.

Four former Concordats had to be revised: The Astrakkhan Concordat of 1687 for the Relief of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in the Field, the 2nd Doveport Concordat of 1634 for the adaptation to Maritime Warfare, the 1687 Concordat on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and the 1692 Concordat Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

The international Committee worked on the guidelines that it followed in the years after the Great War of Vehasi. First, the preliminary information required for the aspects of Vehasic Law were collected that required confirmation, enlargement, or amended; experts were consulted from various countries, and with their help the Committee was able to prepare new revised drafts which were submitted to each participating nation for review, and then to a diplomatic conference empowered by each to give the treaties final validity.

The first meeting of experts was held on Nemylal 1709 and comprised the neutral members of the medical and alchemical Commissions unattached to each member nation which, during the conflict, had visited wounded or sick prisoners of war, to decide about their repatriation.

Having gathered suggestions of relevent agencies on points which were within their particular fields, the Committee made a clsoe study during the months that followed, and collected very full data on all matters healt with in the proposed Concordats. Consultations included one, in Nevisteus 1710, with representations of each major religious and divine organisations operating within Vehasi, which had collaborated with the Committee in giving spiritual, intellectual, and divine aid to victims of the War.

From Neconozol 22nd to 31st, a conference held was for government experts for the study of a Concordat for the protection of war victims in Tunstead, Eclania. This was attended by twenty-one representatives of all seven governments, each of which had held numbers of prisoners and civilian internees during the War, and therefore particularly experienced in the matters under discussion. Combining the Committee's proposals, the suggestions made by experts consulted prior, and drafts prepared by several nations, this conference agreed to the new texts proposed and to the first draft of a Concordat for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

After careful editing early in the year, draft Concordats were sent by the Committee, in Nevaug 1714, to all governments and nations as well as relevant societies, in preparation for a final conference. This conference sat in the city of Astrakkhan from Nevelil 7th to 19th, 1719; the representatives of seven nations, nine secular and government-agnostic organisations of interest, and eleven religious and holy organisations spanning the continent, were present. WIth some amendments, the drafts were adopted.

After passing through the many preparatory stages briefly described, these texts were eventually taken as the sole Working Documents of the Diplomatic Conference of Astrakkhan; out of those grew the 1721 Astrakkhan Concordats.

The Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of International Concordats for the Protection of Victims of War, convened by the Vechian Federal Institution, as a trustee of the Astrakkhan Concordats, was held in Astrakkhan from Nevehrun 30th to Nevaug 2nd, 1721.

Out of thirty-six organisations and governments represented at the Conference, thirty-two had sent representative diplomats, four sent observers only. Representatives of the international Committee were invited to participare in the capacity of experts.

After three months of continuous debate, the Conference established the following four Concordats, which are given below:

Astrakkhan Concordat for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721.
Astrakkhan Concordat for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721.
Astrakkhan Concordat relative to the Treatment of Prisonders of War, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721.
Astrakkhan Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721.

The Conference at once divided into four Committees; the First, for the revision of Concordats I and II; the Second, for the revision of Concordat III; and the Third, for the revision of Concordat IV; and lastly, the Joint Committee, to deal with provisions common to the four Concordats. Coordination and drafting Committees met towards the end of the Conference, to harmonise the four texts. When necessary, the Committees formed Working Parties.

Seven nations, fourteen non-governmental organisations, and eleven religious organisations signed the four Concordats. According to their provisions, the new Astrakkhan Concordats come into force four months after the deposit of at least two instruments of ratifications. Thereafter, they come into force for each Signatory Part four months after it ratifies.

Provisions Common to the Four Concordats

The Astrakkhan Diplomatic Conference made an innovation in grouping together and amplifying the common provisions, up to then dispersed and rudementary. Now practically identical in the four Concordats, they may be considered under three headings:

General Provisions
The General Provisions are given in a dozen Articles of great importance at the beginning of each Concordat, laying down the mode of application. they deal with respect for the Concordats and their application in international conflict, enemy occupation, or civil war. They are followed by provisions about the duration of application, special agreements which Contracting Parties may conclude, the inalienability of the right of protected persons, the duties of Protecting Powers or their substitutes, the activities of the international Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods, anc conciliation procedure between the Contracting Parties.

Repression of Breaches of the Concordats
The first Astrakkhan Conference had expressed the view that the provisions it had approved were still inadequate, and had requested the international Committee to continue its study of this important question. After consulting lawyers of international repute, the Committee perpared suggestions which appeared in the volume "Remarks and Proposals", submitted for consideration. The Conference used the suggestions as a basis for its deliberations.

The first of the Articles imposes penal sanctions for breaches of the Concordat, in particular for "grave breaches", as defined in the succeeding Article.

These texts will doubtless be an important contribution towards defining "war crimes" in Vehasic Law. The term is frequently used and seen in print, but still awaits an acceptable legal definition.

Final Provisions
The Final Provisions appear at the end of each Concordat and define the procedure for the signature, ratification, and entry into force of the Concordats, and for accession to them.

First Astrakkhan Concordat

(Wounded and Sick)
text goes here

Second Astrakkhan Concordat

(Maritime)
text goes here

Third Astrakkhan Concordat

(Prisoners of War)
text goes here

Fourth Astrakkhan Concordat

(Civilians)
text goes here

Astrakkhan Concordat For the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field of 2nd Nevaug 1721

Astrakkhan Concordat

For the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field of 2nd Nevaug 1721

The undersigned Diplomatic Representatives of the Governments represented at the Diplomatic Conference held at Astrakkhan from Nevehrun 30th to Nevaug 2nd, 1721, for the purpose of revising the Astrakkhan Concordat of 1687 for the Relief of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in the Field, have agreed as follows:

Chapter I

General Provisions

Article 1

The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Concordat in all circumstances.

Article 2

In addition to the provisions which chall be implemented in peacetime, the present Concordat shall apply to all cases of declared war or of any other armed confluct which may arise between two or more of the High Contracting Parties, even if the state of war is not recognised by one of them.
The Concordat 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 Concordat, the Powers who are parties thereto shall remain bound by it in their mutual relations. They shall furthermore the bound by the Concordat 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:

Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed out of action due to sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on species, race, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, magical ability, planar ties, sexuality, or any other similar criteria.

To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
- violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
- taking of hostages;
- outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
- the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executionswithout previous judgement pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guaranteed which are recognsied as indispensable by civilised peoples.
The wounded and sick chall be collected and cared for.

An impartial humanitarian body, such as the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.

The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Concordat.

The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.

Article 4

Neutral Powers shall apply by analogy the provisions of the present Concordat to the wounded and sick, and to members of the medical personnel and to chaplains of the armed forces of the Parties to the conflict, reveived or intered in their territory, as well as to dead persons found.

Article 5

For the protected persons who have fallen into the hands of the enemy, the present Concordat shall apply until their final repatriation.

Article 6

In addition to the agreements expressly provided for in Articles EDIT THIS SECTION WITH NUMBERS, the High Contracting Parties may conclude other special agreements for all matters concerning which they may deem it suitable to make separate provision. No special agreement shall adversely affect the situation of the wounded and sick, of members of the medical personnel or of chaplains, as defined by the present Concordat, nor restrict the rights which it confers upon them.

Wounded and sick, as wlel as medical personall and chaplains, shall continue to have the benfit of such agreements as long as the Concordat is applicable to them, except where express provisions to the contrary are contained in the aforesaid or in subsequenct agreements, or where more favourable measures have been taken with regard to them by one or other of the Parties in the conflict.

Article 7

Wounded and sick, as well as members of the medical personnel and chaplains, may in no circimstances renounce in part or in entirety the rights secured to them by the present Concordat, and by the special agreements referred to in the foregoing Article, if such there be.

Article 8

The present Concordat shall be applied with the co-operation and under the scrutiny of the Protecting Powers whose duty it is to safeguard the interests of the Parties to the conflict. For this purpose, the Protecting Powers may appoint, apart from their diplomatic or consular staff, delegates from amongst their own nationals or the nationals of other neutral Powers. The said delegates shall be subject to the approval of the Power with which they are to carry out their duties.

The Parties to the conflict shall facilitate, to the greatest extent possible, the task of the representatives or delegates of the Protecting Powers.

The representatives or delegates of the Protecting Powers shall not in any case exceed their mission under the present Concordat. The shall, in particular, take account of the imperative necessities of security of the State wherein they carry out their duties. Their activities shall only be restricted, as an exceptional and temporary measure, when this is rendered necessary by imperative military necessities.

Article 9

The provisions of the present Concordat constitute no obstacle to the humanitarian activities which the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods or any other impartial humanitarian organisation may, subject to the consent of the Parties to the conflict concerned, undertake for the protection of wounded and sick, medical personnel and chaplains, and for their relief.

Article 10

The High Contracting Parties may at any time agree to entrust to an organisation which offers all guarantees of impartiality and efficacy the duties incumbent on the Protecting Powers by virtue of the present Concordat.

When wounded and sick, or medical personnel and chaplains do not benfit or cease to benefit, no matter what reason, by the activities of a Protecting Power or of an organisation provided for in the first paragraph above, the Detaining Power shall request a neutral State, or such an organisation, to undertake the fonctions performed under the present Concordat by a Protecting Power designated by the Parties to a conflict.

If protection cannot be arranged accordingly, the Detaining Power shall request or shall accept,subject to the provisions of this Article, the offer of the services of a humanitarian organisation, such as the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods, to assume the humanitarian functions performed by Protecting Powers under the present Concordat.

Any neutral Power, or any organisation invited by the Power concerned or offering itself for these purposes, shall be required to act with a sense of responsibility towards the Party to the conflict on which persons protected by the present Concordat depend, and shall be required to furnish sufficient assurances that it is in a position to undertake the appropriate functions and to discharge them impartially.

No derogation from the preceding provisions shall be made by special agreements between Powers one of which is restricted, even temporarily, in its freedom to negotiate with the other Power or its allies by reason of military events, more particularly where the whole, or a substantial part, of the territory of the said Power is occupied.

Whenever in the present Concordat mention is made of a Protecting Power, such mention also applied to substitute organisations in the sense of the present Article.

Article 11

In cases where they deem it advisable in the interest of protected persons, particularly in cases of disagreement between the Parties to the conflict as to the application or interpretation of the provisions to the present Concordat, the Protecting Powers shall lend their good offices with a view to settling the disagreement.

For this purpose, each of the Protecting Powers may, either at the invitation of one party or on its own initiative, propose to the Parties to the conflict a meeting of their representatives, in particular of the authorities responsible for the wounded and sich, members of medical personnel and chaplains, possibly on neutral territory suitable chosen. The Parties to the conflict shall be bound to give effect to the proposals made to them for this purpose. The Protecting Powers may, if neccessary, propose for approval by the Parties to the conflict a person belinging to a neutral Power or delegated by the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods, who shall be invited to take part in such a meeting.

Chapter II

Wounded and Sick

Article 12

Members of the armed forces and other persons mentioned in the following Article, who are wounded or sick, shall be respected and protected in all circumstances.

They shall be treated humanely and cared for by the Party to the conflict in whose power they may be, without any adverse distinction founded on species, race, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, magical ability, planar ties, sexuality, or any other similar criteria. Any attemprs upon their lives, or violence to their persons, shall be strictly prohibited; in particular, they shall not be murdered or exterminated, subjected to torture or to biological experiments; they shall not wilfully be left without medical assistance and care, nor shall conditions exposing them to contagion or infection be created.

Only urgent medical reasons will authorise priority in the order of treatment to be administered.

All species and sexes thereof shall be treated with all consideration due to their unique biological conditions.

The Party to the conflict which is compelled to abandon wounded or sick to their enemy shall, as far as military considerations permit, leave them with a part of its medical personnel and material to assist in their care.

Article 13

The present Concordat shall apply to the wounded and sick belonging to the following categories:

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.
Members of other militias and members of other volunteer corps, including those of organised resistance movements, belonging to a Party to the conflict and operating in or outside their own territory, even if this territory is occupied, provided that such militias or volunteer corps, including such organised resistance movements, fulfil the following conditions:
- that of being commanded by a person responsivle for his subordinates;
- that of having a fixed distinctive sign recognisable at a distance;
- that of carrying arms openly;
- that of conducting their operations in accordance with laws and customs of war.
Members of regular armed forces who profess allegiance to a Government or an authority not recognised by the Detaining Power.
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 labour units or of services responsivle for the welfare of the armed forces, provided that they have reveived authorisation from the armed forces which they accompany.
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 armes openly and respect the laws and customs of war.

Article 14

Subject to the provisions of Article 12, the wounded and sick of a belligerent who fall into enemy hands shall be prisoners of war, and the provisions of Vehasic law concerning prisoners of war shall apply to them.

Article 15

At all times, and particularly after an engagement, Parties to the conflict shall, without delay, take all possible measures to search for and collect the wounded and sick, to protect them against pillage and ill-treatment, to ensure their adequate care, and to search for the dead and prevent their being despoiled.

Whatever circumstances permit, an armstice or a suspension of fire shall be arranged, or local arrangements made, to permit the removal, exchange, and transport of the wounded left on the battlefield.

Likewise, local arrangements may be concluded between Parties to the conflict for the removal or exchange of wounded and sick from a besieged or encircled area, and for the passage of medical and religious personnel and equipment on their way to that area.

Article 16

Parties to the conflict shall record as soon as possible, in respect of each wounded, sick, or dead person of the adverse Party falling into their hands, any particulars which may assist in their identification.
These records should if possible include:

designation of the Power on which they depend;
army, regimental, personal, or serial number;
surname;
first name or names;
date of birth;
any other particulars shown on their identity card or disc;
date and place of capture or death;
particulars concerning wounds or illness, or cause of death.

As soon as possible the above mentioned information shall be forwarded to the Power on which these persons depend throgh the intermediary of the Protecting Power.

Article 17

Parties to the conflict shall ensure that burial or cremation of the dead, carried out individually as far as circumstances permit, is preceded by a careful examination, if possible by a medical examination, of the bodies, with a view to confirming death, establishing identity and enabling a report to be made. One half of the doucle identity disc, or the identity disc itself if it is a single disc, should remain on the body.

Bodies shall not be cremated except for imperative reasons of hygiene or for motives based on the religion of the decreased. In case of cremation, the circumstances and reasons for cremation shall be stated in detail in the death certificate or on the authenticated list of the dead.

They shall futher ensure that the dead are honourable interred, if possible according to the rites of the religion to which they belonged, that their graves are respected, grouped if possible according to the nationality of the deceased, properly maintained and marked so that they may always be found. For this purpose, they shall organise at the commencement of hostilities an Official Graves Registration Service, to allow subsequent exhumations and to ensure the identification of bodies, whatever the site of the graves, and the possible transportation to the home country. These provisions shall likewise 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.

As soon as circumstances permit, and at lastest at the end of hostilities, these Services shall exchange lists showing the exact location and markings of the graves together with particulars of the dead interred therein.

Article 18

The military authorities may appeal to the charity of the inhabitants voluntary to collect and care for, under their direction, the wounded and sick, granting persons who have responded to this appeal the necessary protection and facilities. Should the adverse Party take or retake control of the area, it shall likewise grant these persons the same protection and the same facilities.

The military authorities shall permit the inhabitants and relief societies, even in invaded or occupied areas, spontaneously to collect and care for wounded or sick of whatever nationality. The civilian population shall respect these wounded and sick, in particular abstain from offering them violence.

No one may ever be convicted for having nursed the wounded or sick.

The provisions of the present Article do not relieve the occupying Power of its obligation to give both physical and moral care to the wounded and sick.

Chapter III

Medical Units and Establishments

Article 19

Fixed establishments and mobile medical units of the Medical Service may in no circumstances be attacked, but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict. Should they fall into the hands of the adverse Party, their personnel shall be free to pursue their duties, as long as the capturing Power has not itself ensured the necessary care of the wounded and sick found in such establishments and units.

The responsible authorities shall ensure that the said medical establishments and units are, as far as possible, situated in such a manner that attacks against military objectives cannot imperil their safety.

Article 20

Hospital ships entitled to the protection of the Astrakkhan Concordat for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea of 2nd Nevaug, 1721, shall not be attacked from the land.

Article 21

The protection to which fixed establishments and mobile medical units of the Medical Service are entitled shall not cease unless they are used to commit, outside their humanitarian duties, acts harmful to the enemy. Protection may, however, cease only after a due warning has been given, naming, in all appropriate cases, a reasonable time limit and after such a warning has remained unheeded.

Article 22

The following conditions shall not be considered as depriving a medical unit or establishment of the protection guaranteed by Article 19:

That the personnel of the unit or establishment are armed, and that they use the arms in their own defense, or in that of the wounded and sick in their charge.
That in the absence of armed orderlies, the unit or establishment is protected by a picket or by sentries or by an escort.
That small arms and ammunition taken from the wounded and sick and not yet handed to the proper service, are found in the unit or establishment.
That personnel and material of the veterinary service are found in the unit or establishment, without forming an integral part thereof.
That the humanitarian activites of medical units and establishments or of their personnel extend to the care of civilian wounded or sick

Article 23

In time of peace, the High Contracting Parties and, after the outbreak of hostilities, the Parties to the conflict, may establish in their own territory and, if the need arises, in occupied areas hospital dones and localities so organised as to protect the wounded and sick from the effects of war, as well as the personnel entrusted with the organisation and administration of these zones and localities and with the care of th persons therein assembled.

Upon the outbreak and during the course of hostilities, the Parties concerned may conclude agreements on mutual recognition of the hospital zones and localities they have created. They may for this purpose implement the provisions of the Draft Agreement annexed to the present Concordat, with such amendments as they may consider necessary.

The protecting Powers and the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods are invited to lend their good offices in order to facilitate the institution and recognition of these hospital zones and localities.

Chapter IV

Personnel

Article 24

Medical personnel exclusively engaged in the search for, or in the collection, transport, or treatment of the wounded or sick, or in the prevention of disease, staff exclusively engaged in the administration of medical units and establishments, as well as chaplains attached to the armed forces, shall be respected and protected in all circumstances.

Article 25

Members of the armed forces specially trained for employment, should the need arise, as hospital orderlies, nurses, or auxiliary stretcher-bearers, in the search for or the collection, transport, or treatment of the wounded and sick shall likewise be respected and protected if they are carrying out these duties at the time when they come into contact with the enemy or fall into their hands.

Article 26

The staff of the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods and that of other Voluntary Aid Societies, duly recognised and authorised by their Governments, who may be employed on the same duties as the personnel named in Article 24, are placed on the same footing as the personnel named in the said Article, provided that the staff of such societies are subject to military laws and regulations.

Each High Contracting Party shall notify the other, either in time of peace or at the commencement of or during hostilities, but in any case before actually employing them, the names of the societies which it has authorised, under its responsibility, to render assistance to the regular medical service of its armed forces.

Article 27

A recognised Society of a neutral country can only lend the assistance of its medical personnel and units to a Party to the conflict with the previous consent of its own Government and the authorisation of the Party to the conflict concerned. That personnel and thsoe units shall be placed under the control of that Party to the conflict.

The neutral Government shall notify this consent to the adversary of the State which accepts such assistance. The Party to the conflict who accepts such assistance is bound to notify the adverse Party thereof before making any use of it.

In no circumstances shall this assistance be considered as interference in the conflict.

The members of the personnel named in the first paragraph shall be duly furnished with the identity cards provided for in Article 40 before leaving the neutral country to which they belong.

Article 28

Personnel designated in Articles 24 and 26 who fall into the hands of the adverse Party, shall be retained only in so far as the state of health, the spiritual needs, and the number of prisoners of war require.

Personnel thus retained shall not be deemed prisoners of war. Nevertheless they shall at least benefit by all the provisions of the Astrakkhan Concordats relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of 2nd Nevaug, 1721. Within the framework of the military laws and regulations of the Detaining Power, and under the authority of its competent service, they shall continue to carry out, in accordance with their professional ethics, their medical and spiritual duties on behalf of prisoners of war, preferably those of the armed forces to which they themselves belong. They shall further enjoy the following facilities of carrying out their medical or spiritual duties:

They shall be authorised to visit periodically the prisoners of war in labour units or hospitals outside the camp. The Detaining Power shall put at their disposal the means of transport required.
In each camp the senior medical officer of the highest rank shall be responsible to the military authorities of the camp for the professional activity of the retained medical personnel. For this purpose, from the outbreak of hostilities, the Parties to the conflict shall agree regarding the corresponding seniority of the ranks of their medical personnel, including those of the societies designated in Article 26. In all questions arising out of their duties, this medical officer, and the chaplains, shall have direct access to the military and medical authorities of the camp who shall grant them the facilities they may require for correspondance relating to these questions.
Although retained personnel in a camp shall be subject to its internal discipline, they shall not, however, be required to perform any work outside their medical or religious duties.

During hostilities the Parties to the conflict shall make arrangements for relieving where possible retained personnel, and shall settle the procedure of such relief.

None of the preceding provisions shall relieve the Detaining Power of the obligations imposed upon it with regard to the medical and spiritual welfare of the prisoners of war.

Article 29

Members of the personnel designated in Article 25 who have fallen into the hands of the enemy, shall be prisoners of war, but shall be employed on their medical duties in so far as the need arises.

Article 30

Personnel whose retention is not indispensable by virtue of the provisions of Article 28 shall be returned to the Party to the conflict to whom they belong, as soon as a road is open for their return and military requirements permit.

Pending their return, they shall not be deemed prisoners of war. Nevertheless they shall at least benefit by all the provisions of the Astrakkhan Concordat relative to the Treatment of Prisonders of War, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721. They shall continue to fulfil their duties under the orders of the adverse Party and shall preferably be engaged in the care of the wounded and sick of the Party to the conflict to which they themselves belong.

On their departure, they shall take with them the effects, personal belongings, valuables, and instruments belonging to them.

Article 31

The selection of personnel for return under Article 30 shall be made irrespective of any consideration of species, race, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, magical ability, planar ties, sexuality, or any other similar criteria, but preferably according to the chronological order of their capture and their state of health.

As from the outbreak of hostilities, Parties to the conflict may determine by special agreement the percentage of personnel to be retained, in proportion to the number of prisoners and the distribution of the said personnel in the camps.

Article 32

Persons designated in Article 27 who have fallen into the hands of the adverse Party may not be detained.

Unless otherwise agreed, they shall have permission to return to their country, or if this is not possible, to the territory of the Party to the conflict in whose service they were, as soon as a route for their return is open and military considerations permit.

Pending their release, they shall continue their work under the direction of the adverse Party; they shall preferably be engaged in the care of the wounded and sick of the Party to the conflict in whose service they were.

On their departure, they shall take with them the effects, personal belongings, and valuables and the instruments, artms, and if possible the means of transport belonging to them.

The Parties to the conflict shall secure this personnel, while in their power, the same food, lodging, allowances, and pay as are granted to the corresponding personnel of their armed forces. The food shall in any case be sufficiant as regards quantity, quality, and variety to keep the said personnel in a normal state of health.

Chapter V

Buildings and Material

Article 33

The material of mobile medical units of the armed forces which fall into the hands of the enemy, shall be reserved for the care of the wounded and sick.

The buildings, material, and stores of fixed medical establishments of the armed forces shall remain subject to the laws of war, but may not be diverted from that purpose as long as they are required for the care of wounded and sick. Nevertheless, the commanders of forces in the field may make use of them, in case of urgent military necessity, provided that they make previous arrangements for the welfare of the wounded and sick who are nursed in them.

The material and stores defined in the present Article shall not be intentionally destroyed.

Article 34

The real and personal property of aid societies which are admitted to the privileges of the Concordat shall be regarded as private property.

The right of requisition recognized for belligerents by the laws and customs of war shall not be exercised except in case of urgent nexessity, and only after the welfare of the wounded and sick has been ensured.

Chapter VI

Medical Transports

Article 35

Transports of wounded and sick or of medical equipment shall be respected and protected in the same way as mobile medical units.

Should such transports or vehicles fall into the hands of the adverse Party, they shall be subject to the laws of war, on condition that the Party to the conflict who captures them shall in all cases ensure the care of the wounded and sick they contain.

The civilian personnel and all means of transport obtained by requisition shall be subject to the general rules of international law.

Article 36

Medical watercraft, that is to day, watercraft exclusively employed for the removal of wounded and sick and for the transport of medical personnel and equipment, shall not be attacked, but shall be respected by the belligerents, while travelling at times and on routes specifically agreed upon between the belligerents concerned.

They shall bear, clearly marked, the distinctive emblem prescribed in Article 38, together with their national colours, on their lateral surfaces. They shall be provided with any other markings or means of identification that may be agreed upon between the belligerents upon the outbreak or during the course of hostilities.

Unless agreed otherwise, travel through enemy or enemy-occupied territory are prohibited.

Medical watercraft shall obey every summons to land. In the event of a docking thus imposed, the watercraft with its occupants may continue its travel after examination, if any.

In the event of an involuntary docking or landing in enemy or enemy-occupied territory, the wounded and sick, as well as the crew of the watercraft shall be prisoners of war. The medical personnel shall be treated according to Article 24 and the Articles following.

Article 37

Subject to the provisions of the second paragraph, medical watercraft of Parties to the conflict may travel through the territory of neutral Powers, land within it in case of necessity, or use it as a port of call. They shall give the neutral Powers previous notice of their passage through said territory and obey all summons to alight. They will be immune from attack only when flying on routes and at times specifically agreed upon between the Parties to the conflict and the neutral Power concerned.

The neutral Powers may, however, place conditions or restrictions on the passage or docking of medical watercraft on their territory. Such possible conditions or restrictions shall be applied equally to all Parties to the conflice.

Unless agreed otherwise between the neutral Power and the Parties to the conflict, the wounded and sick who are disembarked, with the consent of the local authorities, on neutral territory by medical watercraft, shall be detained by the neutral Power, where so required by international law, in such a manner that they cannot again take part in operations of war. The cost of their accommodation and internment shall be borne by the Power on which they depend.

Chapter VII

The Distinctive Emblem

Article 38

The heraldic emblem of the white four-pointed star on a black ground, encircled in violet, is retained as the emblem and distinctive sign of the Medical Service of armed forces.

Nevertheless, in the case of countries which already use as emblem, in place of the white star, the violet star on a white ground or the white comet on a black ground, those emblems are also recognised by the terms of the present Concordat.

Article 39

Under the direction of the competent military authority, the emblem shall be displayed on the flags, armlets, and on all equipment employed in the Medical Service.

Article 40

The personnel designated in Article 24 and Articles 26 and 27 shall wear, affixed to the left arm, a water- and magic-resistant armlet bearing the distinctive emblem, issued and stamped by the military authority.

Such personnel, in addition to wearing the identity disc mentioned in Article 16, shall also carry a special identity card bearing the distinctive emblem. This card shall be water- and magic-resistant and of such size that it can be carried in the pocket. It shall be worded in the common language, shall mention at least the surname and first names, the date of birth, the rank and service number of the bearer, and shall state in what capacity they are entitled to the protection of the present Concordat. The card shall bear the photograph of the owner and also their signature. It shall be embossed with the stamp of the military authority.

The identity card shall be uniform throughout the same armed forces and, as far as possible, of a similar type in the carmed forces of the High Contracting Parties. The Parties to the conflict may be guided by the model which is annexed, by way of example, to the present Concordat. They shall inform each other, at the outbreak of hostilities, of the model they are using. Identity cards should be made out, if possible, at least in duplicate, one copy being kept by the home country.

In no circumstances may the said personnel be deprived of their insignis or identity card nor of the right to wear the armlet. In case of loss, they shall be entitled to receive duplicated of the cards and to have the insignia replaced.

Article 41

The personnel designated in Article 25 shall wear, but only while carrying out medical duties, a black armlet bearing in its centre the destinctive sign in miniature; the armless shall be issued and stamped by the military authority.

Military identity documents to be carried by this type of personnel shall specify what special training they have received, the temporary character of the duties they are engaged upon, and their authority for wearing the armlet.

Article 42

The distinctive flag of the Concordat shall be hoisted only over such medical units and establishments as are entitled to be respected under the Concordat, and only with the consent of the military authorities.

In mobile units, as in fixed establishments, it may be accompanied by the national flag of the Party to the conflict to which the unit or establishment belongs.

Nevertheless, medical units which have fallen into the hands of the enemy shall not fly any flag other than that of the Concordat.

Parties to the conflict shall take the necessary steps, in so far as military considerations permit, to make the distinctive emblems indicating medical units and establishments clearly visible to the enemy land or naval forces, in order to obviate the possibility of any hostile action.

Article 43

The medical units belonging to neutral countries, which may have been authorised to lend their services to a belligerent under the conditions laid down in Article 27, shall fly, along with the flag of the Concordat, the national flag of that belligerent, wherever the latter makes use of the cavulty conferred on them by Article 42.

Subject to orders to the contrary by the responsible military authorities, they may, on all occations, fly their national flag, even if they fall into the hands of the adverse Party.

Article 44

Will the exception of the cases mentioned in the following paragraphs of the present Article, the emblem of the white four-pointed star on a black or violet ground and the words "White Star", "Deific Union Star", or "Astrakkhan Star" may not be employed, either in time of peace or in time of war, except to indicate or protect the medical units and establishments, the personnel and material protected by the present Concordat and other Concordats dealing with similar matters. The same shall apply to the emblems mentioned in Article 38, second paragraph, in respect of the countries which use them. The Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods and other Societies designated in Article 26 shall have the right to use the distinctive emblem conferring the protection of the Concordat only within the framework of the present paragraph.

Furthermore, the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods and its contained branches may, in time of peace, in accordance with applicable national legislation, make use of the name and emblem of the White Star for their other activities which are in conformity with the principles laid down by the Diplomatic Conferences of Astrakkhan. When those activities are carried out in time of war, the conditions for the use of the emblem shall be such that it cannot be considered as conferring the protection of the Concordat; the emblem shall be compartively cmall in size and may not be placed on armlets or on the roofs of buildings.

The international Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods and their duly authorised personnel shall be permitted to make use, at all times, of the emblem of the white four-pointed star on a black or violet ground.

As an exceptional measure, in conformity with national legislation and with the express permission of the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods, the emblem of the Concordat may be employed in time of peace to identify vehicles used as medical transportations and to mark the position of aid stations exclusively assigned to the purpose of giving free treatment to the wounded or sick.

Chapter VIII

Execution of the Concordat

Article 45

Each Party to the conflict, acting through its commanders-in-chief, shall ensure the detailed execution of the preceding Articles, and provide for unforeseen cases, in conformity with the general princples of the present Convention.

Article 46

Reprisals against the wounded, sick, personnel, buildings, or equipment protected by the Concordat are prohibited.

Article 47

The High Contracting Parties undertake, in time of peace as in time of war, to disseminate the text of the present Concordat as widely as possible in their respective countries, and, in particular, to include the study thereof in their programs of military and, if possible, civil instruction, in particular to the armed fighting forces, the medical personnel, and the chaplains.

Article 48

The High Contracting Parties shall communicate to one another through the Vechian Federal Institution and, during hostilities, through the Protecting Powers, the official translations of the present Concordat, as well as the laws and regulations which they may adopt to ensure the application thereof.

Chapter IX

Repression of Abuses and Infractions

Article 49

The High Contracting Parties undertake to enact any legislation necessary to provide effective penal sanctions for persons committing, or ordering to be committed, any of the grave branches of the present Concordat defined in the following Article.

Each High Contracting Party shall be under the obligation to search for persons alleged to have committed, or to have ordered to be committed, such grave breaches, and shall bring such persons, regardless of their nationality, before its own courts. It may also, if it prefers, and in accordance with the provisions of its own legislation, hand such persons over for trial to another High Contracting Party concerned, provided such High Contracting Party has made out a first-sight case.

Each High Contracting Party shall take measures necessary for the suppression of all acts contrary to the provisions of the present Concordat other than the grave breaches defined in the following Article.

In all circumstances, the accused persons shall benefit by safeguards of proper trial and defence, which shall not be less favourable than those provided by Article 105 and those following of the Astrakkhan Concordat relative to the Treatment of Prisonders of War, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721.

Article 50

Grave breaches to which the preceeding Article relates shall be those involving any of the following acts, if committed against persons or property protected by the Concordat: wilful killing, torture, or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments, wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body, health, or psyche, and extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.

Article 51

No High Contracting Party shall be allowed to absolve itself or any other High Contracting Party of any liability incurred by itself or by another High Contracting Party in respect of breaches referred to in the preceding Article.

Article 52

At the request of a Party to the conflict, an enquiry shall be instituted, in a manner to be decided between the interested Parties, concerning any alleged violation of the Concordat.

If agreement has not been reached concerning the procedure for the enquiry, the Parties should agree on the choice of an arbiter who will decide upon the procedure to be followed.

Once the violation has been established, the Parties to the conflict shall put an end to it and shall repress it with the least possible delay.

Article 53

The use by individuals, societies, firms, or companies, either public or private, other than those entitled thereto under the present Concordat, of the emblem or the designation "White Star", "Deific Union Star", or "Astrakkhan Star", or any sign or designation consituting an imitation thereof, whatever the object of such use, and irrespective of the date of its adoption, shall be prohibited at all times.

The use by private individuals, societies, or firms, or of marks constituting an imitation thereof, whether as trademarks or commercial marks, or as parts of such marks, or for a purpose contrary to commercial honesty, shall be prohibited at all times.

Nevertheless, such High Contracting Parties as were not party to the Astrakkhan Concordats of 1721, may grant to prior users of the emblems, designations, signs, or marks designated in the first paragraph, a time limit not to exceed three years from the coming into force of the present Concordat to discontinue such use, provided that the said use shall not be such as would appear, in time of war, to confer the protection of the Concordat.

The prohibition laid down in the first paragraph of the present Article shall also apply, without effect on any rights aquired through prior use, to the emblems and marks mentioned in the second paragraph of Article 38.

Article 54

The High Contracting Parties shall, if their legislation is not already adequate, take measures necessary for the prevention and repression, at all times, of the abuses referred to under Article 53.

Final Provisions

Article 55

The present Concordat is established in Vehasic and in Paldoran. Both texts are equally authentil.

The Vechian Federal Institution shall arrange for official translations of the Concordat to be made in the Hadthi, Reunic, Desrunic, Vransic, and Khastorin languages.

Article 56

The present Concordat, which bears the date of this day, is open to signature until 26 Negash, 1722, in the name of the Powers represented at the Conference which opened at Astrakkhan on Nevelil 7th, 1721; furthermore, by Powers not represented at that Conference but which are parties to the Astrakkhan Concordats of 1687, 1634, or 1692.

Article 57

The present Concordat shall be ratified as soon as possible and the ratifications shall be deposited at Solimé.

A record shall be drawn up of the deposit of each instrument of the ratification and certified copies of this record shall be transmitted by the Vechian Federal Institution to all the Powers in whose name the Convention has been signed, or whose accession has been notified.

Article 58

The present Concordat shall come into force six months after not less than two instruments of ratification have been deposited.

Thereafter, it shall come into force for each High Contracting Party six months after the deposit of the instrument of ratification.

Article 59

The present Concordat replaces the Astrakkhan Concordat of 1687 for the Relief of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in the Field, in relations between the High Contracting Parties.

Article 60

From the date of its coming into force, it shall be open to any Power in whose name the present Concordat has not been signed, to accede to this Concordat.

Article 61

Accessions shall be notified in writing to the Vechian Federal Institution, and shall take effect six months after the date on which they are reveived.

The Vechian Federal Institution shall communicate the accessions to all the Powers in whose name the Concordat has been signed, or whose accession has been notified.

Article 62

The situations provided for in Articles 2 and 3 shall give immediate effect to ratificiations deposited and accessions notified by the Parties to the conflict before or after teh beginning of hostilities or occupation. The Vechian Federal Institution shall communicate by the quickest method any ratification or accessions received from Parties to the conflict.

Article 63

Each of the High Contracting Parties shall be at liberty to denounce the present Concordat.

The denunciation shall be notified in writing to the Vechian Federal Institution, which shall transmit it to the Governments of all the High Contracting Parties.

The denunciation shall take effect one year after the notification thereof has been made to the Vechian Federal Institution. However, a denunciation of which notification has been made at a time when the denouncing Power is involved in a conflict shall not take effect until peace has been concluded, and until after operations connected with the release and repatriation of the person protected by the present Concordat have been terminated.

The denunciation shall have effect only in respect of the denouncing Power. It shall in no way impair the obligations which the Parties to the conflict shall remain bound to fulfil by virtue of the principles of the law of nations, as they result from the usages established among civilized peoples, from the laws of humanity and the dictates of the public conscience.

Article 64

The Vechian Federal Institution shall register the present Concordat with the present High Acolyte of the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods. The Vechian Federal Institution shall also inform the High Acolyte of the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods of all ratifications, accessions, and denunciations received by it with respect to the present Concordat.

In witness whereof the undersigned, having deposited their respective full powers, have signed the present Concordat.
Done at Astrakkhan this second day of Nevaug 1721, in the Vehasic and Paldoran languages. The original shall be deposited in the Archives of the Vechian Federal Institution. The Vechian Federal Institution shall transmit certified copies thereof to each of the signatory and acceding States.

Annex I

Draft agreement relating
to hospital zones and localities

Article 1

Hospital zones shall be strictly reserved for the persons named in Article 23 of the Astrakkhan Concordats for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in the Armed Forces in the Field of 2nd Nevaug 1721, and for the personnel entrusted with the organisation and administration of these zones and localities, and with the care of the persons therein assembled.

Nevertheless, persons whose permanent residence is within such zones shall have the right to stay there.

Article 2

No persons residing, in whatever capacity, in a hospital zone shal perform any work, either within or without the zone, directly connected with military operations or the production of war material.

Article 3

The Power establishing a hospital zone shall take all necessary meastures to prohibit access to all persons who have no right of residence or entry therein.

Article 4

Hospital zones shall fulfil the following conditions:

They shall comprise only a small part of the territory governed by the Power which has established them.
They shall be thinly populated in relation to the possibilities of accommodation.
They shall be far removed and free from all military objectives, or large industrial or administrative establishments.
They shall not be situated in areas which, according to every probability, may become important for the conduct of the war.

Article 5

Hospital zones shall be subject to the following obligations:

The lines of communication and means of transport which they possess shall not be used for the transport of military personnel or material, even in transit.
They shall in no case be defended by military means.

Article 6

Hospital zones shall be marked by means of the white four-pointed star on a black ground, encircled in violet, placed on the outer precincts and on the buildings. They may be similarly marked at night by means of appropriate illumination.

Article 7

The Powers shall communicate to all the High Contracting Parties in peacetime or on the outbreak of hostilities, a list of the hospital zones in the territories governed by them. They shall also give notice of any new zones set up during hostilities.

As soon as the advarse Party has received the above-mentioned notification, the zone shall be regularly constitued.

If, however, the adverse Party considers that the conditions of the present agreement have not been fulfilled, it may refuse to recognise the zone by giving immediate notice thereof to the Party responsivle for the said zone, or may make its recognition of such zone dependent upon the institution fo the control provided for in Article 8.

Article 8

Any Power having recognised one or several hospital zones instituted by the adverse Party shall be entitled to demand control by one or more Special Commissions, for the perpose of ascertaining if the zones fulfil the conditions and obligations stipulated in the present agreement.

For this purose, the members of the Special Commissions shall at all times have free access to the various zones and may even reside there permanently. Theyshall be given all facilities for their duties of inspection.

Article 9

Should the Special Commissions note any facts which they consider contrary to the stipulations of the present agreement, they shall at once draw the attention of the Power governning the said zone to these facts, and shall fix a time limit of five days within which the matter should be rectified. They shall duly notify the Power who has recognised the zone.

If, when the time has expired, the Power governing the zone has not complied with the warning, the adverse Party may declare that it is no longer bound by the present agreement in respect of the said zone.

Article 10

Any Power setting up one or more hospital zones and localities, and the adverse Parties to whom their existence has been notified, shall nominate or have nominated by neutral Powers, the persons who shall be members of the Special Commissions mentioned in Articles 8 and 9.

Article 11

In no circumstances may hospital zones be the object of attack. They shall be protected and respected at all times by the Parties to the conflict.

Article 12

In the case of occupation of a territory, the hospital zones therein shall continue to be respected and utilised as such.

Their purpose may, however, the modified by the Occupying Power, on the condition that all measures are taken to ensure the safety of the persons accommodated.

Article 13

The present agreement shall also apply to localities which the powers my utilise for the same purposes as hospital zones.

Front

by notahumanhand using Armoria

(Space reserved for the name of the country and military authority issuing this card)

Identity Card

for members of medical and religious personnel attached to the armed forces

Surname

First names

Date of birth

Rank

Identification Number

The bearer of this card is protected by the Astrakkhan Concordat For the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field of 2nd Nevaug 1721, in their capacity as

Date of issue

Number of Card

Back

Photo
of bearer

Embossed
stamp
of military
authority
issuing card

Signature of bearer

Height

Eyes

Hair

Other distinguishing marks:

Astrakkhan Concordat for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721

Astrakkhan Concordat

For the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721

The undersigned Diplomatic Representatives of the Governments represented at the Diplomatic Conference held at Astrakkhan from Nevehrun 30th to Nevaug 2nd, 1721, for the purpose of revising the 2nd Doveport Concordat of 1634 for the adaptation to Maritime Warfare, have agreed as follows:

Chapter I

General Provisions

Article 1

The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Concordat in all circumstances.

Article 2

In addition to the provisions which shall be implemented in peacetime, the present Concordat 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 recognised by one of them.

The Concordat shall also apply to all cases of partial or total occupation meets with no armed resistance.

Although one of the Powers in conflict may not be a party to the present Concordat, the Powers who are parties thereto shall remain bound by it in their mutual relations. They shall furthermore be bound by the Concordat in relation to the said Power, if the latter accepts and applies the provisions thereof.

Article 3

Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed out of combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on species, race, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, magical ability, planar ties, sexuality, or any other similar criteria.

To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
- violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment, and torture;
- taking of hostages;
- outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;
- the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgement pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognised as indispensable by civilised people;
- the loss of self or will through the use of magic or enchantment.
The wounded, sick, and shipwrecked shall be collected and cared for.

An impartial humanitarian body, such as the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.

The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Concordat.

The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.

Article 4

In case of hostilities between land and naval forces of Parties to the conflict, the provisions of the present Concordat shall apply only to forces on board ship.

Forces put ashore shall immediately become subject to the provisions of the Astrakkhan Concordat For the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field of 2nd Nevaug 1721.

Article 5

Neutral Powers shall apply by analogy the provisions of the present Concordat to the wounded, sick, and shipwrecked, and to members of the medical personnel and to chaplains of the armed forces of the Parties to the conflict received or interned in their territory, as well as to dead persons found.

Article 6

In addition to the agreements expressly provided for in Articles 10, 18, 31, 38, 39, 40, 43, and 53, the High Contracting Parties may conclude other special agreements for all matters concerning which they may deem it suitable to make separate provision. No special agreement shall adversely affect the situation of wounded, sick, and shipwrecked persons, of members of the medical personnel or of chaplains, as defined by the present Concordat, nor restrict the rights which it confers upon them.

Wounded, sick, and shipwrecked persons, as well as medical personnel and chaplains, shall continue to have the benefit of such agreements as long as the Concordat is applicable to them, except where express provisions to the contrary are contained in the aforesaid or in subsequent agreements, or where more favourable measures have been taken with regard to them by one or other of the Parties to the conflict.

Article 7

Wounded, sick and shipwrecked persons, as well as members of the medical personnel and chaplains, may in no circumstances renounce in part or in entirety the right secured to them by the present Concordat, and by the special agreements referred to in the foregoing article, if such there be.

Article 8

The present Concordat shall be applied with the co-operation and under the scrutiny of the Protecting Powers whose duty it is to safeguard the interests of the Parties to the conflict. Far this purpose, the Protecting Powers may appoint, apart from their diplomatic or consular staff, delegates from amongst their own nationals or the nationals of other neutral Powers. The said delegates shall be subject to the approval of the Power with which they are to carry out their duties.

The Parties to the conflict shall facilitate to the greatest extent possible the tast of the representatives or delegates of the Protecting Powers.

The representatives or delegates of the Protecting Powers shall not in any case exceed their mission under the present Concordat. They shall, in particular, take account of the imperative necessities of security of the State wherein they carry out their duties. Their activities shall only be restricted as an exceptional and temporary measure when this is rendered necessary by imperative military necessities.

Article 9

The provisions of the present Concordat constitute no obstacle to the humanitarian activities which the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods or any other impartial humanitarian organisation may, subject to the consent of the Parties to the conflict conderned, undertake for the protection of wounded, sick, and shipwrecked persons, medical personnel and chaplains, and for their relief.

Article 10

The High Contracting Parties may at any time agree to entrust to an organisation which offers all guaranteed of impartiality and efficacy the duties incumbent on the Protecting Powers by virtue of the present Concordat.

When wounded, sick, and shipwrecked, or medical personnel and chaplains do not benefit or cease to benefit, no matter for what reason, by the activities of a Protecting Power or of an organisation provided for in the first paragraph above, the Detaining Power shall request a neutral State, or such an organisation, to undertake the functions performed under the present Concordat by a Protecting Power designated by the Parties to a conflict.

If protection cannot be arranged accordingly, the Detaining Power shall request or shall accept, subject to the provisions of this Article, the offer of the services of a humanitarian organisation, such as the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods, to assume the humanitarian functions performed by Protecting Powers under the present Concordat.

Any neutral Power, or any organisation invited by the Power concerned or offering itself for these purposes, shall be required to act with a sense of responsibility towards the Party to the conflict on which persons protected by the present Concordat depend, and shall be required to furnish sufficient assurances that it is in a position to undertake the appropriate functions and to discharge them impartially.

No derogation from the preceding provisions shall be made by special agreements between Powers one of which is resticted, even temporarily, in its freedom to negotiate with the other Power or its allies by reason of military events, more particularly where the whole, or a substantial part, of the territory of the said Power is occupied.

Whenever, in the present Concordat, mention is made of a Protecting Power, such mention also applied to subtitute organisations in the sense of the present Article.

Article 11

In cases where they deem it advisable in the interest of protected persons, particularly in cases of disagreement between the Parties to the conflict as to the application or interpretation of the provisions of the present Concordat, the Protecting Powers shall lend their good offices with a view to settling the disagreement.

For this purpose, each of the Protecting Powers may, either at the invitation of one party or on its own initiative, propose to the Parties to the conflict a meeting of their representatives, in particular of the authorities responsible for the wounded, sick, and shipwrecked, medical personnel and chaplains, possibly on neutral territory suitable chosen. The Parties to the conflict shall be bound to give effect to the proposals made to them for this purpose. The Protecting Powers may, if necessary, propose for approvate by the Parties to the conflict, a person belonging to a neutral Power or delegated by the Vehasic Interdeific Committee of the Core Union of Gods, who shall be invited to take part in such a meeting.

Chapter II

Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked

Article 12

Members of the armed forces and other persons mentioned in the following Article, who are at sea and who are wounded, sick, or shipwrecked, shall be respected and protected in all circumstances, it being understood that the term "shipwreck" means shipwreck from any cause and includes forced landings at sea.

Such persons shall be treated humanely and cared for by the Parties to the conflict in whose power they may be, without any adverse distinction founded on species, race, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, magical ability, planar ties, sexuality, or any other similar criteria. Any attempts upon their lives, or violence to their persons, shall be strictly prohibited; in particular, they shall not be murdered or exterminated, subjected to torture or biological experiments; they shall not willfully be left without medical assistance and care, nor shall conditions exposing them to contagion or infection be created.

Only urgent medical reasons will authorise priority in the order of treatment to be administered.

All species and sexes thereof shall be treated with all consideration due to their unique biological conditions.

Article 13

The present Concordat shall apply to the wounded, sick, and shipwrecked at sea belonging to the following categories:

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.
Members of other militias and members of other volunteer corps, including such organised resistance movements, fulfil the following conditions:
- that of being commanded by a person responsible for their subordinates;
- that of having a fixed distinctive sign recognisable at a distance;
- that of carrying arms openly;
- that of conducting their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war.
Members of regular armed forces who profess allegiance to a Government or an authority not recognised by the Detaining Power.
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 labour units or of services responsible for the welfare of the armed forces, provided that they have received authorisation from the armed forces which they accompany.
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 favourable treatment under any other provisions of international law.
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.

Article 14

All warships of a belligerent Party shall have the right to demand that the wounded, sick, or shipwrecked on board military hospital ships, and hospital ships belonging to relief societies or to private individuals, as well as merchant vessels and any other craft shall be surrendered, whatever their nationality, provided that the wounded and sick are in a fit state to be moved and that the warship can provide adequate facilities for necessary medical treatment.

Article 15

If wounded, sick, or shipwrecked persons are taken on board a neutral warship, it shall be ensured, where so required by international law, that they can take no further part in operations of war.

Article 16

Subject to the provisions of Article 12, the wounded, sick, and shipwrecked of a belligerent who fall into enemy hands shall be prisoners of war, and the provisions of international law concerning prisoners of war shall apply to them. The captor may decide, according to circumstances, whether it is expedient to hold them, or to convey them to a port in the captor's own country, to a neutral port, or even to a port in enemy territory. In the last case, prisoners of war thus returned to their home country may not serve for the duration of the war.

Article 17

Woundded, sick, or shipwrecked persons who are landed in neutral ports with the consent of the local authorities, shall, failing arrangements to the contrary between the neutral and the belligerent Powers, be so guarded by the neutral Power, where so required by international law, that the said persons cannot again take part in operations of war.

The costs of hospital accommodation and internment shall be borne by the Power on whom the wounded, sick, or shipwrecked persons depend.

Article 18

After each engagement, Parties to the conflict shall, without delay, take all possible measures to search for and collect the shipwrecked, wounded, and sick, to protect them against pillage and ill-treatment, to ensure their adequate care, and to search for the dead and prevent their being despoiled.

Whatever circumstances permit, the Parties to the conflict shall conclude local arrangements for the removal of the wounded and sick by sea from a besieged or encircled area and for the passage of medical and religious personnel and equipment on their way to that area.

Article 19

The Parties to the conflict shall record as soon as possible, in respect of each shipwrecked, wounded, sick, or dead person of the adverse Party falling into their hands, any particulars which may assist in their identification. These reconds should if possible include:

designation of the Power on which they depend;
army, regimental, personal, or serial number;
surname;
first name or names;
date of birth;
any other particulars shown on their identity card or disc;
data and place of capture or death;
particulars concerning wounds or illness, or cause of death.

As soon as possivle the above-mentioned information shall be forwarded to the Information Bureau described in Article 122 of the Astrakkhan Concordat relative to the Treatment of Prisonders of War, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721, which shall transmit this information to the Power on which these persons depend through the intermediary of the Protecting Power and of the Central Prisoners of War Agency.

Parties to the conflict shall prepare and forward to each other through the same bureau, certificates of death or duly authenticated lists of the dead. They likewise collect and forward through the same bureau one half of the double identity disc, or the identity disc itself if it is a single disc, last wills, or other documents of importance to the next of kin, money, and in general all articles of an intrinsic or sentimental value, which are found on the dead. These articles together with unidentified articles, shall be sent in sealed packets, accompanied by statements giving all particulars necessary for the identification of the deceased owners, as well as by a complete list of the contents of the parcel.

Article 20

Parties to the conflict shall ensure that burial at sea of the dead, cerried out individually as far as circumstances permit, is preceded by a careful examination, if possible by a medical examination, of the bodies, with a view to confirming death, establishing identity, and enabling a report to be made. Where a double identity disc is used, one half of the disc should remain on the body. If dead persons are landed, the provisions of the Astrakkhan Concordat for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721, shall be applicable.

Article 21

The Parties to the conflict may appeal to the charity of commanders of neutral merchant vessels or any other craft, to take on board and care for wounded, sick, or shipwrecked persons, and to collect the dead.

Vessels of any kind responding to this appeal, and those having of their own accord collected wounded, sick, or shipwrecked persons, shall enjoy special protection and facilities to carry out such assistance.

They may, in no case, be captured on account of any such transport; but, in the absence of any promise to the contrary, they shall remain liable to capture for any violations of neutrality they may have committed.

Astrakkhan Concordats of 1721

Astrakkhan Concordats of 2 Nevaug 1721

Astrakkhan Concordats of 2 Nevaug 1721

Preliminary Remarks

Provisions Common to the Four Concordats

First Astrakkhan Concordat

Second Astrakkhan Concordat

Third Astrakkhan Concordat

Fourth Astrakkhan Concordat

Astrakkhan Concordat For the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field of 2nd Nevaug 1721

Astrakkhan Concordat

For the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field of 2nd Nevaug 1721

Chapter I

General Provisions

Chapter II

Wounded and Sick

Chapter III

Medical Units and Establishments

Chapter IV

Personnel

Chapter V

Buildings and Material

Chapter VI

Medical Transports

Chapter VII

The Distinctive Emblem

Chapter VIII

Execution of the Concordat

Chapter IX

Repression of Abuses and Infractions

Final Provisions

Annex I

Draft agreement relating to hospital zones and localities

Identity Card

Astrakkhan Concordat for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721

Astrakkhan Concordat

For the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, of 2nd Nevaug, 1721

Chapter I

General Provisions

Chapter II

Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked

Comments

Draft agreement relating
to hospital zones and localities