Osiris Fraternal Order

Repeal "Humanitarian Transport"

Proposed by: Knootoss Description: WA General Assembly Resolution #6: Humanitarian Transport (Category: Human Rights; Strength: Mild) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: The World Assembly,

ACKNOWLEDGING that transports and vessels moving humanitarian supplies or Prisoners of War (PoW) are deserving of special protection;

DEEPLY DISTURBED by the possibility that parties in a conflict could use PoW or humanitarian supplies as shields for military activities;

BELIEVING THEREFORE that international law governing the transport of PoW or humanitarian supplies should not encourage the abuse of 'humanitarian' status for military purposes;

REGRETTING that General Assembly Resolution # 6 permits "humanitarian transports" to field weapons;

FURTHER REGRETTING that General Assembly Resolution # 6 merely 'discourages' the practice of transporting humanitarian cargoes or PoW in the same vessel(s) or convoy as materials directly supporting combat operations;

BELIEVING that it may be too risky and/or impractical to attempt to hail, board, inspect and seize the cargo of a transport carrying heavy defensive armaments, a transport whose cargoes are predominantly military, a transport flying high over the battle zone or in space, or a transport whose presence might serve to flush out the position of ones' own forces;

FURTHER BELIEVING that this may lead to humanitarian cargoes and PoW being used as 'human shields' for military activities, as General Assembly Resolution # 6 prohibits nations from immediately engaging what would otherwise be valid military targets;

CONCLUDING that it may have been better if General Assembly Resolution # 6 had outlawed the placement of weapons on 'humanitarian transports' and the practice of transporting humanitarian cargoes or PoW in the same vessel(s) or convoy as materials directly supporting combat operations;

Hereby,

REPEALS General Assembly Resolution # 6.