§ The correspondence that was owed Addressed to the family, and to the Central Tracing Agency Mailbox

Card 08 of 10 · Geneva IV · Article 137

Forwarding, and answers to enquiries

Forwarding, and answers to enquiries — Geneva IV, Article 137. Not delivered.

The rule that requires it

Article 137 of Geneva Convention IV — Transmission of information by the national information bureaux. Retrieved verbatim, 2026-08-22.

Each national Bureau shall immediately forward information concerning protected persons by the most rapid means to the Powers of whom the aforesaid persons are nationals, or to Powers in whose territory they resided, through the intermediary of the Protecting Powers and likewise through the Central Agency provided for in Article 140. The Bureaux shall also reply to all enquiries which may be received regarding protected persons.

Information Bureaux shall transmit information concerning a protected person unless its transmission might be detrimental to the person concerned or to his or her relatives. Even in such a case, the information may not be withheld from the Central Agency which, upon being notified of the circumstances, will take the necessary precautions indicated in Article 140.

All communications in writing made by any Bureau shall be authenticated by a signature or a seal.

ICRC treaty text ↗ Open in the mailbox → Open on the board →

What the record shows instead

United States / Israel

Detainees have been held incommunicado, with families not told of the fact of detention and no effective independent access, obstructing the humanitarian functions the Convention reserves to the ICRC.

4 sources