Red Cross Assails Contras’ Symbol Abuse
The International Committee of the Red Cross denounced the U.S.-backed Nicaraguan contra rebels today for apparent abuse of the humanitarian Red Cross emblem.
Recognized and respected worldwide, the Red Cross emblem may be used in armed conflicts only to protect the wounded and sick and those providing care. But the contras reportedly have used the emblem as a cover for movement of weapons and troops.
ICRC headquarters in Geneva referred in a statement to a June 1 Newsweek article titled “The New Contras?” that was accompanied by a photograph showing armed troops debarking from a helicopter bearing the Red Cross symbol.
The caption said, “Inside Nicaragua: In Red Cross disguise, a contra chopper ferries military supplies.”
Guardian of the Geneva War Conventions of 1949 protecting the wounded and civilians, the neutral and all-Swiss ICRC said it would not conduct its own investigation into the contra affair.
ICRC delegates will, however, “remind everyone” of the rules and the possible consequences of their violation, the statement said.
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