Netherlands
Practice Relating to Rule 125. Correspondence of Persons Deprived of Their Liberty
The Military Manual (1993) of the Netherlands provides: “Prisoners of war shall be allowed to send and receive letters and cards.”
The Military Handbook (1995) of the Netherlands provides: “Correspondence from and for prisoners of war can be limited and censored.”
The Military Manual (2005) of the Netherlands states:
In addition to possible action as a protecting power and to gathering information on prisoners of war, the ICRC fulfils the following tasks:
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- tracing missing persons and forwarding messages to prisoners of war and civilian detainees.
The manual further states: “A prisoner of war is entitled to send and receive letters and postcards. The detaining power may limit the number if there is a shortage of translators for the exercise of censorship.”
In its chapter on non-international armed conflict, the manual states:
Those responsible for internment or imprisonment must observe the following, without limitation:
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- to allow the receipt and sending of letters and cards.
In its chapter on peace operations, the manual states that “[e]very detainee is entitled to maintain contact with the outside world”.