Detainees
Detainees constitute an especially vulnerable group because they no longer have control over their own lives. Detainees find themselves almost completely at the mercy of the detaining authorities. Detainees are persons who have been deprived of their liberty, generally through some judicial or administrative process. They include for example prisoners of war, persons kept for security reasons or criminal behavior, and certain categories of migrants. Under IHL, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) holds a specific mandate to visit detainees, to ensure that their dignity and their rights under international law are being respected.