The Danish Institute for Human Rights maintains its position that there is cause to be concerned about the situation described by former commando, Thomas Rathsack, in a controversial book about his experiences as a soldier in Afghanistan.
According to the book, the commandos dressed up as Afghan civilians and carried weapons in their vehicle and hidden under their clothes when protecting one of their agents on a mission in Afghanistan.
“We are not criticizing the Danish commandos for using disguises, or for spying or obtaining information. And we do not believe that they deliberately tried to deceive their enemies. But we are criticizing the fact that the mission in question was apparently organized in such a way as to border on the prohibition on perfidy. What if the agent being escorted suddenly had to be freed from the enemy? Or if it became necessary to protect him? This is not a safe distance from the prohibition, and operations should be organised in such a way that soldiers can respect the prohibition,” stated DIHR Director, Dr Jonas Christoffersen.
He stressed that the Institute had never stated that the prohibition had actually been violated.
“However, the description gives us the opportunity to raise serious and reasoned questions about how missions are organized so that soldiers do not risk coming into conflict with the rules of war. For example, article 4 of the Geneva Convention states that soldiers must always stand out from the civilian population if they are to participate in hostilities. Here one can again say that the situation described is a grey area and that one has to ensure that one remains on the safe side of it,” concluded Jonas Christoffersen.
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