A member of the armed forces [1] who, whether or not in the face of the enemy, commits desertion, i.e. leaves the troops or his post. If the deserter goes over to the enemy, the enemy must treat him as a prisoner of war.
See Release [2]; Re-establishment [3];
SASSÒLI Marco, “The Status, Treatment and Repatriation of Deserters under International Humanitarian Law”, in Yearbook of the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, 1985, pp. 9-36.
SCHAPIRO L. B., “Repatriation of Deserters”, in BYIL, Vol. 29, 1952, pp. 310-324.
Links
[1] https://casebook.icrc.org/glossary/armed-forces
[2] https://casebook.icrc.org/glossary/release
[3] https://casebook.icrc.org/glossary/re-establishment