"No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind."
Article 17, Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Adopted on 12 August 1949 by the Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of International Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War, held in Geneva from 21 April to 12 August, 1949
Entry into force 21 October 1950
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland
A
war crime of "inhuman treatment" may be indicated if "The perpetrator inflicted severe physical or mental pain or suffering upon one or more persons".
The difference between "inhuman treatment" and the war crime of "torture" is the addition of the following element: "The perpetrator inflicted the pain or suffering for such purposes as: obtaining information or a confession, punishment, intimidation or coercion or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind."
