The chief burden of blame which rests on the Belgian people is, however, their unheard-of violation of the usages of war. In several places, for instance Liège, Herve, Brussels, Aerschot, Dinant, and Louvain, German soldiers were treacherously murdered (Apps. 18, 55, 61, 65, 66; A1; C56, 59, 61, 67, 73-78), which is absolutely against the prohibition which forbids the "treacherous killing or wounding of individuals belonging to the enemy people or army" (Article 23, Section 1 (b) of the Hague Convention: The Laws and Customs of War on Land). Further, the Belgian population did not respect the sign of the Red Cross, and thereby offended against Article 9 of the Geneva Convention of July 6th, 1906; in particular, they did not hesitate to fire upon the German troops under the protection of this sign, and also to attack hospitals in which there were wounded, as well as members of the Ambulance Corps, while they were carrying out their duties (Apps. 3, 4, 12, 19, 23, 28, 29, 32, 41, 49; C9, 16-18, 32, 56, 66-70; D9, 21, 25-29, 38, 47). Finally, it is absolutely certain that German wounded were plundered and killed by the Belgian population, and indeed in many cases horribly mutilated; and that even women and young girls took part in these shameful actions. In this way the eyes of German wounded were torn out, ears, noses, fingers, and sexual organs cut off, or their bodies slit open (Apps. 54-66; C73, 78; D35, 37); in other cases, German soldiers were poisoned, hung on trees, deluged with burning fluid or otherwise burnt, so that they died a particularly agonising death (Apps. 50, 55, 63; C56, 59, 61, 67, 74-78). This bestial behaviour on the part of the population is not only absolutely contrary to the express obligation laid down in Article 1, Section 1 of the Geneva Convention regarding the "respect and care of" the wounded and sick of the enemy army, but also to the first principles of the laws of war and humanity.