A partisan is an armed fighter, who is not part of the regular troops of a country or state. The term comes from Italian, where it meant member of a political party. There is no separate legal status for partisans in international law. The law of war uses four criteria to legally define someone as a prisoner of war, if the person is captured:There is someone at the head of the organisation, who assumes liability They can be identified by a sign or mark, which is visible from far away They carry their weapons openly They adhere to the customs and laws of war, during their operation.