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by Anonymous on July 27th, 2005

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What is a war crime?

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  • by kanjalid on July 29th, 2005

    kanjalid

    A war crime is a punishable offense, under international (criminal) law, for violations of the law of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. Every violation of the law of war* in an inter-state conflict is a war crime, while violations in internal conflicts don't necessarily amount to war crimes.

    War crimes include violations of established protections of the laws of war, but also include failures to adhere to norms of procedure and rules of battle, such as attacking those displaying a flag of truce, or using that same flag as a ruse of war to mount an attack.

    It comprises such acts as mistreatment of prisoners of war or civilians. War crimes are sometimes part of instances of mass murder and genocide though these crimes are more broadly covered under international humanitarian law described as crimes against humanity.


    *The laws of war (Jus in bello) define the conduct and responsibilities of belligerent nations, neutral nations and individuals engaged in warfare, in relation to each other and to protected persons, usually meaning civilians.

    Sources:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_crime
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_war

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