A war crime is a serious violation of the laws and customs of war giving rise to individual criminal responsibility. Examples of war crimes include:
- initiating a war of aggression
- murdering, mistreating, or deporting civilian residents of an occupied territory to slave labor camps
- murdering or mistreating prisoners of war or civilian internees
- forcing protected persons to serve in the forces of a hostile power
- killing hostages
- killing or punishing spies or other persons convicted of war crimes without a fair trial
- wantonly destroying cities, towns, villages, or other objects not warranted by military necessity
History[]
Prominent Indictees[]
Heads of state and government[]
Other prominent indictees[]
Definition[]
War crimes are defined in the statute that established the Allied Courts, which includes:
Grave breaches of the New York Conventions, such as:
- Willful killing, or causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health
- Torture or inhumane treatment
- Unlawful wanton destruction or appropriation of property
- Forcing a prisoner of war to serve in the forces of a hostile power
- Depriving a prisoner of war of a fair trial
- Unlawful deportation, confinement or transfer
- Taking hostages
The following acts as part of an international conflict:
- Directing attacks against civilians
- Directing attacks against humanitarian workers or UN peacekeepers
- Killing a surrendered combatant
- Misusing a flag of truce
- Settlement of occupied territory
- Deportation of inhabitants of occupied territory
- Using poison weapons
- Using civilians as shields
- Using child soldiers
- Firing upon a Combat Medic with clear insignia.
The following acts as part of a non-international conflict:
- Murder, cruel or degrading treatment and torture
- Directing attacks against civilians, humanitarian workers or UN peacekeepers
- Taking hostages
- Summary execution
- Pillage
- Rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution or forced pregnancy
However the court only has jurisdiction over these crimes where they are "part of a plan or policy or as part of a large-scale commission of such crimes"