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. Jump to: navigation, search International law, is the body of law that regulates the activities of entities possessing international personality. Traditionally, that meant the conduct and relationships of states. ... 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. ...

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. German troops after surrendering to the U.S. Third Army carry the white flag ( WW2 photo). ... A ruse of war is an action taken by a belligerent in warfare to fool the enemy in order to gain intelligence or a military advantage against an enemy. ...

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. Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... A mass murder (massacre) is an act of murdering of a large number of people all at the same time. ... Jump to: navigation, search Look up Genocide on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Genocide is the systematic killing of substantial numbers of people on the basis of ethnicity, religion, political opinion, social status or other particularity. ... International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also known as the law of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict, is the legal corpus comprised of the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Regulations, as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and customary international law. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

War crimes are significant in international humanitarian law because it is an area where international tribunals such as the Nuremberg Trials have been convened. Recent examples are the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which were established by the UN Security Council acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Jump to: navigation, search The Nuremberg Trials is the general name for two sets of trials of Nazis involved in World War II and the Holocaust. ... Jump to: navigation, search The International Criminal Tribunal for Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, acronym ICTY, is a body of the... Jump to: navigation, search Wanted poster for the ICTR The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) is a court under the auspices of the United Nations for the prosecution of offenses committed in Rwanda during the genocide which occurred there during April, 1994, commencing on April 6. ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ... The United Nations Charter is the constitution of the United Nations. ...

On July 1, 2002 the International Criminal Court, a treaty based court located in The Hague, came into being for the prosecution of war crimes committed on or after that date. However, several nations, most notably the United States, China, and Israel, have criticized the court, refused to participate in it or permit the court to have jurisdiction over their citizens. Jump to: navigation, search July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2002 (MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, as defined by several international agreements, most prominently the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. ... Arms of The Hague The Hague (with capital T; Dutch: Den Haag, or officially s-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. ...

To date, the former heads of state and heads of government that have been charged with war crimes include Karl Dönitz of Germany, ex Prime Minister Hideki Tojo of Japan and former Liberian President Charles Taylor. Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is currently on trial accused of committing War Crimes as is former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević. The President of the Philippines meets with the President of the United States. ... The head of government is the leader of the government or cabinet. ... Jump to: navigation, search Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz. ... Jump to: navigation, search Hideki Tojo Hideki Tojo (東條 英機 Tōjō Hideki [â–¶]help) (December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) was a General in the Imperial Japanese Army, political right-wing thinker and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during much of World War II, from October 18, 1941 to July 22... Charles Taylor announces his resignation on Liberian TV, 2003 Charles Ghankay Taylor (born January 28, 1948) was the President of Liberia from 1997 to 2003. ... Jump to: navigation, search Saddam Hussein Wikinews has news related to this article: Saddam Hussein Saddām Hussein Ê»Abd al-MajÄ«d al-TikrÄ«ti, sometimes spelled Husayn or Hussain; (Arabic صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي; born April 28, 1937 ) was President of Iraq from 1979 until his removal and capture during the 2003 invasion... Official language Serbian written in Cyrillic alphabet1 Capital Belgrade2 President3 Svetozar Marović Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 105th 102,350 km² 0. ... Jump to: navigation, search Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević, on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, The Hague Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević listen [â–¶](audio help) (Serbian: Слободан Милошевић, pronounced ; born 20 August 1941) is a former President of Serbia and of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as well as leader of...

Justice is not always served, when it comes to war crimes. The guilty are not always punished, nor even brought to court. Sometimes what is referred to as winners' justice prevails. Criticisms of the United States using atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II which killed over 100,000 civilians each have not led to a court case. Politically weak peoples such as those of East Timor also have not been able to bring charges against Indonesian leaders whom militarily occupied their country for 24 years which caused an estimated killing of 1/3 of the population. Jump to: navigation, search Main keep of Hiroshima Castle The city of Hiroshima (広島市; -shi) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japans islands. ... Jump to: navigation, search Nagasaki at night, 2003 Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge) Nagasaki listen [▶] (長崎市; -shi, literally long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture located on the south-western coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four mainland islands of Japan. ... Jump to: navigation, search World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that...

See also

• Crime against peace
• Crime against humanity
• Laws of war
• War Crimes Law (Belgium)
• List of war crimes
• 1902 Lodge Committee investigating Phillipine-American war crimes
• Russell Vietnam War Crimes Tribunal - 1967

A crime against peace, in international law, consists of starting a war. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... 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. ... Belgiums War Crimes Law, extended the concept of universal jurisdiction to allow anyone to bring war crime charges in Belgian courts, regardless of where the alleged crimes have taken place. ... This article attempts to list and summarize alleged War Crimes, Crimes Against Peace, or Crimes against Humanity. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Lodge Committee began in January 1902 and adjourned on June 28, 1902. ... The Russell Tribunal was a public international body organized by British philosopher and pacifist Bertrand Russell, along with Ken Coates and several others. ...

External links

• Iraqi Special Tribunal
• Crimes of War Project
• Rome Treaty of the International Criminal Court
• Special Court for Sierra Leone
• UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
• UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
• Ad-Hoc Court for East Timor