What you should know about War Crimes:

What are War Crimes?

War crimes are human rights violations that place during the time of war; war crimes are grave violations of laws applied to armed conflicts. War crimes, which give rise to criminal responsibility, are affirmed in international humanitarian law. Examples of war crimes include the following: the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents, the ill-treatment of captured soldiers (prisoners of war), the creation of slave labor camps, the killing of prisoners, the wanton destruction of villages, towns or cities, and any destruction not justified by a military unit. War crimes refer to serious violations of the rules of treaty law primarily concerning international humanitarian law. War crimes are a dominant in international humanitarian law; a number of international tribunals (such as the Tokyo trials) were convened for the sole purpose of elucidating war crimes.

The Development of War Crimes:

War crimes were established through a number of international conventions; the creation of such laws was aimed to prevent collateral damage, the mistreatment of civilians and in general, grave violations against human rights. The foundation for the establishment of war crimes is found in the trial of Peter von Hagenbach, which was held by an ad hoc tribunal of the Holy Roman Empire in 1474. Hagenbach was ultimately convicted and beheaded for crimes that he, as a knight, was deemed to have a responsibility to prevent.

The Hague conventions were the next critical stepping stone towards the formal establishment of enforcing laws in the time of armed conflict. The Hague Conventions were international treaties (two separate treaties) negotiated in Netherlands in 1899 and 1907. Along with the First and Second Geneva Conventions (took place in 1864 and 1909), the Hague Conventions served as the first statements regarding the laws of war and war crimes in international law. The Geneva conventions represent the legal basis and framework regarding the conduct of armed conflict under international law. Each member of the United Nations has currently ratified the Geneva conventions, which are universally accepted as a basic premise of international law applicable to every armed conflict throughout the world. The modern concept of war crimes was developed during the Nuremberg Trials. Along with war crimes, this particular charter defined crimes against humanity and the formation of peace, which are typically committed during wars and in tandem with war crimes.