List of war crimes
Encyclopedia
This article lists and summarizes some of the war crime
s committed since the Hague Convention of 1907. In addition, those incidents which have been judged in a court of justice to be Crimes Against Peace
that have been committed since these crimes were first defined are also included.
Since many war crimes are not ultimately prosecuted (due to lack of political will, lack of effective procedures, or other practical and political reasons), historians and lawyers will often make a serious case that war crimes occurred, even if there was no formal investigations or prosecution of the alleged crimes or an investigation cleared the alleged perpetrators.
War crimes under international law were firmly established by international trials such as the 1945 Nuremberg Trials
and the Tokyo trial of 1946, in which German and Japanese leaders were prosecuted for war crimes committed during World War II. For purpose of selectivity, only war crimes since the customary laws of war were clarified in the Hague Conventions of 1907 are included, because in the judgment at the Nuremberg Trials in 1945, it was stated that "by 1939 these rules laid down in the Hague Convention of 1907 were recognised by all civilised nations, and were regarded as being declaratory of the laws and customs of war".
. In his updated history of the Spanish Civil War, Antony Beevor
writes, "Franco's ensuing 'white terror
' claimed 200,000 lives. The 'red terror
' had already killed 38,000." Julius Ruiz concludes that "although the figures remain disputed, a minimum of 37,843 executions were carried out in the Republican zone with a maximum of 150,000 executions (including 50,000 after the war) in Nationalist Spain." César Vidal puts the number of Republican victims at 110,965. In 2008 a Spanish judge, Socialist Baltasar Garzon, opened an investigation into the executions and disappearances of 114,266 people between 17 July 1936 and December 1951. Among the executions investigated was that of the poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca
.
on December 7, 1941. For war crimes after this date see the section called World War II: Japan perpetrated crimes.
(particularly Germany and Japan) were perhaps some of the most systematic perpetrators of war crimes in modern history. Contributing factors included Nazi race theory, a desire for "living space" that justified the eradication of native populations, and militaristic indoctrination that encouraged the terrorization of conquered peoples and prisoners of war. The Holocaust, the German attack on the Soviet Union and occupation of much of Europe, the Japanese occupation of Manchuria
and the Philippines
and attack on China all contributed to well over half of the civilian deaths in World War II and the conflicts that led up to the war. Even before post-war revelations of atrocities, both nations were notorious for their brutal treatment of captured combatants.
, most notably Jasenovac
(in Croatian: Logor Jasenovac in Serbian: Логор Јасеновац / Logor Jasenovac), the largest, where hundreds of thousands of Serbs
, Gypsies (Roma), Jews
and Croatian dissidents died. It was established by the Ustaša regime of the Independent State of Croatia in August 1941 and not dismantled until April 1945, shortly before the end of the war. Other concentration camps were in Gospić
, Pag
, Đakovo, Jastrebarsko
and Lepoglava
.
According to the Simon Wiesenthal Center
(citing the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust), "Ustasa terrorists killed 500,000 Serbs, expelled 250,000 and forced 250,000 to convert to Roman Catholicism
. They murdered thousands of Jews and Gypsies."
Jasenovac was a complex of five subcamps and three smaller camps spread out over 240 square kilometres (92.7 sq mi), in relatively close proximity to each other, on the bank of the Sava river. Most of the camp was at Jasenovac
, about 100 km (62.1 mi) southeast of Zagreb
. The complex also included large grounds at Donja Gradina directly across the Sava River
, a camp for children in Sisak
to the northwest, and a women's camp in Stara Gradiška
to the southeast.
Ante Pavelić
, leader of the Ustasha, fled to Argentina and Spain which gave him protection, and was never extradited to stand trial for his war crimes.
1. Participation in a common plan of conspiracy
for the accomplishment of crimes against peace
2. Planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression and other crimes against peace
3. War Crimes
These were limited to atrocities against combatants or conventional crimes committed by military units (see War crimes of the Wehrmacht
), and include:
4. Crimes against Humanity
These were crimes that were committed well away from the lines of battle and were unconnected in any way to military activity.
Other crimes against humanity included:
At least 10 million, and perhaps over 20 million innocent non-combatants were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime in the commission of crimes against humanity, of which the Holocaust lives on in particular infamy, since the largest number of deaths happened among Jewish citizens of states invaded or controlled by the Nazi regime. At least 5 to 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, although a complete count may never be known. Though much of Continental Europe suffered from the Nazi murders, Poland and Russia, in particular, were the states most devastated by these crimes, with many of their Jewish and a good number of their Christian citizens slaughtered by the Nazi aggressor. After the war, from 1945 to 1949, the Nazi regime was put on trial in two tribunals
in Nuremberg
, Germany by the victorious Allied powers. The first tribunal
indicted
24 major Nazi war criminals, and resulted in 19 convictions (of which 12 led to death sentence
s) and 3 acquittal
s, 2 of the accused died before a verdict was rendered. The second tribunal
indicted 185 members of the military, economic, and political leadership of Nazi Germany, of which 142 were convicted and 35 were acquitted. In subsequent decades, approximately 20 additional war criminals who escaped capture in the immediate aftermath of World War II were tried in West Germany
and Israel
. In Germany and many other European nations, the Nazi Party is outlawed.
:
for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed During the Period of Democratic Kampuchea, commonly known as the Cambodia Tribunal, is a joint court established by the Royal Government of Cambodia and the United Nations to try senior members of the Khmer Rouge
for crimes against humanity committed during the Cambodian Civil War
. The Khmer Rouge killed many people due to their political affiliation, education, class origin, occupation, or ethnicity.
population of the Northern districts of Cyprus
, including Kyrenia
, Morphou, Famagusta
, Karpasia
and parts of Nicosia
. Other crimes committed by the Turkish Armed forces in Cyprus include but are not limited to breaching the Forth Geneva Convention on Human Rights and mass rapes. The ethnic cleansing is maintained by 40,000 Turkish troops who prevent IDP
s from returning to their homes.
" that is also treated in the corresponding section below.
Christian
Phalangists, who entered the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps in question to hunt for "terrorists" and subsequently massacred between upwards of five hundred to several thousand Palestinian
civilians, constituting Crimes against humanity. There exists a question of whether the Israeli armed forces either had advanced knowledge that the hunt for "terrorists" by the Phalangists was planned to be a massacre, or, upon hearing reports of the atrocities, failed to stop their Phalangist allies from further killings of civilians. No Phalangists were prosecuted; Ariel Sharon
, at the time the Israeli Defense Minister, was found by the Israeli non-judicial Kahan Commission
to bear personal responsibility "for ignoring the danger of bloodshed and revenge" and "not taking appropriate measures to prevent bloodshed". Sharon's negligence in protecting the civilian population of Beirut, which had come under Israeli control amounted to a non-fulfillment of a duty with which the Defence Minister was charged, and it was recommended that Sharon be dismissed as Defence Minister. Sharon resigned his post as Defence Minister, but remained in the Israeli cabinet of Prime Minister Menachem Begin
; he later was elected Prime Minister of Israel.
March 28, 2006 p. 43:
exchange of the Lockerbie bombing terrorist(genocide charge pending in new prosecution)was returned to Libya and Libya was taken off terrorist list by the Bush administration with the legal stipulation that Libya could never be prosecuted for past war crimes(regardless of guilt)in the future.
, Civil war in Chad (2005–2010)
Sudanese authorities claim a death toll of roughly 19,500 civilians while many non-governmental organization
s, such as the Coalition for International Justice
, claim over 400,000 people have been killed.
In September 2004, the World Health Organization
estimated there had been 50,000 deaths in Darfur since the beginning of the conflict, an 18-month period, mostly due to starvation
. An updated estimate the following month put the number of deaths for the 6-month period from March to October 2004 due to starvation and disease at 70,000; These figures were criticized, because they only considered short periods and did not include deaths from violence. A more recent British Parliamentary Report has estimated that over 300,000 people have died, and others have estimated even more.
and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(Tamil Tigers) during the Sri Lankan Civil War
, particularly during the final months of the conflict in 2009. The alleged war crimes include attacks on civilians and civilian buildings by both sides; executions of combatants and prisoners by both sides; enforced disappearances by the Sri Lankan military and paramilitary groups backed by them; acute shortages of food, medicine, and clean water for civilians trapped in the war zone; child recruitment and attacks on targeting civilian including suicide bombings and attacks on civilian aircraft by the Tamil Tigers.
An expert panel
appointed by Ban Ki-Moon
, Secretary General of the United Nations
, investigating violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the civil war reported that it had found "credible allegations" which, if proven, indicated that war crimes and crimes against humanity may have been committed by the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tigers. The panel has called on the UN Secretary General to conduct an independent international inquiry into the alleged violations of international law. The Sri Lankan government has denied that its forces committed any war crimes and has strongly opposed any investigation.
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s committed since the Hague Convention of 1907. In addition, those incidents which have been judged in a court of justice to be Crimes Against Peace
Crime against peace
A crime against peace, in international law, refers to "planning, preparation, initiation, or waging of wars of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the foregoing"...
that have been committed since these crimes were first defined are also included.
Since many war crimes are not ultimately prosecuted (due to lack of political will, lack of effective procedures, or other practical and political reasons), historians and lawyers will often make a serious case that war crimes occurred, even if there was no formal investigations or prosecution of the alleged crimes or an investigation cleared the alleged perpetrators.
War crimes under international law were firmly established by international trials such as the 1945 Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
and the Tokyo trial of 1946, in which German and Japanese leaders were prosecuted for war crimes committed during World War II. For purpose of selectivity, only war crimes since the customary laws of war were clarified in the Hague Conventions of 1907 are included, because in the judgment at the Nuremberg Trials in 1945, it was stated that "by 1939 these rules laid down in the Hague Convention of 1907 were recognised by all civilised nations, and were regarded as being declaratory of the laws and customs of war".
1914-1918: World War I
World War I was the first major international conflict to take place following the codification of war crimes at the Hague Convention of 1907, including derived war crimes, such as the use of poisons as weapons, as well as crimes against humanity, and derivative crimes against humanity, such as torture, and genocide.| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
| World War I | All belligerents | ||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment of poison gas | Use of poisons as weapons (All major belligerents used poisonous gasses against enemy personnel in combat.) | No prosecutions | Poison gas was introduced by Imperial Germany, and was subsequently used by all major belligerents in the war against enemy soldiers, in violation of the customary law of war, adhered to by all civilized nations and armed groups, thereby constituting the Use of poisons as weapons. |
| World War I | Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries... |
||
| Armenian Genocide Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I... |
War crimes, Crimes against humanity, Crime of genocide (Extermination of Armenians in Anatolia Anatolia Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey... ) |
The Turkish Courts-Martial of 1919-20 Turkish Courts-Martial of 1919-20 Turkish Courts-Martial of 1919–20 were courts-martial of the Ottoman Empire after the armistice of Mudros during the aftermath the World War I, which the leadership of the Committee of Union and Progress and selected former officials were court-martialled with/including the charges of subversion... as well as the incomplete Malta Tribunals were trials of certain of the alleged perpetrators. |
The Young Turk regime ordered the wholesale extermination of Armenians living within Anatolia Anatolia Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey... . This was carried out by certain elements of their military forces, who either massacred Armenians outright, or deported them to Syria and then massacred them. Over 1.5 million Armenians perished. The Republic of Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe... , the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, does not accept the word genocide as an accurate description of the events surrounding this matter. |
Aftermath of World War I
The political reorganization that followed from World War I led to several events that could possibly considered War crimes or crimes against humanity, with forced displacements of large groups of population mainly based on ethnic criteria.| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
1935-1937 Second Italo-Abyssinian War
- Italian use of mustard gas against Ethiopian soldiers, violating Geneva conventions forbidding its use
- Yekatit 12Yekatit 12Yekatit 12 is a date in the Ethiopian calendar, equivalent to 19 February in the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly used to refer to the indiscriminate massacre and imprisonment of Ethiopians by elements of the Italian occupation forces following an attempted assassination of Viceroy Rodolfo...
-- In response to the unsuccessful assassination of Rodolfo GrazianiRodolfo GrazianiRodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli , was an officer in the Italian Regio Esercito who led military expeditions in Africa before and during World War II.-Rise to prominence:...
on 19 February 1937, thousands of Ethiopians were killed, including all of the monks residing at Debre LibanosDebre LibanosDebre Libanos is a monastery in Ethiopia, lying northwest of Addis Ababa in the Oromia Region. Founded in the thirteenth century by Saint Tekle Haymanot, the monastery's chief abbot, called the Ichege, was the second most powerful official in the Ethiopian Church after the Abuna.The monastery...
, and over a thousand more detained at DananDanan, EthiopiaDanan is a town in the eastern part of Ethiopia known as the Ogaden. Located in the Gode Zone of the Somali Region , and it is located the main road between Gode and Kebri Dahar the nearest towns with electricity. This town has a latitude and longitude of .Danan has a camp for refugees and...
who were then exiled either to the Dahlak Islands or Italy.
1936-1939: Spanish Civil War
At least 50,000 people were executed during the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. In his updated history of the Spanish Civil War, Antony Beevor
Antony Beevor
Antony James Beevor, FRSL is a British historian, educated at Winchester College and Sandhurst. He studied under the famous military historian John Keegan. Beevor is a former officer with the 11th Hussars who served in England and Germany for five years before resigning his commission...
writes, "Franco's ensuing 'white terror
White Terror (Spain)
In Spain, White Terror refers to acts of politically motivated violence committed by the Nationalist movement during the Spanish Civil War and during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
' claimed 200,000 lives. The 'red terror
Red Terror (Spain)
The Red Terror in Spain is the name given by historians to various acts committed "by sections of nearly all the leftist groups" such as the killing of tens of thousands of people , as well as attacks on landowners, industrialists, and politicians, and the...
' had already killed 38,000." Julius Ruiz concludes that "although the figures remain disputed, a minimum of 37,843 executions were carried out in the Republican zone with a maximum of 150,000 executions (including 50,000 after the war) in Nationalist Spain." César Vidal puts the number of Republican victims at 110,965. In 2008 a Spanish judge, Socialist Baltasar Garzon, opened an investigation into the executions and disappearances of 114,266 people between 17 July 1936 and December 1951. Among the executions investigated was that of the poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
.
1937-1945: Second Sino-Japanese War
This section includes war crimes up to and through December 6, 1941 when the Second Sino-Japanese War became the Asian Theater of World War II, due to the Attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on December 7, 1941. For war crimes after this date see the section called World War II: Japan perpetrated crimes.
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Sino-Japanese War Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States... |
Japan | ||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Attack on China in 1937 | Crimes against peace (Waging unprovoked war against China (count 27 at the Tokyo Trials)) | Sadao Araki Sadao Araki Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army before World War II. A charismatic leader and one of the principal nationalist right-wing political theorists in the late Japanese Empire, he was regarded as the leader of the radical faction within the politicized Japanese Army and served as... , Kenji Doihara Kenji Doihara was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for which he earned fame taking the nickname 'Lawrence of Manchuria', a reference to the Lawrence of Arabia.... , Kingoro Hashimoto Kingoro Hashimoto was a soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army and politician.-Early career:Hashimoto was born in Okayama City, and a graduate of the 23rd class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1911. He subsequently graduated from the Army Staff College in 1920. In April 1922, he was assigned to the Kwangtung... , Shunroku Hata, Hiranuma Kiichirō, Kōki Hirota Koki Hirota was a Japanese diplomat, politician and the 32nd Prime Minister of Japan from March 9, 1936 to February 2, 1937.-Early life:Hirota was born in what is now part of Chūō-ku, Fukuoka city, Fukuoka Prefecture. His father was a stonemason, and he was adopted into the Hirota family. After attending... , Naoki Hoshino Naoki Hoshino was a bureaucrat and politician who served in the Taishō and early Shōwa period Japanese government, and as an official in the Empire of Manchukuo.-Biography:Hoshino was born in Yokohama, where his father was involved in the textile industry... , Seishirō Itagaki, Okinori Kaya Okinori Kaya was the Japanese finance minister between 1941-1944. In 1945, he was captured by the Allies, tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment... , Kōichi Kido Koichi Kido Marquis served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 1940 to 1945, and was the closest advisor to Emperor Showa throughout World War II.Kido was the grandson of Kido Takayoshi, one of the leaders of the Meiji Restoration... , Heitarō Kimura, Kuniaki Koiso Kuniaki Koiso - Notes :... , Jirō Minami Jiro Minami - Notes :... , Akira Mutō Akira Muto - Notes :... , Takazumi Oka, Hiroshi Ōshima Hiroshi Ōshima Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Japanese ambassador to Nazi Germany before and during World War II — and unknowingly a major source of communications intelligence for the Allies. His role was perhaps best summed up by General George C... , Kenryo Sato, Mamoru Shigemitsu Mamoru Shigemitsu was a Japanese diplomat and politician in the Empire of Japan, who served as the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs at the end of World War II.-Biography:... , Shigetarō Shimada Shigetaro Shimada was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He also served as Navy Minister-Biography:A native of Tokyo, Shimada graduated from the 32nd class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1904... , Teiichi Suzuki Teiichi Suzuki was a Japanese army general who helped plan Japan's economy in World War II and later was imprisoned as a war criminal, died of heart failure. He was 100 years old.Mr... , Toshio Shiratori Toshio Shiratori was the Japanese ambassador to Italy from 1938 to 1940, advisor to the Japanese foreign minister in 1940, and one of the 14 Class-A war criminals enshrined at Yasukuni.... , Shigenori Tōgō Shigenori Togo was Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire of Japan at both the start and the end of the Japanese-American conflict during World War II... , Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944... , Yoshijirō Umezu |
|
| Nanking Massacre Nanking Massacre The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second... , China, 1937–38 |
Crimes against humanity; War crimes (Mass murder of civilian population & POWs, rape, looting) | General Asaka Yasuhiko, commander, Japanese Shanghai Expeditionary Force, Imperial Japanese Army Imperial Japanese Army -Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū... . General Iwane Matsui Iwane Matsui was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary forces sent to China in World War II. He was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death by hanging by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East for responsibility over the Nanking Massacre.-Early life... , Commanding general of Japanese forces in China, Imperial Japanese Army. Chief of staff of the Army Kotohito Kan'in, Minister of War Hajime Sugiyama. It is debated how culpable Emperor Hirohito Hirohito , posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to... was. |
After the Battle of Nanking, on 13 December 1937, Japanese entered the city virtually resistance free. From then for a period of about 6 weeks after, until early February 1938, widespread war crimes were committed including mass rape Rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The... , looting Looting Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting... , arson Arson Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires... , the killing of civilian Civilian A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation... s and prisoners of war Prisoner of war A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict... . Most estimates put deaths at between 150,000 and 300,000 dead. |
| Hankow massacre, China, 1938 | War crimes (Mass execution of POWs) | General Shunroku Hata, commander, China Expeditionary Army, Imperial Japanese Army. | War crimes were committed including the killing of civilian Civilian A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation... s and prisoners of war Prisoner of war A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict... . |
Axis powers (listed by country)
The Axis PowersAxis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
(particularly Germany and Japan) were perhaps some of the most systematic perpetrators of war crimes in modern history. Contributing factors included Nazi race theory, a desire for "living space" that justified the eradication of native populations, and militaristic indoctrination that encouraged the terrorization of conquered peoples and prisoners of war. The Holocaust, the German attack on the Soviet Union and occupation of much of Europe, the Japanese occupation of Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and attack on China all contributed to well over half of the civilian deaths in World War II and the conflicts that led up to the war. Even before post-war revelations of atrocities, both nations were notorious for their brutal treatment of captured combatants.
Croatian perpetrated crimes
Numerous concentration camps were built in CroatiaIndependent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
, most notably Jasenovac
Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac concentration camp was the largest extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia and occupied Yugoslavia during World War II...
(in Croatian: Logor Jasenovac in Serbian: Логор Јасеновац / Logor Jasenovac), the largest, where hundreds of thousands of Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
, Gypsies (Roma), Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and Croatian dissidents died. It was established by the Ustaša regime of the Independent State of Croatia in August 1941 and not dismantled until April 1945, shortly before the end of the war. Other concentration camps were in Gospić
Gospic
Gospić is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Lika-Senj county. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a karst field....
, Pag
Pag
Pag may refer to:*Pag , an island in the Adriatic Sea, part of Croatia*Pag , the largest town on the island of Pag* Pag, the ISO 639-2 and ISO 639-3 code for the Pangasinan languageSee also* PAG...
, Đakovo, Jastrebarsko
Jastrebarsko
- Antiquity :In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan area. Further archeological investigation in the late 20th century classified them as a villa rustica and a necropolis consisting of six tumuli, both dating to...
and Lepoglava
Lepoglava
Lepoglava is a town in Varaždin County, northern Croatia, located southwest of Varaždin, west of Ivanec and northeast of Krapina.A total of 8,271 people in the municipality lives in the following settlements:* Bednjica, population 214...
.
According to the Simon Wiesenthal Center
Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...
(citing the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust), "Ustasa terrorists killed 500,000 Serbs, expelled 250,000 and forced 250,000 to convert to Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. They murdered thousands of Jews and Gypsies."
Jasenovac was a complex of five subcamps and three smaller camps spread out over 240 square kilometres (92.7 sq mi), in relatively close proximity to each other, on the bank of the Sava river. Most of the camp was at Jasenovac
Jasenovac, Sisak-Moslavina County
Jasenovac is a village and a municipality in Croatian Slavonia, in the southern part of the Sisak-Moslavina county at the confluence of the river Una into Sava.The name means "ash tree" or "ash forest" in Croatian, the area being ringed by such a forest....
, about 100 km (62.1 mi) southeast of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. The complex also included large grounds at Donja Gradina directly across the Sava River
Sava River
The Sava is a river in Southeast Europe, a right side tributary of the Danube river at Belgrade. Counting from Zelenci, the source of Sava Dolinka, it is long and drains of surface area. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia, along the northern border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and through Serbia....
, a camp for children in Sisak
Sisak
Sisak is a city in central Croatia. The city's population in 2011 was 33,049, with a total of 49,699 in the administrative region and it is also the administrative centre of the Sisak-Moslavina county...
to the northwest, and a women's camp in Stara Gradiška
Stara Gradiška
Stara Gradiška is a village and a municipality in the Brod-Posavina county of Croatia. It has 542 residents, while the municipality has 1,717 , in six other smaller villages...
to the southeast.
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelic
Ante Pavelić was a Croatian fascist leader, revolutionary, and politician. He ruled as Poglavnik or head, of the Independent State of Croatia , a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia...
, leader of the Ustasha, fled to Argentina and Spain which gave him protection, and was never extradited to stand trial for his war crimes.
German perpetrated crimes
According to the Nuremberg Trials, there were four major war crimes that were alleged against German military (and Waffen-SS and NSDAP) men and officers, each with individual events that made up the major charges.1. Participation in a common plan of conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
for the accomplishment of crimes against peace
2. Planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression and other crimes against peace
- Planning and executing a campaign of invasion of its European neighbors, as well as the conspiracy to violate the Treaty of VersaillesTreaty of VersaillesThe Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
and the Treaty of Saint-GermainTreaty of Saint-GermainThe Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, was signed on 10 September 1919 by the victorious Allies of World War I on the one hand and by the new Republic of Austria on the other...
through the remilitarization of the RhinelandRemilitarization of the RhinelandThe Remilitarization of the Rhineland by the German Army took place on 7 March 1936 when German military forces entered the Rhineland. This was significant because it violated the terms of the Locarno Treaties and was the first time since the end of World War I that German troops had been in this...
, and the annexations of AustriaAnschlussThe Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
and Czechoslovakia.
3. War Crimes
These were limited to atrocities against combatants or conventional crimes committed by military units (see War crimes of the Wehrmacht
War crimes of the Wehrmacht
War crimes of the Wehrmacht were those carried out by the German armed forces during World War II. While the principal perpetrators of the Holocaust amongst German armed forces were the Nazi German 'political' armies , the regular armed forces represented by the Wehrmacht committed war crimes of...
), and include:
- Invasion of PolandInvasion of Poland (1939)The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
, in the period of 1 September - 25 October 1939 German Wehrmacht during its military actions engaged in executions of Polish POWs, bombed hospitals, murdered civilians, shot refugees, executed wounded soldiers. The cautious estimates give a number of at least 16,000 murdered victims - Pacification Operations in German occupied Poland, during the occupation of Poland by German Reich, Wehrmacht forces took part in several pacification actions in rural areas, that resulted in murder of at least 20,000 Polish villagers
- Le Paradis massacreLe Paradis massacreThe Le Paradis massacre was a war crime committed by members of the 14th Company, SS Division Totenkopf, under the command of Hauptsturmführer Fritz Knöchlein...
, May 1940, British soldiers of the Royal Norfolk RegimentRoyal Norfolk RegimentThe Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The Norfolk Regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as the county regiment of Norfolk...
, captured by the SS and subsequently murdered. Fritz KnoechleinFritz KnoechleinFritz Knöchlein was an SS-Obersturmbannführer during the Second World War who was subsequently convicted and executed for war crimes.-Biography:Fritz Knöchlein joined the SS in 1934...
tried, found guilty and hanged. - Wormhoudt massacreWormhoudt massacreThe Wormhoudt massacre was the mass murder of 80 British and French POWs by the Waffen SS during the Battle of France in May 1940.-Fighting:...
, May 1940, British and French soldiers captured by the SS and subsequently murdered. No one found guilty of the crime. - d'Ardenne Massacres, June 1944 Canadian soldiers captured by the SS and murdered by 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend12th SS Panzer Division HitlerjugendThe 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was a German Waffen SS armoured division during World War II. The Hitlerjugend was unique because the majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, while the senior NCOs and officers were generally veterans of the Eastern...
. SS General Kurt Meyer (Panzermeyer)Kurt Meyer (Panzermeyer)Kurt Meyer, nicknamed "Panzermeyer", served as an officer in the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. He saw action in many major battles, including the Invasion of France, Operation Barbarossa, and the Battle of Normandy.Meyer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and...
sentenced to be shot 1946; sentence commuted; released 1954 - Malmedy massacreMalmedy massacreThe Malmedy massacre was a war crime in which 84 American prisoners of war were murdered by their German captors during World War II. The massacre was committed on December 17, 1944, by members of Kampfgruppe Peiper , a German combat unit, during the Battle of the Bulge.The massacre, as well as...
, December 1944, United States POWs captured by Kampfgruppe Peiper were murdered outside MalmedyMalmedyMalmedy is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region, Province of Liège. It belongs to the French Community of Belgium, within which it is French-speaking with facilities for German-speakers. On January 1, 2006 Malmedy had a total population of 11,829...
, Belgium. - Gardelegen (war crime)Gardelegen (war crime)On April 13, 1945, German SS and Luftwaffe troops, retreating from the Allied advance, burned alive 1016 political and military prisoners near the north German town of Gardelegen, between Berlin and Hannover. The crime was discovered two days later by F Company, 2d Battalion, 405th Regiment, U.S...
- Marzabotto massacreMarzabotto massacreThe Marzabotto massacre was a World War II mass murder of at least 770 civilians by Germans, which took place in the territory around the small village of Marzabotto, in the mountainous area south of Bologna...
- Sant'Anna di StazzemaSant'Anna di StazzemaSant'Anna di Stazzema is a village in Tuscany in central Italy. Administratively, it is a frazione of the comune of Stazzema, in the province of Lucca....
- Cefalonia Massacre
- Oradour-sur-GlaneOradour-sur-GlaneOradour-sur-Glane is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Limousin region in west-central France.The original village was destroyed on 10 June 1944, when 642 of its inhabitants, including women and children, were massacred by a German Waffen-SS company...
- The annihilation of the Czech city of LidiceLidiceLidice is a village in the Czech Republic just northwest of Prague. It is built on the site of a previous village of the same name which, as part of the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, was on orders from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, completely destroyed by German forces in reprisal...
, as an act of vengeance for the assassination Reinhard HeydrichReinhard HeydrichReinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
. - Massacre of KalavrytaMassacre of KalavrytaThe Holocaust of Kalavryta , or the Massacre of Kalavryta , refers to the extermination of the male population and the subsequent total destruction of the town of Kalavryta, in Greece, by German occupying forces during World War II on 13 December 1943...
- Distomo massacreDistomo massacreThe Distomo massacre was a Nazi war crime perpetrated by members of the Waffen-SS in the village of Distomo, Greece, during the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II.-History:...
- Kragujevac massacreKragujevac massacreThe Kragujevac massacre was the murder of men and boys in Kragujevac, Serbia, by Nazi German soldiers between 20–21 October 1941. All males from the town between the ages of sixteen and sixty were assembled, including high school students, and the victims were selected from amongst them...
- The suppression of the 1944 Warsaw UprisingWarsaw UprisingThe Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
and subsequent leveling of the whole cityPlanned destruction of WarsawThe planned destruction of Warsaw refers to the largely realised plans by Nazi Germany to completely raze the city. The plan was put into full motion after the Warsaw Uprising in 1944... - The treatment of Soviet POWs throughout the war, who were not given the protections and guarantees of the Geneva Convention
- Unrestricted submarine warfareUnrestricted submarine warfareUnrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchantmen without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules...
against merchant shipping - Vinkt MassacreVinkt MassacreVinkt is a small village in Belgium, with about 1200 inhabitants, now part of the town of Deinze and situated 20 km southwest of Ghent. It was near the Vinkt bridge over the Schipdonk Canal that in May 1940 at least 86 civilians were killed by the German Wehrmacht in an incident known in Belgium as...
- HeusdenHeusdenHeusden is a municipality and a city in the South of the Netherlands. It is located between the cities Waalwijk and 's-Hertogenbosch.- Population centres :...
; town hall massacre (November 1944).
4. Crimes against Humanity
These were crimes that were committed well away from the lines of battle and were unconnected in any way to military activity.
- The major crime was the Holocaust, including:
- The construction and use of Vernichtungslagern, most prominently at Auschwitz, BuchenwaldBuchenwald concentration campBuchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
, Treblinka, MajdanekMajdanekMajdanek was a German Nazi concentration camp on the outskirts of Lublin, Poland, established during the German Nazi occupation of Poland. The camp operated from October 1, 1941 until July 22, 1944, when it was captured nearly intact by the advancing Soviet Red Army...
, Bełżec, SobibórSobibór extermination campSobibor was a Nazi German extermination camp located on the outskirts of the town of Sobibór, Lublin Voivodeship of occupied Poland as part of Operation Reinhard; the official German name was SS-Sonderkommando Sobibor...
, and Chełmno- The employment of other camps across Europe, including Dachau, SachsenhausenSachsenhausen concentration campSachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
, MauthausenMauthausenMauthausen is a small market town in Upper Austria, Austria. It is located at about 20 kilometers east of the city of Linz, and has a population of 4,850 .During World War II, it became the site of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp complex....
and Bergen-BelsenBergen-Belsen concentration campBergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
which served unofficially as death camps to a degree
- The employment of other camps across Europe, including Dachau, Sachsenhausen
- Death marchesDeath marches (Holocaust)The death marches refer to the forcible movement between Autumn 1944 and late April 1945 by Nazi Germany of thousands of prisoners from German concentration camps near the war front to camps inside Germany.-General:...
of prisoners, particularly in the last months of the war when the aforementioned camps were being overrun by the AlliesAlliesIn everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them... - The widespread use of slave laborSlaverySlavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and forced/unfree labor by the Nazi regime, including the use of concentration camp and extermination camp prisoners as slaves - The establishment of Jewish GhettoGhettoA ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
s in Eastern Europe - The use of SS EinsatzgruppenEinsatzgruppenEinsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary death squads that were responsible for mass killings, typically by shooting, of Jews in particular, but also significant numbers of other population groups and political categories...
, mobile extermination squads - Babi YarBabi YarBabi Yar is a ravine in the Ukrainian capital Kiev and a site of a series of massacres carried out by the Nazis during their campaign against the Soviet Union. The most notorious and the best documented of these massacres took place on September 29–30, 1941, wherein 33,771 Jews were killed in a...
- RumbulaRumbulaRumbula is a pine forest enclave in Riga, Latvia, in which Jews were massacred during the Holocaust. For the air base at Rumbula, see Rumbula ....
- Dnepropetrovsk
- Ninth FortNinth FortThe Ninth Fort is a stronghold in the northern part of Šilainiai elderate, Kaunas, Lithuania. It is a part of the Kaunas Fortress, which was constructed in the late 19th century. During the occupation of Kaunas and the rest of Lithuania by the Soviet Union, the fort was used as a prison and...
- SimferopolSimferopol-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
- German war crimes during the Battle of MoscowGerman war crimes during the Battle of MoscowGerman war crimes during the Battle of MoscowIn the village of Ershovo in Moscow Oblast 100 Soviet civilians and captured soldiers were blown up in the village's church....
- The massacre of 100,000 Jews and Poles at PaneriaiPaneriaiPaneriai is a neighborhood of Vilnius, situated about 10 kilometres away from the city center. It is the largest elderate in the Vilnius city municipality. It is located on low forested hills, on the Vilnius-Warsaw road...
- The suppression of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto UprisingWarsaw Ghetto UprisingThe Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in German occupied Poland during World War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany's effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to Treblinka extermination camp....
which erupted when the SS came to clear the ghetto and send all of the occupants to extermination camps - Izieu MassacreIzieuIzieu is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.It lies on the Rhône River between the cities of Lyon and Chambéry.-History:Izieu was the site of a Jewish orphanage during the Second World War. Most of the children were however only separated from their parents or sent purposely in the...
- The construction and use of Vernichtungslagern, most prominently at Auschwitz, Buchenwald
Other crimes against humanity included:
- The PorajmosPorajmosThe Porajmos was the attempt made by Nazi Germany, the Independent State of Croatia, Horthy's Hungary and their allies to exterminate the Romani people of Europe during World War II...
, the Nazi pogromPogromA pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
against the Romany peoples of Europe - The Łapanka or "Catching Game", – Nazi roundups of Poles in the major cities for slave labor and other purposes
- Nikolaev MassacreNikolaev MassacreThe Nikolaev Massacre was a massacre which resulted in the deaths of 35,782 Soviet citizens during World War II, on September 16-30, 1941....
- Operation TannenbergOperation TannenbergOperation Tannenberg was the codename for one of the extermination actions directed at the Polish people during World War II, part of the Generalplan Ost...
, the AB Action and the Massacre of Lwów professorsMassacre of Lwów professorsIn July 1941, 25 Polish academics from the city of Lwów, Poland ; now in Ukraine) were killed by Nazi German occupation forces along with their families and guests...
, all Nazi actions in Poland meant to mass murder the Polish intelligentsia and other potential leaders of resistance. - The Nazi T-4 Euthanasia Program, an aborted eugenics program meant to kill German children who were mentally or physically handicapped. 200,000 people were gassed to death due to this program.
- The Nazi crimes against Soviet POWsNazi crimes against Soviet POWsThe Nazi crimes against Soviet Prisoners of War relate to the deliberately genocidal policies taken towards the captured soldiers of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany...
, resulted in some 3.3 million to 3.5 million deaths, about 60% of all Soviet POWs.
At least 10 million, and perhaps over 20 million innocent non-combatants were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime in the commission of crimes against humanity, of which the Holocaust lives on in particular infamy, since the largest number of deaths happened among Jewish citizens of states invaded or controlled by the Nazi regime. At least 5 to 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, although a complete count may never be known. Though much of Continental Europe suffered from the Nazi murders, Poland and Russia, in particular, were the states most devastated by these crimes, with many of their Jewish and a good number of their Christian citizens slaughtered by the Nazi aggressor. After the war, from 1945 to 1949, the Nazi regime was put on trial in two tribunals
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, Germany by the victorious Allied powers. The first tribunal
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
24 major Nazi war criminals, and resulted in 19 convictions (of which 12 led to death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
s) and 3 acquittal
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
s, 2 of the accused died before a verdict was rendered. The second tribunal
Subsequent Nuremberg Trials
The Subsequent Nuremberg Trials were a series of twelve U.S...
indicted 185 members of the military, economic, and political leadership of Nazi Germany, of which 142 were convicted and 35 were acquitted. In subsequent decades, approximately 20 additional war criminals who escaped capture in the immediate aftermath of World War II were tried in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. In Germany and many other European nations, the Nazi Party is outlawed.
Italian perpetrated crimes
- Invasion of Abyssinia: Waging a war of aggression for territorial aggrandizement, War crimes, Use of poisons as weapons, Crimes against humanity; in violation of the Kellogg-Briand Pact, and the customary law of nations, Italy invaded the Kingdom of Abyssinia in 1936 without cause cognizable by the law of nations, and waged a war of annihilation against Ethiopian resistance, using poisons against military forces and civilian persons alike, not giving quarter to POWs who had surrendered, and massacring civilians.
- Invasion of Albania: Waging a war of aggression for territorial aggrandizement; Italy invaded the Kingdom of Albania in 1939 without cause cognizable by the law of nations in a brief but bloody affair that saw King Zog deposed and an Italian proconsul installed in his place. Italy subsequently acted as the suzerain of Albania until its ultimate liberation later in World War II.
- Invasion of Yugoslavia: Aerial bombardment of civilian population; Concentration camps (Rab, Gonars)
- No one has been brought to trial for war crimes, although in 1950 the former Italian defense minister was convicted for collaboration with Nazi Germany.
Hungarian perpetrated crimes
| Incident | Type of crime | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Novi Sad massacre | Crimes against humanity; Crime of genocide (murder of civilians, ethnic cleansing) | 4,211 civilians (2,842 Serbs, 1,250 Jews, 64 Roma, 31 Rusyns, 13 Russians and 11 ethnic Hungarians) rounded up and killed by Hungarian troops in reprisal for resistance activities. |
| Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamianets-Podilskyi Kamyanets-Podilsky or Kamienets-Podolsky is a city located on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi... massacre |
Crimes against humanity; Crime of genocide (murder of civilians, ethnic cleansing) | 14000-16000 Jews were deported by Hungarian troops to Kamianets-Podilskyi to be executed by SS troops. Part of the first large-scale mass murder in pursuit of the "Final Solution". |
| Sarmasu Sarmasu Sărmașu is a town in Mureș County, central Transylvania, Romania. It administers seven villages: Balda, Larga, Moruț, Sărmășel, Sărmășel-Gară, Titiana and Vișinelu.-See also:*Mureș County* List of Hungarian exonyms... massacre |
Crimes against humanity; Crime of genocide (murder of civilians, ethnic cleansing) | Torture and killing of 126 Jews by Hungarian troops in the village of Sarmasu. |
| Treznea massacre Treznea massacre The Treznea massacre occurred in the village of Treznea, Sălaj in north-western Transylvania on 9 September 1940, during the handing over of Northern Transylvania from Romania to Hungary after the Second Vienna Award.... |
Crimes against humanity | 93 to 236 Romanian and Jewish civilians (depending on sources) executed as reprisal for alleged attacks from locals on the Hungarian troops. |
| Ip massacre Ip massacre The Ip massacre took place in the early hours of 14 September 1940, in Ip, Sălaj, a village in Northern Transylvania when the Hungarian Army, apparently supported by a local vigilante group, killed 158 Romanian civilians.... |
Crimes against humanity | 150 Romanian civilians executed by Hungarian rogue troops and paramilitary formations as reprisal for the death of two Hungarian soldiers in an explosion. |
| Hegyeshalom death march | Crimes against humanity; Crime of genocide (murder of civilians, ethnic cleansing) | About 10,000 Budapest Jews died as a result of exhaustion and executions while marching toward Hegyeshalom at the Austrian border. |
Japanese perpetrated crimes
This section includes war crimes from 7 December 1941 when the United States was attacked by Japan so entering World War II. For war crimes before this date which took place during the Second Sino-Japanese War please see the section above called 1937-1945: Second Sino-Japanese War.| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| World War II | Crimes against peace (Overall waging and/or conspiracy to wage a war of aggression for territorial aggrandizement, as established by the Tokyo Trials) | General Doihara Kenji, Baron Hirota Koki, General Seishirō Itagaki, General Kimura Heitaro Hyotaro Kimura was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army.-Biography:Kimura was born in Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo, but was raised in Hiroshima prefecture, which he considered to be his home. He attended military schooling from an early age, and graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1908... , General Matsui Iwane, General Muto Akira, General Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944... , General Araki Sadao, Colonel Hashimoto Kingoro, Field Marshal Hata Shunroku, Baron Hiranuma Kiichiro, Hoshino Naoki, Kaya Okinori, Marquis Kido Kōichi Koichi Kido Marquis served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 1940 to 1945, and was the closest advisor to Emperor Showa throughout World War II.Kido was the grandson of Kido Takayoshi, one of the leaders of the Meiji Restoration... , General Koiso Kuniaki, General Minami Jiro, Admiral Oka Takasumi, General Oshima Hiroshi Hiroshi Ōshima Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Japanese ambassador to Nazi Germany before and during World War II — and unknowingly a major source of communications intelligence for the Allies. His role was perhaps best summed up by General George C... , General Sato Kenryo, Admiral Shimada Shigetaro, Shiratori Toshio, General Suzuki Teiichi, General Yoshijirō Umezu, Togo Shigenori, Shigemitsu Mamoru |
Were tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East International Military Tribunal for the Far East The International Military Tribunal for the Far East , also known as the Tokyo Trials, the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, or simply the Tribunal, was convened on April 29, 1946, to try the leaders of the Empire of Japan for three types of crimes: "Class A" crimes were reserved for those who... |
| Attack on the United States in 1941 | Crimes against Peace (Waging aggressive war against the United States (count 29 at the Tokyo Trials))) | Kenji Doihara Kenji Doihara was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for which he earned fame taking the nickname 'Lawrence of Manchuria', a reference to the Lawrence of Arabia.... , Shunroku Hata, Hiranuma Kiichirō, Naoki Hoshino Naoki Hoshino was a bureaucrat and politician who served in the Taishō and early Shōwa period Japanese government, and as an official in the Empire of Manchukuo.-Biography:Hoshino was born in Yokohama, where his father was involved in the textile industry... , Seishirō Itagaki, Okinori Kaya Okinori Kaya was the Japanese finance minister between 1941-1944. In 1945, he was captured by the Allies, tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment... , Kōichi Kido Koichi Kido Marquis served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 1940 to 1945, and was the closest advisor to Emperor Showa throughout World War II.Kido was the grandson of Kido Takayoshi, one of the leaders of the Meiji Restoration... , Heitarō Kimura, Kuniaki Koiso Kuniaki Koiso - Notes :... , Akira Mutō Akira Muto - Notes :... , Takasumi Oka, Kenryo Sato, Mamoru Shigemitsu Mamoru Shigemitsu was a Japanese diplomat and politician in the Empire of Japan, who served as the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs at the end of World War II.-Biography:... , Shigetarō Shimada Shigetaro Shimada was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He also served as Navy Minister-Biography:A native of Tokyo, Shimada graduated from the 32nd class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1904... , Teiichi Suzuki Teiichi Suzuki was a Japanese army general who helped plan Japan's economy in World War II and later was imprisoned as a war criminal, died of heart failure. He was 100 years old.Mr... , Shigenori Tōgō Shigenori Togo was Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire of Japan at both the start and the end of the Japanese-American conflict during World War II... , Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944... , Yoshijirō Umezu |
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto Isoroku Yamamoto was a Japanese Naval Marshal General and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of Harvard University .... , Commander-in-Chief Commander-in-Chief A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military... of the Japanese Combined Fleet Combined Fleet The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under separate commands in peacetime.... was ordered by his Militarist superiors to start the war with a bloody sneak attack on a U.S. Naval Base in Pearl Harbor Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941... , Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. |
| War started with attacks on Hong Kong Battle of Hong Kong The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II. It began on 8 December 1941 and ended on 25 December 1941 with Hong Kong, then a Crown colony, surrendering to the Empire of Japan.-Background:... and Malaya Battle of Malaya The Malayan Campaign was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 31 January 1942 during the Second World War. The campaign was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units, and the Imperial Japanese Army... |
Crimes against peace (Waging aggressive war against the British Commonwealth (count 31 at the Tokyo Trials)) | Kenji Doihara Kenji Doihara was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for which he earned fame taking the nickname 'Lawrence of Manchuria', a reference to the Lawrence of Arabia.... , Shunroku Hata, Hiranuma Kiichirō, Naoki Hoshino Naoki Hoshino was a bureaucrat and politician who served in the Taishō and early Shōwa period Japanese government, and as an official in the Empire of Manchukuo.-Biography:Hoshino was born in Yokohama, where his father was involved in the textile industry... , Seishirō Itagaki, Okinori Kaya Okinori Kaya was the Japanese finance minister between 1941-1944. In 1945, he was captured by the Allies, tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment... , Kōichi Kido Koichi Kido Marquis served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 1940 to 1945, and was the closest advisor to Emperor Showa throughout World War II.Kido was the grandson of Kido Takayoshi, one of the leaders of the Meiji Restoration... , Heitarō Kimura, Kuniaki Koiso Kuniaki Koiso - Notes :... , Akira Mutō Akira Muto - Notes :... , Takasumi Oka, Kenryo Sato, Mamoru Shigemitsu Mamoru Shigemitsu was a Japanese diplomat and politician in the Empire of Japan, who served as the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs at the end of World War II.-Biography:... , Shigetarō Shimada Shigetaro Shimada was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He also served as Navy Minister-Biography:A native of Tokyo, Shimada graduated from the 32nd class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1904... , Teiichi Suzuki Teiichi Suzuki was a Japanese army general who helped plan Japan's economy in World War II and later was imprisoned as a war criminal, died of heart failure. He was 100 years old.Mr... , Shigenori Tōgō Shigenori Togo was Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire of Japan at both the start and the end of the Japanese-American conflict during World War II... , Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944... , Yoshijirō Umezu |
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| Crimes against peace (Waging aggressive war against the Netherlands (count 32 at the Tokyo Trials)) | Kenji Doihara Kenji Doihara was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for which he earned fame taking the nickname 'Lawrence of Manchuria', a reference to the Lawrence of Arabia.... , Shunroku Hata, Hiranuma Kiichirō, Naoki Hoshino Naoki Hoshino was a bureaucrat and politician who served in the Taishō and early Shōwa period Japanese government, and as an official in the Empire of Manchukuo.-Biography:Hoshino was born in Yokohama, where his father was involved in the textile industry... , Seishirō Itagaki, Okinori Kaya Okinori Kaya was the Japanese finance minister between 1941-1944. In 1945, he was captured by the Allies, tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment... , Kōichi Kido Koichi Kido Marquis served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 1940 to 1945, and was the closest advisor to Emperor Showa throughout World War II.Kido was the grandson of Kido Takayoshi, one of the leaders of the Meiji Restoration... , Heitarō Kimura, Kuniaki Koiso Kuniaki Koiso - Notes :... , Akira Mutō Akira Muto - Notes :... , Takasumi Oka, Kenryo Sato, Mamoru Shigemitsu Mamoru Shigemitsu was a Japanese diplomat and politician in the Empire of Japan, who served as the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs at the end of World War II.-Biography:... , Shigetarō Shimada Shigetaro Shimada was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He also served as Navy Minister-Biography:A native of Tokyo, Shimada graduated from the 32nd class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1904... , Teiichi Suzuki Teiichi Suzuki was a Japanese army general who helped plan Japan's economy in World War II and later was imprisoned as a war criminal, died of heart failure. He was 100 years old.Mr... , Shigenori Tōgō Shigenori Togo was Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire of Japan at both the start and the end of the Japanese-American conflict during World War II... , Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944... , Yoshijirō Umezu |
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| Crimes against peace (Waging aggressive war against France in Indochina (count 33 at the Tokyo Trials)) | Mamoru Shigemitsu Mamoru Shigemitsu was a Japanese diplomat and politician in the Empire of Japan, who served as the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs at the end of World War II.-Biography:... , Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944... |
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| Crimes against peace (Waging aggressive war against the USSR (counts 35 and 36 or both at the Tokyo Trials)) | Kenji Doihara Kenji Doihara was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for which he earned fame taking the nickname 'Lawrence of Manchuria', a reference to the Lawrence of Arabia.... , Hiranuma Kiichirō, Seishirō Itagaki |
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| Nanjing Massacre Nanking Massacre The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second... ; Narcotics Trafficking; Bacteriological Warfare |
War crimes ("ordered, authorized, and permitted" inhumane treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) and others (count 54 at the Tokyo Trials)) | Kenji Doihara Kenji Doihara was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for which he earned fame taking the nickname 'Lawrence of Manchuria', a reference to the Lawrence of Arabia.... , Seishirō Itagaki, Heitarō Kimura, Akira Mutō Akira Muto - Notes :... , Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō Hideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944... |
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| Nanjing Massacre Nanking Massacre The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second... ; Narcotics Trafficking; Bacteriological Warfare |
War crimes, Crimes against humanity, Crime of torture ("deliberately and recklessly disregarded their duty" to take adequate steps to prevent atrocities (count 55 at the Tokyo Trials)) | Shunroku Hata, Kōki Hirota Koki Hirota was a Japanese diplomat, politician and the 32nd Prime Minister of Japan from March 9, 1936 to February 2, 1937.-Early life:Hirota was born in what is now part of Chūō-ku, Fukuoka city, Fukuoka Prefecture. His father was a stonemason, and he was adopted into the Hirota family. After attending... , Heitarō Kimura, Kuniaki Koiso Kuniaki Koiso - Notes :... , Iwane Matsui Iwane Matsui was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary forces sent to China in World War II. He was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death by hanging by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East for responsibility over the Nanking Massacre.-Early life... , Akira Mutō Akira Muto - Notes :... , Mamoru Shigemitsu Mamoru Shigemitsu was a Japanese diplomat and politician in the Empire of Japan, who served as the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs at the end of World War II.-Biography:... |
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| "Black Christmas", Hong Kong, December 25, 1941, | Crimes against humanity (Murder of civilians; mass rape, looting) | no specific prosecutions, although the conviction and execution of Takashi Sakai Takashi Sakai -Notes:... included some activities in Hong Kong during the time frame |
On the day of the British surrender of Hong Kong to the Japanese, Japanese soldiers also terrorised the local population by murdering many, raping an estimated 10,000 women, and looting. |
| Banka Island Massacre Banka Island massacre The Bangka Island massacre took place on 16 February 1942, when Japanese soldiers machine gunned 22 Australian military nurses. There was only one survivor.... , Dutch East Indies Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800.... , 1942 |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of civilians) | no prosecutions | The merchant ship Vyner Brooke was sunk by Japanese aircraft. The survivors who made it to Banka Island were all shot or bayonetted, including 22 nurses ordered into the sea and machine-gunned. One nurse Vivian Bullwinkel Vivian Bullwinkel Vivian Bullwinkel, Mrs. Statham, AO, MBE, ARRC, ED was an Australian Army nurse during the Second World War. She was the sole survivor of the Banka Island Massacre, when the Japanese killed 21 of her fellow nurses on Radji Beach, Bangka Island on 16 February 1942.-Personal life:She was born as... survived the massacre and later testified at a war crimes trial in Tokyo in 1947 |
| Bataan Death March Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners.The march was characterized by... , Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... , 1942 |
Crime of torture, war crimes (Torture and murder of POWs) | General Masaharu Homma Masaharu Homma was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He is noteworthy for his role in the invasion and occupation of the Philippines during World War II. Homma, who was an amateur painter and playwright, was also known as the Poet General.-Biography:... was convicted by an Allied commission of war crimes, including the atrocities of the death march out of Bataan, and the atrocities at Camp O'Donnell Camp O'Donnell Camp O'Donnell was a facility of the United States Air Force in Capas, Tarlac, The Philippines. Before the facility was transferred to the Air Force, it was first a Philippine Constabulary post then a United States Army facility.... and Cabanatuan that followed. He was executed on April 3, 1946 outside Manila Manila Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,... . |
Approximately 75,000 Filipino and US soldiers, commanded by Major General Edward P. King Edward P. King Edward Postell King Jr. was a Major General in the United States Army who gained prominence for leading the defense of the Bataan Peninsula in the Battle of Bataan against the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in World War II.-Education:... , Jr. formally surrendered to the Japanese, under General Masaharu Homma, on April 9, 1942, which forced Japan to accept emaciated captives outnumbering them. Captives were forced to march, beginning the next day, about 100 kilometers north to Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Palayan City... to Camp O'Donnell, a prison camp Internment Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction... . Prisoners of war were beaten randomly and denied food and water for several days. Those who fell behind were executed through various means: shot, beheaded or bayoneted. Deaths estimated at 650-1,500 U.S. and 2,000 to over 5,000 Filipino-, |
| Operation Sankō (Three Alls Policy Three Alls Policy The Three Alls Policy was a Japanese scorched earth policy adopted in China during World War II, the three alls being: "Kill All", "Burn All" and "Loot All" . In Japanese documents, the policy was originally referred to as... ) |
Crime of genocide, Crimes against humanity (Extermination of civilians) | General Yasuji Okamura Yasuji Okamura - Notes :... |
Authorized in December 1941 to implement a scorched earth policy in North China by Imperial General Headquarters Imperial General Headquarters The as part of the Supreme War Council was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime... . According to historian Mitsuyoshi Himeta, "more than 2.7 million" civilians were killed in this operation that began in May 1942. |
| Parit Sulong massacre Parit Sulong Massacre On January 23, 1942, the Parit Sulong Massacre was committed against Allied soldiers by members of the Imperial Guards Division of the Imperial Japanese Army... , Malaysia, 1942 |
War crimes (Murder of POWs) | Lieutenant General Lieutenant General Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General.... Takuma Nishimura Takuma Nishimura was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was later tried by the Allies for war crimes, and was executed. Nishimura was a native of Fukuoka prefecture.-Early military career:... , was convicted for this crime by an Australian Military Court and hanged on June 11, 1951. |
Recently captured Australian and Indian POWs, who had been too badly wounded to escape through the jungle, were murdered by Japanese soldiers. Accounts differ on how they were killed. Two wounded Australians managed to escape the massacre and provide eyewitness accounts of the Japanese treatment of wounded prisoners of war, as did locals who witnessed the massacre. Official records indicate that 150 wounded men were killed. |
| Laha massacre, 1942 | War crimes (Murder of POWs) | In 1946, the Laha massacre and other incidents which followed the fall of Ambon became the subject of the largest ever war crimes trial, when 93 Japanese personnel were tried by an Australian tribunal, at Ambon. Among other convictions, four men were executed as a result. Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval... Kunito Hatakeyama, who was in direct command of the four massacres, was hanged; Rear Admiral Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"... Koichiro Hatakeyama, who was found to have ordered the killings, died before he could be tried. |
After the battle Battle of Ambon Battle of Ambon The Battle of Ambon occurred on the island of Ambon in the Dutch East Indies , on 30 January – 3 February 1942, during World War II. A Japanese invasion was resisted by Dutch and Australian forces... , more than 300 Australian and Dutch prisoners of war were chosen at random and summarily executed Summary execution A summary execution is a variety of execution in which a person is killed on the spot without trial or after a show trial. Summary executions have been practiced by the police, military, and paramilitary organizations and are associated with guerrilla warfare, counter-insurgency, terrorism, and... , at or near Laha airfield in four separate massacres. "The Laha massacre was the largest of the atrocities committed against captured Allied troops in 1942.". |
| Alexandra Hospital massacre, Battle of Singapore Battle of Singapore The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"... , 1942 |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of civilians) | no prosecutions | At about 1pm on February 14, Japanese soldiers approached Alexandra Barracks Hospital. Although no resistance was offered, some of them shot or bayonet Bayonet A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear... ed staff members and patients. The remaining staff and patients were murdered over the next two days, 200 in all. |
| Sook Ching Massacre Sook Ching massacre The Sook Ching massacre was a systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore by the Japanese military during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, after the British colony surrendered on 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. Sook Ching was later... , 1942 |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of civilians) | In 1947, the British Colonial authorities in Singapore held a war crimes trial to bring the perpetrators to justice. Seven officers, were charged with carrying out the massacre. While Lieutenant General Saburo Kawamura, Lieutenant Colonel Masayuki Oishi received the death penalty, the other five received life sentences | The massacre (estimated at 25,000-50,000) was a systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore Chinese in Singapore Chinese Singaporeans are people of Chinese ethnicity who hold Singaporean nationality. As of 2010, Chinese Singaporeans constitute 74.1% of Singapore's resident population, or approximately three out of four Singaporeans, making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore... by the Japanese military administration during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore Japanese Occupation of Singapore The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore... , after the British colony surrendered in the Battle of Singapore Battle of Singapore The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"... on 15 February 1942. |
| Changjiao massacre Changjiao massacre The Changjiao massacre was a massacre aimed at Chinese civilians by the Japanese China Expeditionary Army in Changjiao, Hunan. Shunroku Hata was the promoter. For four days, from 1943-05-09 to 1943-05-12, more than 30,000 civilians were killed and thousands of women were raped.-External links:***... ,China, 1943 |
Crimes against humanity, War crimes (Mass murder of civilian population & POWs, rape, looting) | General Shunroku Hata, commander, China Expeditionary Army, Imperial Japanese Army. | War crimes were committed including mass rape Rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The... , looting Looting Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting... , arson Arson Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires... , the killing of civilian Civilian A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation... s and prisoners of war Prisoner of war A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict... . |
| Manila Massacre Manila massacre The Manila massacre refers to the February 1945 atrocities conducted against Filipino civilians in Manila, Philippines by Japanese troops during World War II.-Description:... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of civilians) | Tomoyuki Yamashita Tomoyuki Yamashita General was a general of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. He was most famous for conquering the British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, earning the nickname "The Tiger of Malaya".- Biography :... commander, Akira Mutō Akira Muto - Notes :... chief of staff |
As commander of the 14th Area Army in the Philippines, Gen. Yamashita failed to stop his troops from killing over 100,000 Filipino citizens of Manila Manila Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,... while fighting with both native resistance forces and elements of the Sixth U.S. Army during the capture of the city in February 1945. Yamashita pleaded inability to act and lack of knowledge of the massacre, due to his commanding other operations int the area. The defense failed, establishing the Yamashita Standard, which holds that a commander who makes no meaningful effort to uncover and stop atrocities is as culpable as if he had ordered them. His chief of staff Akira Mutō Akira Muto - Notes :... was condemned by the Tokyo tribunal. |
| Wake Island Wake Island Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior... Massacre |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of civilians) | 98 US Civilians killed on Wake Island October 5, 1943 by order of Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara Shigematsu Sakaibara -Notes:... |
Shigematsu Sakaibara Shigematsu Sakaibara -Notes:... executed June 18, 1947; subordinate, Lieutenant-Commander Tachibana sentenced to death-later commuted to Life |
| Unit 100 Unit 100 Unit 100 was a secret Imperial Japanese Army facility that focused on the development of biological weapons during World War II. It was operated by the Kempeitai, the Japanese military police... |
Crimes against humanity; Use of poisons as weapons (biological warfare experiments on humans) | no prosecutions | |
| Unit 731 Unit 731 was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by Japanese... |
Crimes against humanity; War crimes; Crime of torture; Use of poisons as weapons (biological warfare testing, manufacturing, and use) | 12 members of the Kantogun were found guilty for the manufacture and use of biological weapons. Including: General Yamada Otsuzo, former Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army and Major General Kawashima Kiyoshi, former Chief of Unit 731. | During this biological and chemical weapons' program over 10,000 were experimented on without anesthetic and as many as 200,000 died throughout China. The Soviet Union tried some members of Unit 731 at the Khabarovsk War Crime Trials Khabarovsk War Crime Trials Khabarovsk War Crime Trials were a series of hearings held between December 25 - 31st, 1949 in the Soviet Union's industrial city of Khabarovsk situated on the Russian Far East... . However, those who surrendered to the Americans were never brought to trial as General Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the... , Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II... , secretly granted immunity to the physicians of Unit 731 in exchange for providing the United States with their research on biological weapons. |
| Unit 8604 Unit 8604 Unit 8604 or Nami Unit was a secret military medical unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that researched biological warfare and other topics through human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II era... |
Crimes against humanity; Use of poisons as weapons (biological warfare experiments on humans) | no prosecutions | |
| Unit 9420 Unit 9420 Imperial Japanese ArmyFormed in 1942 to support the Japanese Southern Army, Unit 9420 or Oka Unit consisted of two units; the Umeoka Unit, which specialised in the plague, and the Kono Unit, which specialised in malaria.... |
Crimes against humanity; Use of poisons as weapons (biological warfare experiments on humans) | no prosecutions | |
| Unit Ei 1644 Unit Ei 1644 Unit Ei 1644 , also known as Unit 1644, was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II... |
War crimes, Crimes against humanity; Use of poisons as weapons; Crime of torture (Human vivisection & chemical and biological weapon testing on humans) | no prosecutions | Unit 1644 conducted tests to determine human susceptibility to a variety of harmful stimuli ranging from infectious diseases to poison gas. It was the largest germ experimentation center in China. Unit 1644 regularly carried out human vivisection Vivisection Vivisection is defined as surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure... s as well as infecting humans with cholera Cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces... , typhus Typhus Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters... , and bubonic plague Bubonic plague Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death... . |
| Construction of Burma-Thai Railway, the "Death Railway" Death Railway The Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, the Thailand–Burma Railway and similar names, was a railway between Bangkok, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma , built by the Empire of Japan during World War II, to support its forces in the Burma campaign.Forced labour was used in its construction... |
War crimes; Crimes against humanity (POWs and civilian labourers forced to support war effort; massive death toll.) | no prosecutions | The estimated total number of civilian labourers and POWs who died during construction is about 160,000. |
| Comfort Women Comfort women The term "comfort women" was a euphemism used to describe women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.Estimates vary as to how many women were involved, with numbers ranging from as low as 20,000 from some Japanese scholars to as high as 410,000 from some Chinese... |
Crimes against humanity (Sexual enslavement of captured Allied women; mass rape.) | no prosecutions | Up to around 200,000 women were forced to work in Japanese military brothels. |
| Sandakan Death Marches Sandakan Death Marches The Sandakan Death Marches were a series of forced marches in Borneo from Sandakan to Ranau which resulted in the deaths of more than 3,600 Indonesian civilian slave labourers and 2,400 Allied prisoners of war held captive by the Empire of Japan during the Pacific campaign of World War II at prison... . |
Crimes against humanity, War crimes (Murder of civilian slave laborers and POWs) | Three Allied POWs survived to give evidence at war crimes trials in Tokyo and Rabaul Rabaul Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the... . Hokijima was found guilty and hanged on April 6, 1946 |
Over 6,000 Indonesian civilian slave laborers and POWs died. |
| War Crimes in Manchukuo War crimes in Manchukuo War crimes in Manchukuo were committed during the rule of the Empire of Japan in northeast China, either directly, or through its puppet state of Manchukuo, from 1931 to 1945... |
Crimes against humanity; Crime of slaving (Slave labor) | Kōa-in | According to historian Zhifen Ju, more than 10 million Chinese civilians were mobilized by the Imperial Japanese Army Imperial Japanese Army -Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū... for slave labor in Manchukuo under the supervision of the Kōa-in. |
| Kaimingye germ weapon attack Kaimingye germ weapon attack The Kaimingjie germ weapon attack was a Japanese biological warfare bacterial germ strike against Kaimingjie, an area of the port of Ningbo in the Chinese province of Zhejiang in October 1940, during the Second Sino-Japanese War.... |
Crimes against humanity; War crimes, Use of poisons as weapons (Use of biological weapons) | no prosecutions | These bubonic plague attacks killing hundreds were a joint Unit 731 Unit 731 was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried out by Japanese... and Unit Ei 1644 Unit Ei 1644 Unit Ei 1644 , also known as Unit 1644, was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II... endeavor. |
| Alleged Changde Bacteriological Weapon Attack Battle of Changde - Sources :* Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War 2nd Ed., 1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China. Pg... April and May, 1943 |
Crimes against humanity; War crimes; Use of poisons as weapons (Use of chemical and biological weapons in massacre of civilians) | Prosecutions at the Khabarovsk War Crimes Trials | Chemical weapons supplied by Unit 516 Unit 516 Unit 516 was a top secret Japanese chemical weapons facility, operated by the Kempeitai, in Qiqihar, Manchukuo. The name Unit 516 was a code name of the Unit.... . Bubonic plague and poison gas were used against civilians in Chengde, followed by further massacres and burning of the city. Witold Urbanowicz Witold Urbanowicz Witold Urbanowicz was a Polish fighter ace of the Second World War. According to the official record, Witold Urbanowicz was the second highest-scoring Polish fighter ace, with 17 confirmed wartime kills and 1 probable, not counting his pre-war victory... , a Polish pilot fighting in China, estimated that nearly 300,000 civilians alone died in the battle. |
Romanian perpetrated crimes
| Incident | type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iași pogrom Iasi pogrom The Iaşi pogrom or Jassy pogrom of June 27, 1941 was one of the most violent pogroms in Jewish history, launched by governmental forces in the Romanian city of Iaşi against its Jewish population, resulting in the murder of at least 13,266 Jews, according to Romanian authorities.-Background:]During... |
Crimes against humanity; Crime of genocide (murder of civilians, ethnic cleansing) | 57 people were tried and sentenced in the People's Tribunals Iaşi trial including General Emanoil Leoveanu, General Gheorghe Barozzi, General Stamatiu, former Iași Prefect Colonel Coculescu, former Iași Mayor Colonel Captaru, and Gavrilovici Constantin (former driver at the Iași bus depot). | note |
| Odessa massacre Odessa massacre The Odessa massacre was the extermination of Jews in Odessa and surrounding towns in Transnistria during the autumn of 1941 and the winter of 1942 in a series of massacres and killings during the Holocaust by Romanian forces, under German control, encouragement and instruction... |
Crimes against humanity; Crime of genocide (murder of civilians, ethnic cleansing) | 28 people were tried and sentenced in the People's Tribunals Odessa trial including General Nicolae Macici | |
| Aita Seaca massacre | Crimes against humanity | Gavril Olteanu Gavril Olteanu Gavril Olteanu was a leader of a Romanian paramilitary militia group, part of the Maniu Guards during World War II, which became notorious for the killing and deportation of ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania.... |
Retaliation by Romanian paramilitaries for the locals killing of 20 Romanian soldiers on September 4, 1944. Eleven ethnic Hungarian civilians executed on September 26, 1944. |
Soviet Union perpetrated crimes
| Concurrent with World War II | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Incident | type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Katyń massacre Katyn massacre The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of... |
War crimes (Murder of Polish POWs) | Lavrenty Beria, Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee... |
An NKVD NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin.... -committed massacre of tens of thousands of Polish officers and intelligentsia throughout the spring of 1940. Originally believed to have been committed by the Nazis in 1941 (after the invasion of eastern Poland and the USSR), it was finally admitted by Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991... in 1990 that it had been a Soviet operation. |
| Invasion of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia | Crimes against humanity (Deportation and murder of civilian population) | Vladimir Dekanozov Vladimir Dekanozov Vladimir Georgievich Dekanozov ) was a Soviet senior state security operative and diplomat.-Before Second World War:... , Andrey Vyshinsky Andrey Vyshinsky Andrey Januaryevich Vyshinsky – 22 November 1954) was a Soviet politician, jurist and diplomat.He is known as a state prosecutor of Joseph Stalin's Moscow trials and in the Nuremberg trials. He was the Soviet Foreign Minister from 1949 to 1953, after having served as Deputy Foreign... , Andrei Zhdanov Andrei Zhdanov Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov was a Soviet politician.-Life:Zhdanov enlisted with the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1915 and was promoted through the party ranks, becoming the All-Union Communist Party manager in Leningrad after the assassination of Sergei Kirov in 1934... , Ivan Serov Ivan Serov State Security General Ivan Aleksandrovich Serov was a prominent leader of Soviet security and intelligence agencies, head of the KGB between March 1954 and December 1958, as well as head of the GRU between 1958 and 1963. He was Deputy Commissar of the NKVD under Lavrentiy Beria, and was to play a... , Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee... |
An NKVD NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin.... -committed deportation of hundreds of thousands of Baltic intelligentsia, land holders and their families in June 1941 and again in January 1949. |
| Nemmersdorf Nemmersdorf - Places :* former German name of the settlement Mayakovskoye, today Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia* part of Goldkronach, a town in the district of Bayreuth, Germany- People :... , East Prussia East Prussia East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia... |
War crimes, Crimes against humanity (Pillaging, and rape and murder of civilians, in contravention of Hague Conventions of 1907 "IV - The Laws and Customs of War on Land" Articles: 28,43,46,47,50) | No prosecutions | Nemmersdorf (today Mayakovskoye in Kaliningrad Kaliningrad Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea... ) was one of the first German settlements to fall to the advancing Red Army Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to... on October 22, 1944. It was recaptured by the Germans soon afterwards and the German authorities reported that the Red Army killed civilians there. Nazi propaganda widely disseminated the description of the event with horrible details, supposedly to boost the determination of German soldiers to resist the general Soviet advance. Because the incident was investigated by the Nazis and reports were disseminated as Nazi propaganda, discerning the facts from the fiction of the incident is difficult. |
| Invasion of East Prussia Evacuation of East Prussia The evacuation of East Prussia refers to the evacuation of the German civilian population and military personnel in East Prussia and the Klaipėda region between 20 January, and March 1945, as part of the evacuation of German civilians towards the end of World War II... |
War crimes, Crimes against humanity, Crime of genocide — spec. ethnic cleansing; in contravention of Hague Conventions of 1907 "IV - The Laws and Customs of War on Land" | War crimes committed by Soviet troops in the areas of Germany occupied by the Red Army. Estimated number of civilian victims in the years 1944-46: at least 300,000 (but not all of them victims of war crimes, many died through starvation, the cold climate and diseases) | |
| Treuenbrietzen Treuenbrietzen Treuenbrietzen is a town in the Bundesland of Brandenburg, Germany.-History:The town has existed since the Middle Ages and the first written evidence about it is from 1217. During the Reformation, Martin Luther came in 1537 to preach in the town, but his way to the church was blocked... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of German civilians) | Following the capture of the German city of Treuenbrietzen after fierce fighting. Over a period of several days at the end of April and beginning of May roughly 1000 inhabitants of the city, most of them men, were executed by Soviet troops. | |
| Battle of Berlin Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II.... |
Crimes against humanity (Mass rape) | ||
| Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II The flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland was the largest of a series of flights and expulsions of Germans in Europe during and after World War II... , Expulsion of Germans after World War II Expulsion of Germans after World War II The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria... |
War crimes, Crimes against humanity, Crime of genocide (ethnic cleansing/forced deportation of Germans from their homes in Prussia Prussia Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history... , Pomerania Pomerania Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East... , Silesia Silesia Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław... ; means used include mass murder, forced rape, other human rights violations) |
War crimes committed by Soviet troops in the areas of Germany occupied by the Red Army (Eastern and Central Germany), in addition to ethnic-German populations of German controlled, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Estimated number of civilian victims in the years 1944-46: at least 300,000 (but not all of them victims of war crimes, many died through starvation, the cold climate and diseases | |
United Kingdom perpetrated crimes
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted submarine warfare Unrestricted submarine warfare Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchantmen without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules... against merchant shipping |
Breach of London Naval Treaty London Naval Treaty The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed on April 22, 1930, which regulated submarine warfare and limited naval shipbuilding. Ratifications were exchanged in London on October 27, 1930, and the treaty went... (1930) |
no prosecutions; Allied representatives admitted responsibility at Nuremberg Trials Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany.... ; questionable whether war crime or a breach of a treaty. |
It was the conclusion of the Nuremberg Trials Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany.... of Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner... that Britain had been in breach of the Treaty "in particular of an order of the British Admiralty announced on 8 May 1940, according to which all vessels should be sunk at sight in the Skagerrak Skagerrak The Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:... " |
United States perpetrated crimes
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted submarine warfare Unrestricted submarine warfare Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchantmen without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules... against merchant shipping |
Breach of London Naval Treaty London Naval Treaty The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed on April 22, 1930, which regulated submarine warfare and limited naval shipbuilding. Ratifications were exchanged in London on October 27, 1930, and the treaty went... (1930) |
no prosecutions; Chester Nimitz Chester Nimitz Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, GCB, USN was a five-star admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet , for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas , for U.S... admitted responsibility at Nuremberg Trials Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany.... ; questionable whether war crime or a breach of a treaty. |
During the post war Nuremberg Trials Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany.... , in evidence presented at the trial of Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner... on his orders to the U-boat U-boat U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II... fleet to breach the London Rules, Admiral Chester Nimitz Chester Nimitz Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, GCB, USN was a five-star admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet , for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas , for U.S... stated that unrestricted submarine warfare was carried on in the Pacific Ocean by the United States from the first day that nation entered the war. |
| Canicattì massacre | Crimes against humanity (Murder of civilians) | no prosecutions | During the Allied invasion of Sicily Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of... , eight civilians were killed, though the exact number of casualties is uncertain. The incident was covered up fearing that it would lead to reprisals from the civilian population. |
| Biscari massacre Biscari massacre The Biscari massacre includes two World War II incidents in which U.S. soldiers were involved in killing 71 unarmed German and Italian prisoners of war at Biscari on 14 July, 1943.-Background:... |
War crimes (Murder of POWs) | Sergeant Horace T. West: court-martialed and was found guilty, stripped of rank and sentenced to life in prison, though he was later released as a private. Captain John T. Compton was court-martialed for killing 40 POWs in his charge. He claimed to be following orders. The investigating officer and the Judge Advocate declared that Compton's actions were unlawful, but he was acquitted. | Following the capture of Biscari Airfield in Sicily on July 14, 1943, seventy-six German and Italian POWs were shot by American troops of the 180th Regimental Combat Team, 45th Division during the Allied invasion of Sicily Sicily Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,... . These killings occurred in two separate incidents between July and August 1943. |
| Dachau massacre Dachau massacre The Dachau massacre occurred in the area of the Dachau concentration camp, near Dachau, Germany, on April 29, 1945, during World War II. During the camp's liberation, American soldiers from 45th Infantry Division of the U.S. Seventh Army allegedly wounded and killed German prisoners of war... |
War crimes (Murder of POWs) | Investigated by U.S. forces, found lack of evidence to charge any individual, and a lack of evidence of any practice or policy; however, did find that SS guards were separated from Wehrmacht (regular German Army) prisoners before their deaths. | Some Death's Head SS SS-Totenkopfverbände SS-Totenkopfverbände , meaning "Death's-Head Units", was the SS organization responsible for administering the Nazi concentration camps for the Third Reich.... guards of the Dachau concentration camp allegedly attempted to escape, and were shot. |
| Salina, Utah POW massacre | War crimes (Murder of POWs) | Private Clarence V. Bertucci determined to be insane and confined to a mental institution | Private Clarence V. Bertucci fired a machine gun from one of the guard towers into the tents that were being used to accommodate the German prisoners of war. Nine were killed and 20 were injured. |
| Rheinwiesenlager Rheinwiesenlager The Rheinwiesenlager , official name Prisoner of War Temporary Enclosures , were a group of about 19 transit camps for holding about one million German POWs after World War II from spring until late summer 1945... |
War crimes (Deaths of POWs from starvation and exposure) | no prosecutions | The Rheinwiesenlager (Rhine meadow camps) were transit camps for millions of German POWs after World War II; there were at least thousands and potentially tens of thousands of deaths from starvation and exposure. Estimates range from just over 3,000 to as many as 71,000. |
| American mutilation of Japanese war dead American mutilation of Japanese war dead During World War II, some United States military personnel mutilated dead Japanese service personnel in the Pacific theater of operations. The mutilation of Japanese service personnel included the taking of body parts as “war souvenirs” and “war trophies”... |
War crimes (Abuse of Remains) | Though there are no known prosecutions, the occasional mutilation of Japanese remains were recognized to have been conducted by U.S. forces, declared to be atrocities, and explicitly forbidden by order of the U.S. Judge Advocate General Judge Advocate General's Corps Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps... in 1943-1944. |
Many dead Japanese were desecrated and/or mutilated, for example by urinating on them, shooting corpses, or taking Japanese body parts American mutilation of Japanese war dead During World War II, some United States military personnel mutilated dead Japanese service personnel in the Pacific theater of operations. The mutilation of Japanese service personnel included the taking of body parts as “war souvenirs” and “war trophies”... (such as skulls) as souvenirs or trophies. This is in violation of the law and custom of war Customary international law Customary international law are those aspects of international law that derive from custom. Along with general principles of law and treaties, custom is considered by the International Court of Justice, jurists, the United Nations, and its member states to be among the primary sources of... , as well as the 1929 Third Geneva Convention Third Geneva Convention The Third Geneva Convention, relative to the treatment of prisoners of war, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It was first adopted in 1929, but was significantly updated in 1949... , which provided that: "After every engagement, the belligerent who remains in possession of the field shall take measures to search for wounded and the dead and to protect them from robbery and ill treatment."" |
Yugoslav Partisans perpetrated crimes
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yugoslav Front | Yugoslavian partisans Partisans (Yugoslavia) The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia... |
||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Bleiburg massacre Bleiburg massacre The Bleiburg massacre, which also encompasses Operation Keelhaul is a term encompassing events that took place during mid-May 1945 near the Carinthian town of Bleiburg, itself some four kilometres from the Austrian-Slovenian border.... |
War crimes, crimes against humanity (murder of prisoners of war and civilians). | No prosecutions. | The victims were Yugoslav collaborationist troops (ethnic Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes), executed without trial as an act of vengeance for the genocide committed by the pro-Axis collaborationist regimes (in particular the Ustaše Ustaše The Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement was a Croatian fascist anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was a blend of fascism, Nazism, and Croatian nationalism. The Ustaše supported the creation of a Greater Croatia that would span to the River Drina and to the border... ) installed by the Nazis during the World War II occupation of Yugoslavia. Estimates vary significantly, the existence of the massacre itself is questioned by a number of historians. |
| Foibe killings Foibe killings The Foibe killings or Foibe massacres refers to the killings that took place mainly in Istria during and shortly after World War II from 1943 to 1949, perpetrated mainly by Yugoslav Partisans. The name derives from a local geological feature, a type of deep karst sinkhole called a foiba... |
War crimes, crimes against humanity (murder of prisoners of war and civilians). | No prosecutions. | Following Italy's 1943 armistice with the Allied powers up to 1945, Yugoslav resistance forces allegedly executed an unknown number of ethnic Italians accused of collaboration. |
| 1944-1945 killings in Bačka 1944-1945 Killings in Backa The Communist purges in Serbia in 1944–1945 were purges committed by members of the Yugoslav Partisan Movement and post-war communist authorities after they gained control over Serbia in 1944. Most of these purges were committed from October, 1944 to May, 1945. During this time, several tens of... |
War crimes, crimes against humanity (murder of prisoners of war and civilians). | No prosecutions. | 1944-1945 killings of ethnic Hungarians in Bačka. |
United States perpetrated crimes
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam War Vietnam War The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of... |
United States | ||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| My Lai Massacre My Lai Massacre The My Lai Massacre was the Vietnam War mass murder of 347–504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, by United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. Most of the victims were women, children , and... |
War crimes, Crimes against humanity (Murder of civilians) | Lt. William Calley William Calley William Laws Calley is a convicted American war criminal and a former U.S. Army officer found guilty of murder for his role in the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War.-Early life:... convicted in 1971 of premeditated murder of 22 civilians for his role in the massacre and sentenced to life in prison. He served 3½ years under house arrest. Others were indicted but not convicted. |
In March, 1968, a US army platoon led by Lt. William Calley killed (and in some cases beat, raped, tortured, or maimed) 347 to 504 unarmed civilians – primarily women, children, and old men – in the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe of Sơn Mỹ. The My Lai Massacre was allegedly an operation of the Phoenix Program. 26 US soldiers, including 14 officers, were charged with crimes related to the My Lai massacre and its coverup. Most of the charges were eventually dropped, and only Lt. Calley was convicted. |
- "Vietnam War Crimes Working Group FilesVietnam War Crimes Working Group FilesThe Vietnam War Crimes Working Group Files is a collection of documents compiled by Pentagon in the early 1970s during Army investigations into atrocities by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. They detail 320 alleged incidents that were substantiated by United States Army investigators — not...
" - Briefly declassified (1994) and subsequently reclassified (2002?) documentary evidence compiled by a Pentagon task force detailing endemic war crimes. Substantiating 320 incidents by Army investigators, including seven massacres from 1967 through 1971 in which at least 137 civilians died (not including My Lai). Seventy-eight other attacks on noncombatants in which at least 57 were killed, 56 wounded and 15 sexually assaulted. One hundred forty-one instances in which U.S. soldiers tortured civilian detainees or prisoners of war.
North Vietnamese perpetrated crimes
North VietnamNorth Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
:
- North Vietnamese troops executed over 2,500 civilians and prisoners of war while occupying the city of Huế in 1968. An additional 3,500 people are suspected to have been executed, but never found. See: Massacre at Huế.
1971: Bangladesh War
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 Bangladesh War | Pakistan | ||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| 1971 Bangladesh atrocities 1971 Bangladesh atrocities Beginning with the start of Operation Searchlight on 25 March 1971 and continuing throughout the Bangladesh Liberation War, there were widespread violations of human rights in East Pakistan perpetrated by the Pakistan Army, with support from local political and religious militias, especially... |
War crimes, Crimes against humanity, Crime of genocide (murder of civilians; genocide) | Allegedly the Pakistan Government, and the Pakistan Army Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan... and its local collaborators. A case was filed in the Federal Court of Australia on September 20, 2006 for crimes of Genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. |
During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, widespread atrocities were committed against the Bengal Bengal Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous... i population of East Pakistan East Pakistan East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal... (now Bangladesh Bangladesh Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south... ). With 1-3 million people killed in nine months, ‘genocide’ is the term that is used to describe the event in almost every major publication and newspaper. Although the word ‘genocide’ was and is still used frequently amongst observers and scholars of the events that transpired during the 1971 war, the allegations that a genocide took place during the Bangladesh War of 1971 were never investigated by an international tribunal set up under the auspices of the United Nations, due to complications arising from the Cold War. A process is underway in 2009-2010 to begin trials of some local war collaborators. |
| Civilian Casualties | Crimes against humanity (murder of civilians) | no prosecutions | The number of civilians that died in the liberation war of Bangladesh is not known in any reliable accuracy. There has been a great disparity in the casualty figures put forth by Pakistan on one hand (26,000, as reported in the now discredited Hamoodur Rahman Commission) and India and Bangladesh on the other hand (From 1972 to 1975 the first post-war prime minister Prime minister A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime... of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, estimated that 3 million died). This is the figure officially maintained by the Government of Bangladesh. Most scholarship on the topic estimate the number killed to be between 1 and 3 million. A further eight to ten million people fled the country to seek safety in India. |
| Atrocities on women and minorities | Crimes against humanity; Crime of genocide; Crime of torture (torture, rape and murder of civilians) | no prosecutions | The minorities of Bangladesh, especially the Hindus, were specific targets of the Pakistan army. Numerous East Pakistani women were tortured, raped and killed during the war. The exact numbers are not known and are a subject of debate. Bangladeshi sources cite a figure of 200,000 women raped, giving birth to thousands of war-babies. Some other sources, for example Susan Brownmiller Susan Brownmiller Susan Brownmiller is an American feminist, journalist, author, and activist. She is best known for her pioneering work on the politics of rape in her 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape, Brownmiller argues that rape had been hitherto defined by men rather than women; and that men use,... , refer to an even higher number of over 400,000. Pakistani sources claim the number is much lower, though having not completely denied rape incidents. |
| Killing of intellectuals | Crimes against humanity (murder of civilians) | no prosecutions | During the war, the Pakistan Army and its local supporters carried out a systematic execution of the leading Bengali intellectuals. A number of university professors from Dhaka University were killed during the first few days of the war. However, the most extreme cases of targeted killing of intellectuals took place during the last few days of the war. On December 14, 1971, only two days before surrendering to the Indian military and the Mukhti Bahini forces, the Pakistani army – with the assistance of the Al Badr and Al Shams – systematically executed well over 200 of East Pakistan's intellectuals and scholars. |
Cambodian civil war 1970-1975
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of CambodiaExtraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, commonly known as the "Khmer Rouge Tribunal", is a national court established pursuant to an agreement between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the United Nations to try senior members of the Khmer Rouge for serious violations of Cambodian...
for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed During the Period of Democratic Kampuchea, commonly known as the Cambodia Tribunal, is a joint court established by the Royal Government of Cambodia and the United Nations to try senior members of the Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
for crimes against humanity committed during the Cambodian Civil War
Cambodian Civil War
The Cambodian Civil War was a conflict that pitted the forces of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and their allies the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Viet Cong against the government forces of Cambodia , which were supported by the United States and the Republic of Vietnam The Cambodian...
. The Khmer Rouge killed many people due to their political affiliation, education, class origin, occupation, or ethnicity.
Invasion of Cyprus 1974
The Turkish Armed forces committed an ethnic cleansing of the entire ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
population of the Northern districts of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, including Kyrenia
Kyrenia
Kyrenia is a town on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. Internationally recognised as part of the Republic of Cyprus, Kyrenia has been under Turkish control since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974...
, Morphou, Famagusta
Famagusta
Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...
, Karpasia
Karpasia
Karpasia may refer to:* Karpass Peninsula, the long, finger-like peninsula of northeastern Cyprus* Karpasia , an ancient townsite on the peninsula....
and parts of Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
. Other crimes committed by the Turkish Armed forces in Cyprus include but are not limited to breaching the Forth Geneva Convention on Human Rights and mass rapes. The ethnic cleansing is maintained by 40,000 Turkish troops who prevent IDP
IDP
IDP may refer to:* Identity Provider , the source for validating user identity in a federated identity system.* IDP Education, an educational organization based in Australia* Independence code for Independence, Missouri, United States...
s from returning to their homes.
Civil war in Afghanistan 1978-present
This war has ravaged the country for over 30 years now, with several foreign actors playing important roles during different periods. Since 2001 US and NATO troops have been fighting in Afghanistan in the "War on TerrorismWar on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
" that is also treated in the corresponding section below.
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil war in Afghanistan Civil war in Afghanistan The Afghan civil war began when the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan took power in a military coup, known as the Saur Revolution, on 27 April 1978. Most of Afghanistan subsequently experienced uprisings against the unpopular Marxist-Leninist PDPA government. The Soviet Union... |
Al Qaeda, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was founded in 1996 when the Taliban began their rule of Afghanistan and ended with their fall from power in 2001... |
||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Executions and torture after fall of Mazar-i-Sharif on August 8, 1998 | War crimes (Murder, cruel or degrading treatment and torture; Summary execution) | Taliban | Mass killing of the locals; 4,000 to 5,000 civilians were executed, and many more reported tortured. |
| Assassination of Iranian diplomats | Crimes against humanity (murder of civilians), offenses against the customary law of nations (outrages upon diplomatic plenipotentiaries and agents) | Taliban | 8 Iranian diplomats were assassinated and an Iranian press correspondent was murdered by the Taliban. |
| Murder of Ahmed Shah Massoud Ahmed Shah Massoud Ahmad Shah Massoud was a Kabul University engineering student turned military leader who played a leading role in driving the Soviet army out of Afghanistan, earning him the name Lion of Panjshir. His followers call him Āmir Sāhib-e Shahīd... |
War crimes (Perfidious use of suicide bombers disguised as journalists (who are protected persons) in murder.) | Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Al Qaeda | Perfidiously used suicide bombers disguised as television journalists to murder Ahmed Shah Massoud Ahmed Shah Massoud Ahmad Shah Massoud was a Kabul University engineering student turned military leader who played a leading role in driving the Soviet army out of Afghanistan, earning him the name Lion of Panjshir. His followers call him Āmir Sāhib-e Shahīd... , leader of the Northern Alliance Northern Alliance The Afghan Northern Alliance is a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996.Northern Alliance may also refer to:*Northern Alliance , a Canadian white supremacist group... , the leader of the only remaining military opponent of the Taliban, days before the September 11th Attacks, constituting a failure to bear arms openly, and misuse of the status of protected persons, to wit, journalists in war zones. |
| Civil war in Afghanistan Civil war in Afghanistan The Afghan civil war began when the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan took power in a military coup, known as the Saur Revolution, on 27 April 1978. Most of Afghanistan subsequently experienced uprisings against the unpopular Marxist-Leninist PDPA government. The Soviet Union... |
Northern Alliance Northern Alliance The Afghan Northern Alliance is a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996.Northern Alliance may also refer to:*Northern Alliance , a Canadian white supremacist group... |
||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Atrocities against Taliban prisoners of war Dasht-i-Leili massacre The Dasht-i-Leili massacre occurred in December 2001 during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan where between 250 and 3,000 Taliban prisoners were shot and/or suffocated to death in metal truck containers, while being transferred by U.S... |
War crimes (Maltreatment leading to death of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan POWs (Taliban)) | Northern Alliance partisans | Allegedly did place captured Taliban POWs in cargo containers, and did seal them, leading to deaths of those within due to suffocation and excessive heat, thereby constituting war crimes. |
1980-1988: Iran – Iraq War
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran–Iraq War | Iraq Iraq Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.... |
||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Iran – Iraq War | Crimes against peace (Waging a war of aggression) | no prosecutions | In 1980, Iraq invaded neighboring Iran, allegedly to capture Iraqi territory held by Iran. |
| Use of chemical weapons | War crimes, Use of poisons as weapons (Violation of 1925 Geneva Protocol) | No prosecutions | Iraq made extensive use of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and nerve agent Nerve agent Nerve agents are a class of phosphorus-containing organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanism by which nerves transfer messages to organs... s such as tabun Tabun (nerve agent) Tabun or GA is an extremely toxic chemical substance. It is a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid with a faint fruity odor. It is classified as a nerve agent because it fatally interferes with normal functioning of the mammalian nervous system... . Iraqi chemical weapons were responsible for over 100,000 Iranian casualties (including 20,000 deaths). |
| Attacks on neutral shipping | Crime against peace (Attacks against parties not involved in a war) | No prosecutions | Iraq attacked oil tanker Oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries... s from neutral nations in an attempt to disrupt enemy trade |
| Halabja poison gas attack Halabja poison gas attack The Halabja poison gas attack , also known as Halabja massacre or Bloody Friday, was a genocidal massacre against the Kurdish people that took place on March 16, 1988, during the closing days of the Iran–Iraq War, when chemical weapons were used by the Iraqi government forces in the Kurdish town of... |
Dutch court has ruled that the incident involved War Crime War crime War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility... s and Genocide Genocide Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars... ; also may involve the Use of poisons as weapons and Crimes against humanity. |
Ali Hassan Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, officially titled Secretary General of the Northern Bureau of the Ba'ath Party from March 1987 to April 1989, and advisor to Saddam Hussein, was convicted in June 2007 of war crimes and was sentenced to death by an Iraqi court, along with accomplices Sultan Hashem Ahmed and Hussein Rashid Mohammed. Frans van Anraat Frans van Anraat Frans Cornelis Adrianus van Anraat is a Dutch businessman who sold raw materials for the production of chemical weapons to Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein.-Business in Iraq:... war crime. |
Iraq also used chemical weapons against their own Kurdish population causing casualties estimated between several hundred up to 5,000 deaths. On December 23, 2005 a Dutch court ruled in a case brought against Frans van Anraat Frans van Anraat Frans Cornelis Adrianus van Anraat is a Dutch businessman who sold raw materials for the production of chemical weapons to Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein.-Business in Iraq:... for supplying chemicals to Iraq, that "[it] thinks and considers legally and convincingly proven that the Kurdish population meets the requirement under the genocide conventions as an ethnic group. The court has no other conclusion that these attacks were committed with the intent to destroy the Kurdish population of Iraq." and because he supplied the chemicals before 16 March 1988, the date of the Halabja Halabja Halabja , is a Kurdish town in Northern Iraq, located about north-east of Baghdad and 8–10 miles from the Iranian border.... attack, he is guilty of a war crime but not guilty of complicity in genocide. |
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran – Iraq War | Iran Iran Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia... |
||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Attacks on neutral shipping | Crime against peace (Attacks against parties not involved in the war) | no prosecutions | Iran attacked oil tanker Oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries... s from neutral nations in an attempt to disrupt enemy trade. |
| Using child soldiers in suicide missions | War crimes (Using child soldiers) | no prosecutions | Iran allegedly used volunteers (among them children) in high risk operations for example in clearing mine fields within hours to allow the advancement of regular troops. |
| Laid mines in international waters | no prosecutions | Mines damaged the US frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) USS Samuel B. Roberts is one of the final ships in the United States Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided missile frigates . The ship was severely damaged by an Iranian mine in 1988, leading U.S. forces to respond with Operation Praying Mantis.-Commissioning and namesake:The frigate was... |
|
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran – Iraq War | United States of America | ||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Shooting down of Iran Air Flight 655 Iran Air Flight 655 Iran Air Flight 655 was a civilian jet airliner shot down by U.S. missiles on 3 July 1988, over the Strait of Hormuz, toward the end of the Iran–Iraq War... |
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court . It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome on 17 July 1998 and it entered into force on 1 July 2002. As of 13 October 2011, 119 states are party to the statute... Article 8(2)(b)(iv) prohibits actions where the anticipated civilian damage outweighs the anticipated military advantage. |
settlement in the International Court of Justice, U.S. did not admit any wrongdoing | While patrolling Iranian waters without permission, USS Vincennes USS Vincennes Four United States Navy ships have been named USS Vincennes, after the town of Vincennes, Indiana, site of an important Patriot victory in the American Revolution.... shot down a civilian air plane killing all 290 passengers and crew aboard. According to the U.S. government, the Vincennes mistakenly identified the Iranian airliner as an attacking military fighter, but awarding the responsible officer the Legion of Merit Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements... medal can be interpreted as a tacit approval of the incident. |
Uganda 1985-present
- 20 years warfare
- The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reports (November 26, 2005 p. 27):
-
- Almost 20 years of fighting... has killed half a million people. Many of the dead are children... The LRALord's Resistance ArmyThe Lord's Resistance Army insurgency is an ongoing guerrilla campaign waged since 1987 by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, operating mainly in northern Uganda, but also in South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo...
[a cannibalism cult] kidnaps children and forces them to join its ranks. And so, incredibly, children are not only the main victims of this war, but also its unwilling perpetrators... The girls told me they had been given to rebel commanders as "wives" and forced to bear them children. The boys said they had been forced to walk for days knowing they would be killed if they showed any weakness, and in some cases forced even to murder their family members... every night up to 10,000 children walk into the centre of KitgumKitgumKitgum is a municipality in Kitgum District, in Northern Uganda. The town is administered by Kitgum Town Council, an Urban Local Government within Kitgum District Administration...
... because they are not safe in their own beds... more than 25,000 children have been kidnapped ...this year an average of 20 children have been abducted every week.- The International Criminal CourtInternational Criminal CourtThe International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
has launched an investigation and has issued indictments against LRA leaders.
- The International Criminal Court
- Almost 20 years of fighting... has killed half a million people. Many of the dead are children... The LRA
Sabra and Shatila massacre 1982
Perpetrators were LebaneseLebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
Christian
Maronite Church
The Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome . It traces its heritage back to the community founded by Maron, a 4th-century Syriac monk venerated as a saint. The first Maronite Patriarch, John Maron, was elected in the late 7th...
Phalangists, who entered the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps in question to hunt for "terrorists" and subsequently massacred between upwards of five hundred to several thousand Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
civilians, constituting Crimes against humanity. There exists a question of whether the Israeli armed forces either had advanced knowledge that the hunt for "terrorists" by the Phalangists was planned to be a massacre, or, upon hearing reports of the atrocities, failed to stop their Phalangist allies from further killings of civilians. No Phalangists were prosecuted; Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
, at the time the Israeli Defense Minister, was found by the Israeli non-judicial Kahan Commission
Kahan Commission
The Kahan Commission , formally known as the Commission of Inquiry into the Events at the Refugee Camps in Beirut, was established by the Israeli government on 28 September 1982, to investigate the Sabra and Shatila Massacre . The Kahan Commission was chaired by the President of the Supreme Court,...
to bear personal responsibility "for ignoring the danger of bloodshed and revenge" and "not taking appropriate measures to prevent bloodshed". Sharon's negligence in protecting the civilian population of Beirut, which had come under Israeli control amounted to a non-fulfillment of a duty with which the Defence Minister was charged, and it was recommended that Sharon be dismissed as Defence Minister. Sharon resigned his post as Defence Minister, but remained in the Israeli cabinet of Prime Minister Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
; he later was elected Prime Minister of Israel.
Croatian War of Independence 1991-1995
Also see List of ICTY indictees for a variety of war criminals and crimes during this era.| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatian War of Independence Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat... |
Yugoslav People's Army Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can... , Army of Serbian Krajina and paramilitary units. |
||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Borovo Selo killings Borovo Selo killings The Borovo Selo killings of 2 May 1991 was one of the first military engagements which led to the breakup of Yugoslavia... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of 12 and wounding of 20 policemen) | Serb paramilitary units commanded by Vojislav Šešelj Vojislav Šešelj Vojislav Šešelj, JD is a Serbian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party and was vice-president of Serbia between 1998 and 2000... . Šešelj is on trial at ICTY. |
2 May 1991 |
| Battle of Vukovar Battle of Vukovar The Battle of Vukovar was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People's Army , supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Baroque town was a prosperous, mixed community of Croats,... |
Crimes against humanity, War crimes (indiscriminate shelling of city for 87 days until it was leveled to the ground. At least 1.798 killed, civilians and soldiers) | JNA, Serb Volunteer Guard Serb Volunteer Guard The Serb Volunteer Guard also known as Arkan's Tigers was a Serbian volunteer paramilitary unit, founded and led by Željko Ražnatović, that fought in Croatia ; Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Kosovo War .... . Mile Mrkšić Mile Mrkšic Mile Mrkšić is a former Serb Colonel of the Yugoslav People's Army in charge of the unit involved in the Battle of Vukovar during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991... and Veselin Šljivančanin Veselin Šljivancanin Veselin Šljivančanin is a former Montenegrin officer in the Yugoslav People's Army who participated in the Battle of Vukovar and was subsequently convicted on a war crimes indictment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for his role in the Vukovar massacre... sentenced by the ICTY. |
August 25-November 18, 1881 |
| Ovčara massacre | Crimes against humanity, War crimes (Over 264 civilians and wounded POWs executed after Battle of Vukovar Battle of Vukovar The Battle of Vukovar was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People's Army , supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Baroque town was a prosperous, mixed community of Croats,... ) |
Serb Territorial Defense and paramilitary units. Mile Mrkšić Mile Mrkšic Mile Mrkšić is a former Serb Colonel of the Yugoslav People's Army in charge of the unit involved in the Battle of Vukovar during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991... sentenced to 20 years, Veselin Šljivančanin Veselin Šljivancanin Veselin Šljivančanin is a former Montenegrin officer in the Yugoslav People's Army who participated in the Battle of Vukovar and was subsequently convicted on a war crimes indictment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for his role in the Vukovar massacre... sentenced to 5 years. Miroslav Radić acquitted. |
18–21 November 1991; bodies buried in a mass grave |
| Stajićevo camp Stajicevo camp The Stajićevo camp was an agricultural farm in Stajićevo near Zrenjanin, Serbia where Croatian prisoners of war and civilians were kept by Serbian authorities. The camp also acted as a transit facility where prisoners were taken before being moved to the Sremska Mitrovica camp... , Morinj camp Morinj camp The Morinj camp was a detention facility near Kotor, Montenegro where Croatian prisoners of war and civilians were kept by Montenegrin authorities in the Yugoslav People's Army during the Civil war in Croatia. The age of the incarcerated ranged from 15 to 82... , Sremska Mitrovica camp Sremska Mitrovica camp Sremska Mitrovica prison is the biggest prison in Serbia, consisting of two facilities. It is situated in Sremska Mitrovica, Vojvodina province.... , Velepromet camp Velepromet concentration camp Velepromet camp was a short-lived concentration camp set up during the Battle of Vukovar by the Yugoslav People's Army and Serbian paramilitary forces in 1991 on the outskirts of the Croatian city of Vukovar.... , Knin camp Knin camp Knin camp was a detention camp run by rebel Serbs in Knin, then still part of the puppet state of Republika Srpska Krajina, that held Croatian detainees, soldiers and civilians, from 1991 until 1992, during the Croatian War of Independence.... |
Torture of POWs and illegal detention of civilians | Milosevic indicted by the ICTY. | November 1991-March 1992 |
| Dalj killings | War crimes (Execution of 11 detainees) | Territorial Defense of SAO SBWS under Željko Ražnatović Željko Ražnatovic Željko Ražnatović , widely known as Arkan was a Serbian career criminal and later a paramilitary leader who was notable for organizing and leading a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars... . Dalj was also one of the charges on the Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000... ICTY indictment. |
21 September 1991; bodies buried in a mass grave in the village of Celija |
| Dalj massacre Dalj massacre Dalj killings and Dalj massacre refer to the events beginning on 1 August 1991 which resulted in the murder of 11 Croatian civilians and 28 Croatian policemen in the village of Dalj, eastern Slavonia at the hand of Serbian paramilitaries, during the Croatian War of Independence.-August killings:At... |
War crimes (Massacre of 28 detainees) | Territorial Defense of SAO SBWS under Željko Ražnatović Željko Ražnatovic Željko Ražnatović , widely known as Arkan was a Serbian career criminal and later a paramilitary leader who was notable for organizing and leading a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars... . Dalj was also one of the charges on the Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000... ICTY indictment. |
4 October 1991 |
| Lovas massacre Lovas massacre Lovas massacre were the killings of Croat detainees in the villages of Lovas and neighbouring Opatovac in eastern Slavonia, Croatia. The civilians were killed by Croatian Serb paramilitary forces during the Croatian War of Independence in the period from October 10, 1991 to the end of that... |
War crimes; Crimes against humanity (massacre of 70-75 detainees, most of whom were civilians) | Yugoslav People's Army Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can... , Territorial Defense of SAO SBWS and Dušan Silni paramilitary unit. Ljuban Devetak and 17 individuals are being tried by Croatian courts. Lovas was also one of the charges on the Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000... ICTY indictment. |
10 October 1991 |
| Široka Kula massacre Široka Kula massacre The Široka Kula massacre was committed by rebel Croatian Serb forces in the Croatian village of Široka Kula during the Croatian War of Independence beginning on 10 October 1991... |
Crimes against humanity (massacre of 40 civilians) | JNA and Krajina Serb Territorial Defense. | Široka Kula near Gospić. On October 13, 1991. |
| Baćin massacre Bacin massacre The Baćin massacre was a war crime committed by rebel Croatian Serbs' forces on October 21, 1991 on a location near village of Baćin, near Hrvatska Dubica, in central Croatia, during the Croatian War of Independence.... |
Crimes against humanity (massacre of approximately 110 civilians) | Serb Territorial Defense forces and SAO Krajina militia. Milan Babić Milan Babic Milan Babić was from 1991 to 1995 the first President of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, a Croatian region at the time of the war largely populated by a Serbs of Croatia that wished to break away from Croatia.He was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former... and Milan Martić Milan Martic Milan Martić is a Serbian politician, former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina... convicted by ICTY. Baćin was also one of the charges on the Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000... ICTY indictment. |
On 21 October 1991. |
| Saborsko massacre Saborsko massacre The Saborsko massacre was a war crime committed during the Croatian War of Independence in Saborsko and two other Croatian villages in the region of Kordun by the Serb-led JNA and rebel Croatian Serbs' "Militia of Republic of Serb Krajina" in October and November 1991, in which they killed local... |
Crimes against humanity (massacre of 7, 10 and 29 civilians) | Serb-led JNA (special JNA unit from Niš), TO forces, rebel Serbs militia. Milan Babić Milan Babic Milan Babić was from 1991 to 1995 the first President of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, a Croatian region at the time of the war largely populated by a Serbs of Croatia that wished to break away from Croatia.He was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former... and Milan Martić Milan Martic Milan Martić is a Serbian politician, former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina... convicted. |
On October 28, November 7, and November 12, 1991. |
| Erdut massacre Erdut massacre After the town of Erdut was forcefully taken over by the rebel Serb forces and JNA and annexed to the puppet state of Republic of Serbian Krajina during Croatian War of Independence, Croats and other non-Serbs were either expelled or killed, with Serbs repopulating empty villages in the area.From... |
War crimes (killing of 37 civilians) | Željko Ražnatović Željko Ražnatovic Željko Ražnatović , widely known as Arkan was a Serbian career criminal and later a paramilitary leader who was notable for organizing and leading a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars... , Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000... , Goran Hadžić Goran Hadžic Goran Hadžić is a former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina who was in office during the Croatian War of Independence. He is accused of crimes against humanity and of violation of the laws and customs of war by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.The court... , Jovica Stanišić Jovica Stanišic Jovica Stanišić is a former head of the State Security Service now BIA within the Serbian Ministry of the Interior. He is facing trial at the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for his role in the wars in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina... and Franko Simatović Franko Simatovic Franko "Frenki" Simatović was the head of the Serbian secret police of Slobodan Milošević, the Special Forces of State Security of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was the founder of the "Special Operations Unit".... indicted by the ICTY. |
November 1991-February 1992 |
| Škabrnja massacre Škabrnja massacre Škabrnja massacre was a war crime committed by Serb Army forces during the Croatian War of Independence. On November 18, 1991, Serb paramilitaries, supported by the JNA, captured the village of Škabrnja and killed 25 Prisoners of war and 61 civilians over the next several days.-Before the... |
Crimes against humanity, War crimes (Massacre of 86 civilians and POWs.) | Serb forces. Milan Babić Milan Babic Milan Babić was from 1991 to 1995 the first President of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, a Croatian region at the time of the war largely populated by a Serbs of Croatia that wished to break away from Croatia.He was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former... and Milan Martić Milan Martic Milan Martić is a Serbian politician, former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina... convicted. |
On November 18, 1991. |
| Siege of Dubrovnik Siege of Dubrovnik The Siege of Dubrovnik is a term marking the battle and siege of the city of Dubrovnik and the surrounding area in Croatia as part of the Croatian War of Independence. Yugoslav People's Army invaded the Dubrovnik area in October 1991 from Montenegro, Bosnia and even parts of Croatia, surrounding... |
Crimes against humanity (Shelling of civilian targets that killed almost 90 civilians) | JNA and Montenegrin territorial forces. Several JNA commanders sentenced. | Shelling of UNESCO protected World Heritage site World Heritage Site A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance... . October 1991. |
| Voćin massacre Vocin massacre Voćin massacre was a massacre committed against Croatian civilians in the village of Voćin by Serb paramilitary units in December 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence.... |
Crimes against humanity (Massacre of 32 civilians.) | White Eagles White Eagles (paramilitary) The White Eagles , also known as the Avengers , were a Serbian paramilitary group associated with the Serbian National Renewal and the Serbian Radical Party... paramilitary group under Vojislav Šešelj Vojislav Šešelj Vojislav Šešelj, JD is a Serbian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party and was vice-president of Serbia between 1998 and 2000... , indicted by ICTY. Voćin was also one of the charges on the Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000... ICTY indictment. |
13 December 1991. |
| Bruška massacre Bruška massacre The Bruška massacre took place on 21 December 1991 in Bruška, a small village near the Croatian town of Benkovac when Serbian paramilitaries executed 10 civilians in the hamlet of Marinovići... |
Crimes against humanity (Massacre of civilians.) | Serb forces. Milan Babić Milan Babic Milan Babić was from 1991 to 1995 the first President of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, a Croatian region at the time of the war largely populated by a Serbs of Croatia that wished to break away from Croatia.He was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former... and Milan Martić Milan Martic Milan Martić is a Serbian politician, former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina... convicted. |
On December 21, 1991. |
| Zagreb rocket attack Zagreb rocket attack The Zagreb rocket attacks were a series of two artillery attacks conducted by Serb armed forces that fired ground-to-ground missiles on the Croatian capital of Zagreb during the Croatian War of Independence... |
Crimes against humanity (Shelling of civilian targets in 1995 that killed 7 and wounded at least 175.) | RSK RSK RSK may stand for:* Republic of Serbian Krajina* Robinson–Schensted–Knuth algorithm, between biwords and pairs of tableaux* Ribosomal s6 kinase, in molecular biology, a signal transducer* Sanyo Broadcasting, a Japanese radio and TV station... Serb forces. Leader Milan Martić Milan Martic Milan Martić is a Serbian politician, former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina... bragged on Television about ordering the assault, the videotape being used against him at ICTY, convicted. |
Rocket attack was started as revenge for Serb military defeat in Operation Flash Operation Flash The Serbs in western Slavonia took part in the organized rebellion against the government of the Republic of Croatia that had just proclaimed independence in June 1991, by proclaiming the Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Western Slavonia in August 1991... . |
| Ethnic cleansing Ethnic cleansing Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas.... in Serb Krajina |
Crimes against humanity (Serb forces forcibly removed virtually all non-Serbs living there-nearly a quarter of a million people (mostly Croats)) | JNA and Serb paramilitaries. Many people, including leaders Milan Babić Milan Babic Milan Babić was from 1991 to 1995 the first President of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, a Croatian region at the time of the war largely populated by a Serbs of Croatia that wished to break away from Croatia.He was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former... and Milan Martić Milan Martic Milan Martić is a Serbian politician, former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina... , convicted at ICTY and Croatian courts. |
June–December 1991 |
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
| Croatian War of Independence Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat... |
Croatian Army and paramilitary units | ||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Lora prison camp Lora prison camp Lora prison camp was a prison camp in Split, Croatia. It was active from 1992 to 1997 with mainly Serbian residents of Split and prisoners of war being imprisoned... |
Crime of torture, War crimes (Torture of POWs) | Croatian army. Several people convicted by Croatian courts. | Croatian internment camp for Serb soldiers and civilians between 1992 and 1997 |
| Borovo Selo killings Borovo Selo killings The Borovo Selo killings of 2 May 1991 was one of the first military engagements which led to the breakup of Yugoslavia... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of 20 civilians) | Croatian police forces. No prosecutions | 2 May 1991; started the ethnic conflict in Baranya, Eastern Slavonia and Western Syrmia |
| Gospić massacre Gospic massacre The Gospić massacre took place between 16–18 October 1991 in the town of Gospić, a city in the district of Lika in Croatia. The massacre came three days after the massacre in the village of Široka Kula... |
Crimes against humanity (Massacre of 50-100 civilians) | Croatian army. Commander Mirko Norac Mirko Norac Mirko Norac is a former general of the Croatian Army. In 2003 he became the first Croatian Army general to be found guilty of war crimes by a Croatian court after he was transferred from The Hague... and others convicted by Croatian courts. |
16–18 October 1991 |
| Operation Otkos 10 Operation Otkos 10 Operation Otkos 10 was a military offensive undertaken by the Croatian army against the Yugoslav People's Army in SAO Western Slavonia... |
Crimes against humanity (Killings of numerous individuals and expulsion of thousands of civilians from over 20 villages) | Croatian army. No prosecutions | 31 October - 4 November 1991 |
| Miljevci plateau incident | War crimes (Killings of 40 militiamen) | Croatian army. No prosecutions | 21 June 1992; invasion and permanent occupation of territory under international protection; bodies buried in mass graves nearby |
| Battle for Maslenica Bridge Operation Maslenica In early September, 1991, during the opening stages of the Croatian War of Independence, Serb-dominated units of the Knin Corps of the Yugoslav People's Army , under the command of Colonel Ratko Mladić and supported by the ethnic Serb Krajina militia, conducted offensive operations against areas... |
Crimes against humanity, War crimes (Killings of 490 or 491 individuals, including civilians) | Croatian army. No prosecutions | 22 January - 1 February 1993; invasion of territory under international protection |
| Mirlovic Polje incident | Crimes against humanity (Murder of 7 elderly civilians) | Croatian paramilitaries. No prosecutions | 6 September 1993; 5 men and 2 women, four were executed and three burned alive at the stake |
| Operation Medak Pocket Operation Medak Pocket Operation Medak Pocket: Mid-September 1993 United Nations Protection Force and the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry advanced into the Medak Pocket, named after the village of Medak, in Southern Croatia, with orders to implement a ceasefire between the Croatian Army Troops... |
Crimes against humanity, War crimes, Crime against peace (Killings of 29 civilians and 71 soldiers; wounding 4 UN peacekeepers) | Croatian army. Commanders Janko Bobetko Janko Bobetko Janko Bobetko was a Croatian Army general and Chief of the General Staff during the Croatian War of Independence from 1992 until his retirement in 1995. Bobetko had been charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia but died before he could be tried... , Rahim Ademi Rahim Ademi Rahim Ademi is a Croatian Army general of Kosovo-Albanian origin.Born and raised in the village of Karač, Vučitrn, SFR Yugoslavia, now found in Kosovo. Ademi finished the Yugoslav military academy in Belgrade in 1976... and Mirko Norac Mirko Norac Mirko Norac is a former general of the Croatian Army. In 2003 he became the first Croatian Army general to be found guilty of war crimes by a Croatian court after he was transferred from The Hague... . Ademi acquitted, Bobetko died in the meantime, Norac sentenced to 7 years. |
9–17 September 1993; invasion of territory under international protection and assault on UN peacekeeping forces |
| Operation Flash Operation Flash The Serbs in western Slavonia took part in the organized rebellion against the government of the Republic of Croatia that had just proclaimed independence in June 1991, by proclaiming the Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Western Slavonia in August 1991... |
Crimes against humanity, (Killings of at least 83 civilians and causing an exodus of 30,000) | Croatian army. No prosecutions | 1–3 May 1995; Western Slavonia fully taken from RSK; 53 were killed in their own homes, while 30 during the Croatian raids of the refugee colons. |
| Operation Storm Operation Storm Operation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early... |
Crimes against humanity, (Killings of around 677 civilians, and the expulsion of approximately 90,000 - 200,000 Serbs) | Croatian army. Generals Ante Gotovina Ante Gotovina Ante Gotovina is a former Senior Corporal of the French Foreign Legion and former Lieutenant General of the Croatian Army who served in the Croatian War for Independence... , Ivan Čermak Ivan Cermak Ivan Čermak is a Croatian politician and soldier.He was born in the municipality of Zagreb . He became a small businessman in the 1980s... and Mladen Markač Mladen Markac Mladen Markač , is a former Croatian military officer. He was a Commander of Croatian Special Police during Operation Storm during the Croatian War of Independence , and afterwords held the rank of Colonel General... . The three are on trial at ICTY |
4–8 August 1995; The invasion of the Republic of Serbian Krajina Republic of Serbian Krajina The Republic of Serbian Krajina was a self-proclaimed Serb entity within Croatia. Established in 1991, it was not recognized internationally. It formally existed from 1991 to 1995, having been initiated a year earlier via smaller separatist regions. The name Krajina means "frontier"... , the indicted are on trial in the Hague on charges of operating a joint criminal enterprise for the purpose of permanently removing the Serb population from the Krajina by force. |
Bosnian War 1992-1995
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosnian War Bosnian War The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides... |
Serb forces, Army of Republika Srpska Army of Republika Srpska The Army of Republika Srpska ; Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian Vojska Republike Srpske ) also referred to as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of today's Republika Srpska which was then the "Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina", a self-proclaimed state within the internationally recognized... , Paramilitary units from Serbia, local Serb police and civilians. |
||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Srebrenica Massacre Srebrenica massacre The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, refers to the July 1995 killing, during the Bosnian War, of more than 8,000 Bosniaks , mainly men and boys, in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by units of the Army of Republika Srpska under the command of... |
Crime of genocide, Crimes against humanity (Murder of over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys) | Army of Republika Srpska. President Radovan Karadžić Radovan Karadžic Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a... and General Ratko Mladić Ratko Mladić Ratko Mladić is an accused war criminal and a former Bosnian Serb military leader. On May 31, 2011, Mladić was extradited to The Hague, where he was processed at the detention center that holds suspects for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia... charged. |
Following the fall of the eastern Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica the men were separated from the women and executed over a period of several days in July 1995. |
| Prijedor massacre Prijedor massacre The Prijedor massacre, also known as the Prijedor ethnic cleansing or the Prijedor genocide, refers to numerous war crimes committed during the Bosnian war by the Serb political and military leadership mostly on Bosniak civilians in the Prijedor region of Bosnia-Herzegovina... |
Crime of genocide, Crimes against humanity (5,200 killed and missing) | Army of Republika Srpska. Milomir Stakić Milomir Stakic Milomir Stakić is a Bosnian Serb who was charged with genocide, complicity in genocide, violations of the customs of war and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for his actions in the Prijedor region during the Bosnian War.In the 1991 elections... convicted. |
Numerous war crimes committed during the Bosnian war by the Serb political and military leadership mostly on Bosniak civilians in the Prijedor region of Bosnia-Herzegovina. |
| Višegrad massacre Višegrad massacre The Višegrad massacres also known as the Visegrad Genocide were acts of mass murder committed against the Bosniak civilian population of the town and municipality of Višegrad during the ethnic cleansing of eastern Bosnia by Serb police and military forces during the spring and summer of 1992, at... |
Crime of genocide, Crimes against humanity (Murder of over 3,000 civilians) | Serbian police and military forces. Seven officers convicted. | Acts of ethnic cleansing and mass murder of Bosniak civilians that occurred in the town of Višegrad in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, committed by Serb police and military forces at the start of the Bosnian War during the spring of 1992. |
| Foča massacres Foca massacres The Foča massacres, also known as the Foča genocide, were a series of killings committed by Serb military, police and paramilitary forces on Bosniak civilians in the Foča region of Bosnia and Herzegovina from April 7, 1992 to January 1994... |
Crime of genocide, Crimes against humanity (Murder of over 2,704 civilians) | Army of Republika Srpska. Eight officers and soldiers convicted. | A series of killings committed by Serb military, police and paramilitary forces on Bosniak civilians in the Foča region of Bosnia-Herzegovina (including the towns of Gacko and Kalinovik) from April 7, 1992 to January, 1994. In numerous verdicts, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ruled that these killings constituted crimes against humanity and acts of genocide. |
| Markale massacre | Crimes against humanity (Murder of 105 civilians and wounding 234) | Army of Republika Srpska. Stanislav Galić Stanislav Galic Stanislav Galić is a Bosnian Serb soldier and former commander of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was convicted of war crimes.... convicted |
The victims were civilians who were shopping in an open air market in Sarajevo Sarajevo Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans.... when Serb forces shelled the market. Two separate incidents. February 1994; 68 killed and 144 wounded and August 1995; 37 killed and 90 wounded. |
| Siege of Sarajevo Siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Serb forces of the Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army besieged Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996 during the Bosnian War.After Bosnia... |
Crimes against humanity, (10,000 civilians killed) | Army of Republika Srpska. Stanislav Galić Stanislav Galic Stanislav Galić is a Bosnian Serb soldier and former commander of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was convicted of war crimes.... and Dragomir Milošević Dragomir Miloševic Dragomir Milošević is a Serb war criminal and former commander of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska which besieged Sarajevo for three years during the Bosnian war.-Background:He was an officer in the Yugoslav National Army prior to 1992... , were sentenced to life imprisonment and to 33 years imprisonment, respectively. |
The longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army besieged Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from April 5, 1992 to February 29, 1996. |
| Siege of Bihać Siege of Bihać The Bihać area was the scene of fierce fighting during the Bosnian War. It involved the Bosnian government army in Bihać on one side and Serb forces on the other side, who surrounded the area in a double siege – from the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina on the north-west to the Army of... |
Crimes against humanity | Army of Republika Srpska. | From April 1992 to August 1995. |
| Tuzla massacre Tuzla massacre The Tuzla Massacre was a massacre of civilians committed on May 25, 1995 in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-The massacre:Between May 25 and May 28, 1995 a number of artillery projectiles were fired at Tuzla from Army of Republika Srpska positions near the village of Panjik on Mount Ozren some... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of 72 and wounding of more than 200 individuals) | Army of Republika Srpska. ARS Officer Novak Đukić on trial. | On May 25, 1995 the Serb army shelled the city of Tuzla Tuzla Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants... and killed 72 people with a single shell. |
| Korićani Cliffs massacre Koricani Cliffs massacre The Korićani Cliffs massacre was the mass murder of more than 200 Bosniak and Croat men on 21 August 1992, during the Bosnian War, at the Korićani Cliffs on Mount Vlašić in central Bosnia and Herzegovina.... |
Crimes against humanity, War crimes (Murder of over 200 men) | Serbian reserve police. Darko Mrđa was convicted. | Mass murder of more than 200 Bosniak men on 21 August 1992 at the Korićani Cliffs (Korićanske Stijene) location on Mount Vlašić, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Ahatovići massacre | Crimes against humanity, Crime of torture (64 men and boys tortured, 56 killed) | Army of the Republika Srpska. No prosecutions. | Rounded up in an attack on a village, they were tortured. Claiming they were going to be exchanged, Serb forces put them on a bus, which they attacked with machine guns and grenades on June 14, 1992. 8 survived by hiding under bodies of the dead. |
| Paklenik Massacre Paklenik Massacre The Paklenik Massacre is the massacre of at least 50 Bosniaks by Army of the Republika Srpska in the Rogatica Municipality on 15 June 1992.-Background:... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of around 50 men) | Army of the Republika Srpska. Four indicted. | the massacre of at least 50 Bosniaks by Bosnian Serb Army in the Rogatica Municipality on 15 June 1992. |
| Bosanska Jagodina massacre Bosanska Jagodina massacre The Bosanska Jagodina Massacre refers to the execution of 17 Bosniak civilians from Višegrad on 26 May 1992, all of which were men. This war crime was most probably carried out by paramilitary forces "Avengers" led by Milan Lukić, under the control of the Army of Republika Srpska. In 2006 the... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of over 17) | Army of the Republika Srpska. No prosecutions. | The execution of 17 Bosniak civilians from Višegrad on 26 May 1992, all of which were men. |
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
| Bosnian War Bosnian War The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides... |
Croat forces, HVO Croatian Defence Council The Croatian Defence Council was a military formation of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia during the Bosnian War.-History:... . |
||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | |- |
| Ahmići massacre Ahmici massacre Ahmići massacre was the culmination of the Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing committed by the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia's political and military leadership on Bosniak civilians during the Croat-Bosniak war in April 1993... |
Crimes against humanity according to ICTY, (Murder of 116 civilians) | Croatian Defence Council Croatian Defence Council The Croatian Defence Council was a military formation of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia during the Bosnian War.-History:... , Tihomir Blaškić Tihomir Blaškic Tihomir Blaškić is a Bosnian Croat army officer who was sentenced in 2000 to 45 years imprisonment at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for war crimes as part of the Lašva valley ethnic cleansing... convicted. |
On April 16, 1993, the Croatian Defence Council attacked the village of Ahmići and killed 116 Bosniaks. |
| Stupni Do massacre Stupni Do massacre The Stupni Do massacre was one of the most brutal massacres committed by Croatian forces on Bosniak civilians during the Croat-Bosniak war in the village of Stupni Do in Vareš municipality. It was committed on October 23, 1993 by Croatian Defense Council units called "Apostoli" and "Maturice" led... |
Crimes against humanity according to ICTY; (Murder of 37 civilians) | Croatian Defence Council, Ivica Rajić Ivica Rajic Ivica Rajić was a commander in the Croatian Defence Council during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.... convicted. |
On October 23, 1993, the Croatian Defence Council attacked the village of Stupni do and killed 37 Bosniaks |
| Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing The Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing, also known as the Lašva Valley case, refers to numerous war crimes committed during the Bosnian war by the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia's political and military leadership on Bosnian Muslim civilians in the Lašva Valley region of Bosnia-Herzegovina... |
Crimes against humanity according to ICTY. (2,000 civilians killed and missing) | Croatian Defence Council. Nine politicians and officers convicted, among them Dario Kordić Dario Kordic Dario Kordić is a former Bosnian Croat politician, military commander of the HVO forces between 1992 and 1994, and vice president of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia... . |
Numerous war crimes committed by the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia's political and military leadership on Bosnian Muslim (Bosniak) civilians in the Lašva Valley region of Bosnia-Herzegovina, from April, 1993 to February, 1994. |
| Armed conflict | perpetrator | ||
| Bosnian War Bosnian War The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides... |
Bosniak forces, Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina established by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 following the outbreak of the Bosnian War... |
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| Incident | type of crime | Persons responsible | |- |
| Massacre in Grabovica Massacre in Grabovica Massacre in Grabovica was a war crime committed against at least 13 Croatian inhabitants of Grabovica village by members of the 9th Brigade and unidentified members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the 8th or the 9th of September 1993... |
War crimes (13 civilians murdered) | Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nihad Vlahovljak, Sead Karagićm and Haris Rajkić convicted. | 13 Croatian inhabitants of Grabovica village by members of the 9th Brigade and unidentified members of the Bosnian Army on the 8th or 9 September 1993. |
Kosovo War 1998-1999
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kosovo War Kosovo War The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence... |
Serbian army, police and paramilitary forces | ||
| Incident | type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Račak massacre | War crimes; Crimes against humanity; (Murder of 40 - 45 Albanian civilians) | Serbian Police. Zoran Stojanović, a 32-year-old police officer, was convicted by a joint UN-Kosovo Albanian panel of judges. | 40 to 45 Kosovo Albanians were killed in the village of Račak Racak Račak is a village in central Kosovo located at . It became notorious in January 1999 after 45 people were killed in the village during the conflict between state security forces and Albanian guerrillas.... in central Kosovo Kosovo Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia... . The government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia asserted that the casualties were all members of the Kosovo Liberation Army who had been killed in a clash with state security forces. |
| Izbica massacre Izbica massacre The Izbica massacre was one of the largest massacres of the Kosovo conflict 1999. Serb paramilitary and military forces killed 146 Kosovo Albanians of all ages in the village of Izbica, in the Drenica region of central Kosovo on 28 March 1999.- Background :... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of 120 Albanian civilians) | Serb forces, no prosecutions. | 120 Albanian civilians killed by Serbian forces in the village of Izbica Izbica Izbica is a village in Krasnystaw County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Izbica. It lies approximately south of Krasnystaw and south-east of the regional capital Lublin... , in the Drenica Drenica Drenica also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering . Located west of the capital Prishtina, its population of 110,000 is largely ethnic-Albanian.... region of central Kosovo on 28 March 1999. |
| Suva Reka massacre Suva Reka massacre The Suva Reka massacre was the mass murder of Albanian civilians committed by Serbian police forces on 26 March 1999 in Suva Reka, Kosovo, during the NATO bombings of Yugoslavia.... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of 48 Albanian civilians) | Serbian police. Four former policemen were convicted and received prison sentences ranging from 13 to 20 years. | The massacre took place in Suva Reka, in central Kosovo on 26 March 1999. The victims were locked inside a pizzeria into which two hand grenades were thrown. Before taking the bodies out of the pizzeria, the police allegedly shot anyone still showing signs of life. |
| Cuska massacre Cuska massacre The Cuska massacre is the name generally used to refer to the mass killing of 48 Kosovo Albanian civilians, all men and boys, committed by the Yugoslav army, police, paramilitary and Serb volunteers from Bosnia in May 1999, during the Kosovo war... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of 41 Albanian civilians) | Serbian army, police, paramilitary and Serb volunteers from Bosnia, no prosecutions. | Serbian forces summarily executed 41 Albanians in Cuska Ćuška -Events:in the Kosovo War on May 14, 1999 there was a massacre of civilians there, the Šakali group is accused of these war crimes.-Notes and references:Notes:References:... on 14 May 1999, in western Kosovo. The Serbian forces took three groups of men into three different houses, where the villagers were shoot with automatic weapons and set on fire. |
| Massacre at Velika Kruša | Crimes against humanity (Murder of 26 Albanian civilians) | Serbian special forces, no prosecutions. | The Massacre at Velika Kruša near Orahovac Orahovac Orahovac is a town and municipality in western Kosovo, in the District of Đakovica.-Name:Its Serbian name stems from the Serbian word orah , meaning "walnut".... , Kosovo, took place during the Kosovo War on the afternoon of 25 March 1999 the day after the NATO air campaign began. |
| Podujevo massacre Podujevo massacre The Podujevo massacre is the name generally used to refer to the killing of 19 Kosovo Albanian civilians, all women and children, committed by Serbian paramilitary forces in March 1999 during the Kosovo war.... |
Crimes against humanity (Murder of 19 Albanian civilians) | Serbian paramilitary. Four convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences. | 19 Kosovo Albanian civilians, all women and children, were executed by Serbian paramilitary forces in March, 1999 in Podujevo Podujevo Podujevo or Podujeva is a town and municipality located in the district of Pristina of north-eastern Kosovo.Podujevo is situated in a strategic position due to a regional motorway and railroad passing through it which links surrounding regions. Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is located some to... , in eastern Kosovo. |
| Kosovo War Kosovo War The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence... |
KLA Kosovo Liberation Army The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.... |
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| Incident | type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Llapushnik prison camp Llapushnik prison camp Lapušnik or Llapushnik prison camp was a detention camp near the city of Glogovac in central Kosovo during the Kosovo war, early 1998, held by the Kosovo Liberation Army for the intimidation, imprisonment, violence and murder of Serbs and perceived Albanian collaborators who refused to cooperate... |
War crime, (312 killed and missing) | KLA KLA KLA may refer to:*Kaella, a French Linux distribution based on Knoppix*KLA-Tencor, semiconductor equipment company*Kerala Library Association, professional association for librarians in Kerala*Klamath-Modoc language - ISO 639-3 code kla... ; Haradin Bala Haradin Bala Haradin Bala is an Albanian-Kosovar commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army , found guilty of crimes against humanity and violations of the customs of war by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia... sentenced to 13 years. |
Detention camp (also referred to as prison and concentration camp) near the city of Glogovac Glogovac Glogovac is a town and municipality in the Pristina district of central Kosovo.-History:Before the Kosovo War of 1999, the Kosovo Liberation Army had a strong level of influence and controlled large areas of the municipality.-More about Glogovac:... in central Kosovo during the Kosovo war, in 1998. The camp used by the Kosovo Liberation Army to collect and confine hundreds of male prisoners of Serb and non-Albanians nationalities. |
1990-2000: Liberia / Sierra Leone
From The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
March 28, 2006 p. 43:
- "Charles Taylor, the former LiberiaLiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
n President who is one of Africas most wanted men, has gone into hiding in NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
to avoid extraditionExtraditionExtradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
to a UN war crimes tribunal... The UN war crimes tribunal in Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
holds Mr Taylor responsible for about 250,000 deaths. Throughout the 1990s, his armies and supporters, made up of child soldiers orphaned by the conflict wreaked havoc through a swath of West Africa. In Sierra Leone he supported the Revolutionary United FrontRevolutionary United FrontThe Revolutionary United Front was a rebel army that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, starting in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later developed into a political party, which existed until 2007...
(R.U.F) whose rebel fighters were notorious for hacking off the limbs of civilians.- Current action - Indicted on 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the UN, which has issued an international warrant for his arrest. As of April 2006 located, extradited, and facing trial in Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
but then transferred to the Netherlands as requested by the LiberiaLiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
n government. As of the status of the main state actor on the genocide in Liberia, Sierra Leone and the on-going war crimes tribunal in the Hauge for violating the UN sanctions on supplying the Serbian genocide participants, Libya's Muamar Gaddafi was been elected to the post of President of the African Union. As of late January, 2011, Exxon/Mobile has resumed explorationary drilling in Libya after the
- Current action - Indicted on 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the UN, which has issued an international warrant for his arrest. As of April 2006 located, extradited, and facing trial in Sierra Leone
exchange of the Lockerbie bombing terrorist(genocide charge pending in new prosecution)was returned to Libya and Libya was taken off terrorist list by the Bush administration with the legal stipulation that Libya could never be prosecuted for past war crimes(regardless of guilt)in the future.
1990: Invasion of Kuwait
| Armed conflict | Perpetrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990:Invasion of Kuwait Kuwait The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the... |
Iraq Iraq Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.... |
||
| Incident | Type of crime | Persons responsible | Notes |
| Invasion of Kuwait | Crimes against peace (waging a war of aggression War of aggression A war of aggression, sometimes also war of conquest, is a military conflict waged without the justification of self-defense usually for territorial gain and subjugation. The phrase is distinctly modern and diametrically opposed to the prior legal international standard of "might makes right", under... for territorial aggrandizement; "breach of international peace and security" (UN Security Council Resolution 660)) |
no prosecutions | Did conspire to levy and did levy a war of aggression against Kuwait Kuwait The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the... , a sovereign Sovereign A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority within its jurisdiction.Sovereign may also refer to:*Monarch, the sovereign of a monarchy*Sovereign Bank, banking institution in the United States*Sovereign... state, took it by force of arms, did occupy it, and did annex it, by right of conquest Right of conquest The right of conquest is the right of a conqueror to territory taken by force of arms. It was traditionally a principle of international law which has in modern times gradually given way until its proscription after the Second World War when the crime of war of aggression was first codified in the... , a right utterly alien, hostile, and repugnant to all extant international law, being a grave breach of the Charter of the United Nations, and the customary international law, adhered to by all civilized nations and armed groups, thus constituting Crimes against peace. |
| Invasion of Kuwait | War crimes, Crimes against humanity, Crime of torture, Criminal environmental modification (Destruction of resources; murder, persecution, and torture of civilians and soldiers; willful environmental devastation and modification) | no prosecutions | Country devastated, resources intentionally and wantonly destroyed for no militarily necessitous purpose, murder of civilians, torture of residents and citizens of Kuwait, attempted criminal environmental modification on a global scale through intentional oil spills and soot from intentional oil well fires. |
1998-2006: Second Congo War
- Civil war 1998-2002, est. 5 million deaths; war "sucked in" RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, AngolaAngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and NamibiaNamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, as well as 17,000 United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
peacekeepers, its "largest and most costly" peace mission and "the bloodiest conflict since the end of the Second World War." - Fighting involves Mai-MaiMai-MaiThe term Mai-Mai or Mayi-Mayi refers to any kind of community-based militia group active in the Second Congo War and its aftermath in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , formed to defend their local territory against other armed groups...
militia and CongoleseDemocratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
government soldiers. The Government originally armed the Mai-Mai as civil defence against external invaders, who then turned to banditry. - 100,000 refugees living in remote disease ridden areas to avoid both sides
- Estimated 1000 deaths a day according to OxfamOxfamOxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
:
- "The army attacks the local population as it passes through, often raping and pillaging like the militias. Those who resist are branded Mai-mai supporters and face detention or death. The Mai-mai accuse the villagers of collaborating with the army, they return to the villages at night and extract revenge. Sometimes they marchKidnappingIn criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
the villagers into the bush to work as human mules."- In 2003, Sinafasi Makelo, a representative of MbutiMbutiMbuti or Bambuti are one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the Congo region of Africa. Their languages belong to the Central Sudanic and also to Bantu languages.-Overview:...
Pygmies, told the UN's Indigenous People's Forum that during the Congo Civil WarSecond Congo WarThe Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...
, his people were hunted down and eaten as though they were game animals. Both sides of the war regarded them as "subhuman". Makelo asked the UN Security Council to recognise cannibalismCannibalismCannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
as a crime against humanity and an act of genocideGenocideGenocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
.
- In 2003, Sinafasi Makelo, a representative of Mbuti
2003–present: Iraq War
During the Iraq War- War crimes, crimes against humanity: Mahmudiyah killingsMahmudiyah killingsThe Mahmudiyah killings and gang-rape of a 14-year-old girl by U.S. troops occurred on March 12, 2006, in a house to the southwest of Yusufiyah, a village to the west of the town of Al-Mahmudiyah, Iraq. Five United States Army soldiers of the 502nd Infantry Regiment were charged with the crimes: ...
involving the rape and murder of a 14 year old girl and the murder of her family by U.S. troops. - Blackwater Baghdad shootingsBlackwater Baghdad shootingsOn September 16, 2007, Blackwater military contractors allegedly shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square, Baghdad. The fatalities occurred while a Blackwater Personal Security Detail was clearing the way for a convoy of US State Department vehicles en route to a meeting in western...
On September 16, 2007, BlackwaterBlackwater Security ConsultingBlackwater Security Consulting was formed in 2001, and based in Moyock, North Carolina. The company is one of the private security firms employed during the Iraq War to guard officials and installations, train Iraq's new Army and Police, and provide other support for Coalition Forces. The...
military contractors shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square, BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. The fatalities occurred while a Blackwater Personal Security Detail (PSD) was escorting a convoy of US State Department vehicles en route to a meeting in western Baghdad with United States Agency for International DevelopmentUnited States Agency for International DevelopmentThe United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
officials. The shooting led to the unraveling of the North Carolina-based company, which since has replaced its management and changed its name to Xe Services. - Beginning in 2004, accounts of physicalPhysical abusePhysical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...
, psychologicalPsychological abusePsychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another to behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder...
, and sexual abuseSexual abuseSexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
, including tortureTortureTorture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, rapeRapeRape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, sodomySodomySodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
, and homicideHomicideHomicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
of prisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
ers held in the Abu Ghraib prisonAbu Ghraib prisonThe Baghdad Central Prison, formerly known as Abu Ghraib prison is in Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi city 32 km west of Baghdad. It was built by British contractors in the 1950s....
in IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
(also known as BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
Correctional Facility) came to public attention. These acts were committed by military police personnel of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
together with additional US governmental agenciesOGAOGA is an abbreviation used in the United States to signify Other Government Agency.In government and military parlance it is often used to speak euphemistically of the Central Intelligence Agency, particularly when its operations in a particular area are an open secret.A CIA operative may have a...
.
- Crimes against humanity: 2006 al-Askari Mosque bombing by Al-Queda.
2003-2009/2010 Darfur conflict; 2005–2010 Civil war in Chad
During the Darfur conflictDarfur conflict
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
, Civil war in Chad (2005–2010)
- The entire conflict is allegedly a genocide perpetrated by the involved combatants in DarfurDarfurDarfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
.
Sudanese authorities claim a death toll of roughly 19,500 civilians while many non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s, such as the Coalition for International Justice
Coalition for International Justice
The Coalition for International Justice was an international, non-profit organization based in both Washington D.C. and The Hague that supported the international war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, and criminal and transitional justice initiatives for East Timor, Sierra...
, claim over 400,000 people have been killed.
In September 2004, the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
estimated there had been 50,000 deaths in Darfur since the beginning of the conflict, an 18-month period, mostly due to starvation
Starvation
Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient and vitamin intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, death...
. An updated estimate the following month put the number of deaths for the 6-month period from March to October 2004 due to starvation and disease at 70,000; These figures were criticized, because they only considered short periods and did not include deaths from violence. A more recent British Parliamentary Report has estimated that over 300,000 people have died, and others have estimated even more.
Sri Lanka 2009
There are allegations that war crimes were committed by the Sri Lankan militarySri Lanka Armed Forces
The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, the Sri Lanka Air Force which comes under preview of the Ministry of Defence...
and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
(Tamil Tigers) during the Sri Lankan Civil War
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
, particularly during the final months of the conflict in 2009. The alleged war crimes include attacks on civilians and civilian buildings by both sides; executions of combatants and prisoners by both sides; enforced disappearances by the Sri Lankan military and paramilitary groups backed by them; acute shortages of food, medicine, and clean water for civilians trapped in the war zone; child recruitment and attacks on targeting civilian including suicide bombings and attacks on civilian aircraft by the Tamil Tigers.
An expert panel
Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka
The Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka was a report produced by a panel of experts appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to advise him accountability in Sri Lanka following the end of the three decade old Sri Lankan Civil War which is...
appointed by Ban Ki-Moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
, Secretary General of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, investigating violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the civil war reported that it had found "credible allegations" which, if proven, indicated that war crimes and crimes against humanity may have been committed by the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tigers. The panel has called on the UN Secretary General to conduct an independent international inquiry into the alleged violations of international law. The Sri Lankan government has denied that its forces committed any war crimes and has strongly opposed any investigation.
See also
- DemocideDemocideDemocide is a term revived and redefined by the political scientist R. J. Rummel as "the murder of any person or people by a government, including genocide, politicide, and mass murder." Rummel created the term as an extended concept to include forms of government murder that are not covered by the...
- GenocideGenocideGenocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
- Genocides in historyGenocides in historyGenocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group. It is defined in Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in...
- Laws of warLaws of warThe law of war is a body of law concerning acceptable justifications to engage in war and the limits to acceptable wartime conduct...
- List of massacres
- List of war criminals
- Mass murderMass murderMass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
- TortureTortureTorture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
- War crimes