War Crimes

War crimes – are serious violations of international humanitarian law – violations of the laws and customs of war. Their commission entails criminal liability of individuals at the national and international levels.

War crimes are one of the types of core crimes under international law, along with the crime of aggression, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The general list of war crimes is contained in the Statute of the International Criminal Court (the Rome Statute). This list is very broad; it includes most of the relevant violations of international law enshrined in international conventions and customary international law.

Genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity are investigated by the permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which operates on the basis of the Rome Statute.