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war crimes

Cultural  
  1. Acts committed by soldiers or government officials, either in the course of a war or in bringing on a war, that violate the customs of warfare. Examples of war crimes include atrocities committed against civilians (see My Lai massacre) and the mistreatment of prisoners of war. After World War II, twenty-two Nazi leaders were tried at Nuremberg by the victorious Allies, and twelve were sentenced to death for war crimes. (See Nuremberg trials.)


Example Sentences

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French lawyer Vincent Brengarth, who represents NGOs alleging war crimes in Sudan, said Chad's withdrawal undermined the prospects of those responsible being brought to justice.

From Barron's Jul. 27, 2026

The ICC, based in the Dutch city of The Hague, is a global court with the power to bring prosecutions for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

From BBC Jul. 8, 2026

Maybe we could also have more severe consequences for war crimes as well.

From Salon Jun. 22, 2026

In private communications with the alleged victim, Khan invoked the investigation of war crimes in Gaza in an effort to persuade his aide to disavow her allegations, the Journal has reported.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 18, 2026

John Marshall served simultaneously as Secretary of State and Chief Justice, and later Justice Robert Jackson served as war crimes prosecutor.

From The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 30, 1952 by Corwin, Edward Samuel

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