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.)

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war crimes

The former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of war crimes.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

He is the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world's worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

The ICC prosecutor’s office investigated alleged war crimes by U.S. forces and the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan, Russian authorities in Ukraine and Israeli forces in Gaza.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The ICC, which was established in 2002, has ⁠international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the UN Security Council.

From BBC ● Aug. 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 Edward Samuel Corwin