War crimes tend to connote genocide, population transfers, prisoner-of-war abuse, and rape. Tribunals face the obstacle of seeking and administering justice under the ambiguities found in fluid rather than concrete international norms. Depending on the legal interpretation, war crimes could easily include the mass murder of Ukrainian political prisoners to save money or the mass suffocation of German prisoners of war while using a defective form of transportation between camps in France. In addition, tribunals range from military courts-martial to specially created tribunals under the auspices of the United Nations (UN).

Historical Context

The Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907 marked the beginning of the establishment of war crimes law. In addition, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, following the ...

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