The meaning of words: A crime against humanity
it’s...
a legal concept that refers to acts committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack launched against an entire civilian population. These acts may be: murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, severe forms of sexual violence, persecution, etc.
an imprescriptible crime
Since when has this concept been used in law?
The concept of a crime against humanity was first defined in 1945 by the statute of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. This first definition has been amended and expanded several times, notably in 1998 with the creation of the International Criminal Court.
16 of the 24 Nazi officials tried by the International Military Tribunal of Nuremberg are then found guilty of crimes against humanity.
And today, what about it?
The 1998 Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court represents the most recent and comprehensive consensus of the international community on this issue. In France, the crime against humanity enters the law in 1964. A law of 1994 defines it precisely in French law by taking into account the case law (Barbie trial in 1987 and Touvier in 1994).
A crime against humanity is not...
Synonym of genocide. Genocide refers only to intentional and systematic extermination of persons related to nationality, ethnicity, race or religion. The scope of crime against humanity is much broader and may cover a variety of acts: arbitrary arrests, slavery, persecutions, etc.
If someone tells me: «a crime against humanity is also a war crime.»
I reply: No, unlike a war crime, crimes against humanity are not necessarily linked to an armed conflict. An act committed in peacetime can therefore be considered a crime against humanity.
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