Genocide under international law

The crime of genocide is considered one of the most serious crimes against international law, and therefore also the cruellest manifestation of violation of human rights, which comprise a special catalogue of rights that are guaranteed under the norms of international law. Although the definitions and legal regulations concerning genocide are relatively new, their history spanning less than 100 years, societies and nations on all continents have committed or been victims of this crime since the beginning of human history.

At the outset, it is worth noting that genocide was first criminalized only in the second half of the 20th century. It was the tragedy of World War II, especially the tragedy of the Holocaust, that made international decision-makers aware of the need for a more effective, and thus legally codified, protection against this crime under international law the tragedy of World War II, above all the drama of the Holocaust, that made international decision-makers aware of the need for more effective, and therefore legally codified, protection against this international crime, not without reason called the “crime of crimes”. In 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations unanimously adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The Convention continues to be the basic legal act penalizing the crime of genocide in international law.

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