Convention on the Prevention and Punishment
of the Crime of Genocide, New York, 1948

This convention declares genocide a crime under international law.
It defines what genocide is, and condemns this crime
whether it's committed in peacetime or wartime.
The convention defines genocide as any act committed with the idea
of destroying in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

This includes such acts as:

o Killing members of the group
o Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
o Deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to physically destroy the group (the whole group or even part of the group)
o Forcefully transferring children of the group to another group


The convention declares that there is no immunity from being prosecuted
for committing genocide: those found guilty of genocide will be punished for
their crime, regardless of whether they are or were legally constituted ruler,
public officials, or private individuals.

The Genocide Convention, unlike most other human rights treaties,
doesn't establish an expert committee, or an organisation to monitor
its provisions. Instead, it allows any country that is party to
the Convention to ask the relevant parts of the UN to take appropriate
action (according to the UN Charter) to prevent or stop acts of genocide.
This makes it possible to bring the issue before the International
Court of Justice–and the court may order immediate protective
measures to be taken while other steps are begun.