The International Criminal Court sets a high bar for prosecuting heads of state for crimes committed while they are in power.
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Other recent conflicts that resulted in war crimes allegations help explain how complex it will be to gather evidence of war crimes in Ukraine – and provide answers for families of victims of the war.
Both Russia and Ukraine are signatories to the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war – how much it is being observed is another matter.
Prosecuting a leader like Vladimir Putin accused of war crimes is difficult. But the trial of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in the early 2000s offers a potential playbook.
The prosecution and death sentences handed out to two British and one Moroccan national fighting alongside Ukrainian troops contravenes the Geneva Conventions.
Holding war crimes trials during active hostilities is rare. Proceedings in Ukraine also open the risk of Russian show trials, argues a law of war expert.
Countries would likely need to set up new courts to prosecute Vladimir Putin for illegally invading Ukraine – but this isn’t a sure bet he would ever be held accountable for his crimes.
President Biden said that Vladimir Putin had committed war crimes, after news emerged of mass civilian murders in Bucha, Ukraine. Three stories from our archive explain what this means.
None of the available methods for holding Russian President Vladimir Putin accountable are likely to actually punish him, and they may even make new atrocities more likely.
The complex history of prosecuting Nazi war crimes means elderly men and women are on trial for crimes committed decades ago.
Sex and gender-based offences have become an increasing focus of war crimes trials at the International Criminal Court.
Women continue to be stereotyped as passive and meek. For this reason, international courts often let women war criminals off the hook.
US agreements with Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria provide reparations to WWII victims. But an international law scholar writes that the US has failed to address war crimes in Asia.
Top contributors
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Executive Director, University of Dayton Human Rights Center, University of Dayton
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Professor of Political Science, Penn State
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Associate Professor of Political and Social Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
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Professor of Law, American University
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Professor Emeritus of Modern European History, University of Essex
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Associate Professor in International Relations, University of Nottingham
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Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University - Newark
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Assistant Professor of Political Science, Virginia Commonwealth University
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Professor of International Law, University of Portsmouth
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Associate Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University
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Professor of Law, University of Waikato
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Teaching Fellow, University of Portsmouth
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Professor of Practice in Political Science, Tulane University
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Associate professor of politics and global studies, Arizona State University
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Project Lead for International Technical Forensic Services, Florida International University
