All articles tagged with #war crimes
Will Saletan argues that Donald Trump’s public threats to seize Iran’s oil and to target civilian infrastructure amount to war crimes or imminent war crimes, revealing a mercenary, profit-driven logic behind the rhetoric and raising the specter of civilian harm and violations of international law if such actions were carried out.
Australia’s decorated veteran Ben Roberts-Smith is behind bars facing Afghan war-crime charges, signaling a high-profile courtroom battle for one of the country’s most lauded soldiers.
Amnesty International condemns Donald Trump’s threats to devastate Iran’s civilian infrastructure as potentially violating international humanitarian law and possibly amounting to genocide. The group urges urgent intervention by the UN Security Council and other states to avert catastrophe, noting that recent US and Israeli strikes on civilian targets heighten the risk to millions of Iranians and their relatives abroad. The statement calls for accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity if such actions proceed.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dodged NBC’s question about whether Trump’s threat to escalate the Iran conflict could amount to war crimes, insisting the administration will act within the law and pressing Tehran to negotiate, as concerns about civilian harm and political backlash grow.
A Bulwark columnist argues that Trump’s claims of victory in Iran and his threat to order war crimes if the Strait of Hormuz reopens would reveal whether the U.S. military operates under the rule of law or an honor system, and warn of dangerous implications for American democracy and foreign policy.
Allegations of sexual misconduct against International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan remain under review by the ICC's executive branch. Khan has temporarily stepped aside while the probe continues. An outside panel reportedly concluded that the factual findings do not establish misconduct, but the disciplinary process remains confidential and no decisions have been made, all happening amid U.S. sanctions and broader strains on the court.
U.S. Senator Peter Welch and Representative Sara Jacobs introduced the Justice for Hind Rajab Act, which would require a federal investigation into Hind Rajab’s death in Gaza, lay out findings on civilian harm there, demand a State Department report on related investigations, and push for accountability for those involved in the attack under U.S. war-crimes laws.
The UN Independent Commission finds Russia forcibly deported thousands of Ukrainian children from occupied areas, labeling the acts as crimes against humanity and war crimes, with most not yet returned and many traumatized; Putin is cited as directly involved and an ICC arrest warrant has been issued.
Haaretz investigates the Gaza Health Ministry's casualty list of roughly 68,844–72,073 deaths from violent deaths, showing it is widely used as an official count but remains controversial: it records only violent deaths, is compiled from hospital and family reports vetted by a judicial panel, and has undergone corrections (duplicates removed, IDs fixed) though skeptics warn errors persist and militants may be misclassified. The data reveal a high share of women and minors and fuel ongoing debates about civilian versus militant fatalities and potential war-crimes interpretations; even with flaws, the list stands as a stark record of Gaza's humanitarian toll.
BBC interviews with four Russian soldiers reveal on-the-record accounts of commanders ordering executions, torture for refusing to take part in brutal front-line assaults, and a culture of impunity including a 'zeroing' system and 'meat storms' on the battlefield; one commander was named a Hero of Russia, families have appealed for investigations, and all four men are now outside Russia with lasting trauma.
The United Nations says more than 6,000 people were killed over three days during the RSF’s offensive to capture el-Fasher in Darfur, including mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, and detentions; the toll inside the city includes about 4,400 killed between Oct. 25–27 and another 1,600 fleeing, with overall figures likely higher, prompting calls for accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to a UN rights office report, more than 6,000 people were killed in three days when Sudan's RSF seized El-Fasher in Darfur last year, with evidence of mass killings, executions, torture, abductions and sexual violence that could amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity; the UN notes the true toll is likely higher as civilians fled, while the RSF denies wrongdoing and international pressure grows amid Sudan's three-year conflict and mass displacement.
ISW says the Kremlin rejects Rubio’s claim that Donetsk Oblast is the only unresolved issue in peace talks, arguing that many topics remain. Moscow reportedly agreed to a temporary pause on striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure at Trump’s request, but ISW views it as a limited concession while Russia continues offensives across multiple axes and pursues long-term aims in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Oskil River, and Zaporizhzhia. The report also notes ongoing alleged POW executions and other war crimes by Russian forces, and Belarus increasing military ties with Russia amid the conflict, with Ukraine facing continued energy outages.
An experienced war correspondent links the 1990s siege of Sarajevo to today’s Ukraine crisis, detailing how Russian strikes on energy infrastructure have left Kyiv and other cities in darkness and subfreezing temperatures; families improvise heating, shelter in tents indoors, and endure daily life under siege, as the author argues the cold is a deliberate weapon and calls the attacks a war crime requiring international accountability.
Romi Gonen, a former Israeli hostage, publicly recounted her traumatic experiences of sexual assault and harassment during her 471 days in Hamas captivity, highlighting the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and the ongoing issue of abuse faced by hostages in Gaza.