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VOL. 11, ISSUE 9 (2025)
War crimes: Legal dimensions, historical precedents, and contemporary challenges
Authors
Santosh Kumar Dash
Abstract
War crimes are among the most serious violations of international
humanitarian law, representing acts of extreme violence and cruelty committed
during armed conflicts against combatants, civilians, and cultural property.
This paper undertakes a comprehensive examination of war crimes from a legal,
historical, and ethical perspective. It traces the origins of the concept from
ancient codes of warfare to modern international tribunals, explores pivotal
cases such as the Nuremberg and Tokyo Trials, and evaluates the effectiveness
of ad hoc tribunals for Rwanda and Yugoslavia. The study further analyzes the
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), its jurisdictional
limitations, and contemporary debates on accountability in conflicts such as
those in Syria, Darfur, and Ukraine. Emerging challenges, including
cyberwarfare, autonomous weapons, and terrorism, are also discussed in relation
to existing legal frameworks. The paper argues that while progress has been
made in codifying and prosecuting war crimes, significant gaps remain in
enforcement due to political constraints, selective justice, and limited global
cooperation. It concludes with recommendations for strengthening international
mechanisms to ensure accountability, universality, and the protection of human
dignity in times of war.
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Pages:10-15
How to cite this article:
Santosh Kumar Dash "War crimes: Legal dimensions, historical precedents, and contemporary challenges". International Journal of Law, Vol 11, Issue 9, 2025, Pages 10-15
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