Crimes against humanity

The term crimes against humanity is used to describe "atrocities and offences, including but not limited to murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, rape, or other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds whether or not in violation of the domestic laws of the country where perpetrated."  - "A crime against humanity is the result of persecution against a group, and is so heinous as to warrant punishment under international law. The term was first used in the preamble of the Hague Convention[?] of 1907, and subsequently used during the Nuremberg trials as a charge for actions such as the Holocaust which did not violate a specific treaty but were deemed to require punishment." 

SourceWatch Resources

 * genocide
 * Human Rights Watch
 * International Court of Justice
 * International Criminal Court
 * state terrorism
 * war crime