What is genocide

During the Rwandan genocide of , members of the Hutu ethnic majority in the east-central African nation of Rwanda murdered as many as , people, mostly of the Tutsi minority. Started by Hutu nationalists in the capital of Kigali, the genocide spread throughout the The Armenian genocide was the systematic killing and deportation of Armenians by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. In , during World War I, leaders of the Turkish government set in motion a plan to expel and massacre Armenians.

By the early s, when the massacres and Gold from the American River! The first time Joshua Kaufman met Daniel Gillespie was April 29, , when American liberators marched into the notorious Dachau concentration camp 12 miles outside Munich, Germany and smashed in the prison doors. Gillespie, a gunner with the 42nd Rainbow Division, was deeply Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Genocide is an internationally recognized crime where acts are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

These acts fall into five categories:. There are a number of other serious, violent crimes that do not fall under the specific definition of genocide. They include crimes against humanity, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and mass killing. Learn More. Cultural destruction does not suffice, nor does an intention to simply disperse a group. It is this special intent, or dolus specialis , that makes the crime of genocide so unique.

In addition, case law has associated intent with the existence of a State or organizational plan or policy, even if the definition of genocide in international law does not include that element. Importantly, the victims of genocide are deliberately targeted - not randomly — because of their real or perceived membership of one of the four groups protected under the Convention which excludes political groups, for example. This means that the target of destruction must be the group, as such, and not its members as individuals.

Definition Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide Article II In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Browse A-Z Find articles, photos, maps, films, and more listed alphabetically. For Teachers Recommended resources and topics if you have limited time to teach about the Holocaust. Wise — International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. About This Site. Glossary : Full Glossary. What is Genocide? More information about this image. The Term "Genocide" The term " genocide " did not exist before Discussion Questions What have we learned about the risk factors and warning signs of genocide?