While politicians and observers say that war crimes are being committed in Ukraine, until "the evidence is fully substantiated and double-checked and confirmed, for the time being we can talk only about alleged war crimes," says Maria Varaki, a lecturer in international law and co-director of the War Crimes Research Group at King's College London. Lawyers refer to war crimes as grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. Legal gray areasAs with most aspects of war, there are grey areas within the definition of what constitutes a war crime. Rape and sexual assaultRape and sexual assault are considered war crimes and a breach of international humanitarian law. A 2008 U.N. resolution (1820) reaffirmed that rape can be a war crime and a weapon of war.

Source: The Hindu April 06, 2022 02:16 UTC