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How did the 1977 Protocol I expand the list of grave breaches?
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War crime
Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann listening as an Israeli court declares him guilty on all counts at his war crimes trial in Jerusalem, 1961.
The 1977 Protocol I expanded the list of "grave breaches" established by the 1949 Geneva Conventions to include several specific acts that endanger civilians and misuse protected symbols during armed conflict.1
These additions to the list of grave breaches include:
- Making the civilian population or individual civilians the object of attack.1
- Launching an indiscriminate attack that affects the civilian population.1
- The perfidious use of the distinctive emblem of the Red Cross or Red Crescent.1
- The transfer of protected persons from occupied territory.1
By broadening these definitions, Protocol I strengthened the framework of international law regarding the protection of non-combatants and the regulation of conduct during international armed conflicts. The protocol also introduced provisions for the establishment of fact-finding commissions to investigate allegations of such breaches.12