What’s the difference between a war crime, a crime against humanity, and genocide?

Written by

Brian Duignan

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 31, 2026 •History

Each of these very serious crimes is officially defined under the Rome Statute of 1998, which established the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a permanent tribunal to investigate and try individuals charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and acts of criminal aggression. Similarly defined crimes had been prosecuted during the postwar trials in Nuremberg (1945–46) and Tokyo (1946–48). As defined in the Rome Statute, a war crime is any “grave” breach of the...