Definition
Law concerning human rights dates back to the Nuremberg trials after WWII. Beyond the war crimes committed by German officers were their acts of genocide in which about ten million civilians had been killed in death camps. Clearly this ranked among the most wicked crimes ever committed, yet it did not actually violate either international law or German law. The solution was to create a new category of legal offenses - crimes against humanity - under which those responsible were punished. The category was not used again in practice until 1994-1995, when the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia handed down indictments for genocide. Soon aafter the experience of WWII, in 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It does not have the force of international law, but it sets forth international norms regarding behavior by governments toward their own citizens and foreigners alike. The declaration roots itself in the principle that violations of human rights upset international order and in the fact that the UN Charter commits states to respect fundamental freedoms. The declaration proclaims that "all human beings are born free and equal" without regard to race, sex, language, religion, political affiliation, or the status of the territory on which they were born. It goes on to promote norms in wide variety of areas, from banning torture to guaranteeing religious and political freedom to the rights of economic well-being.
Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity