Definition
The laws of warfare impose moral responsibility on individuals in wartime, as well as on states. The Nuremberg Tribunal after WWII established that participants can be held accountable for war crimes they commit. German officers defended their actions as "just following orders," but this was rejected; the officers were punished, some executed, for their war crimes. Not all Nuremberg defendents were found guilty, however. For example, laws of war limit the use of force against civilians to that which is necessary and proportional to military objectives. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia is mandated to prosecute persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991. The Statute defines the Tribunal's authority to prosecute four clusters of offences: Grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, Violations of the laws or customs of war, Genocide, and Crimes against humanity.
UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia