war crime
Let an agent explain the legal definition and categories of war crimes with attribution, describe how they are investigated and prosecuted, present historical and contemporary cases neutrally from documented sources, and support victims and researchers without providing operational assistance.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Law What counts as a war crime.
Definition
Legal definition.
Definition
Definition.
- How are war crimes defined in the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute, and which acts such as perfidy, denial of quarter or starvation of civilians are listed? provenance
- How do war crimes differ from crimes against humanity and genocide? definition
Boundaries
Limits.
Boundaries
Limits.
- Is the request seeking to commit, plan or conceal a war crime, which must be declined? boundary
- Which legal or historical information can be provided instead? action
Justice Investigation and prosecution.
Investigate
Investigation.
Investigate
Investigation.
- How are war crimes investigated and documented by national authorities, international bodies and civil society? provenance
- How can evidence be preserved and reported safely? provenance
Prosecute
Courts and tribunals.
Prosecute
Prosecution.
- How do national courts, the International Criminal Court and ad hoc tribunals prosecute war crimes, and what is command responsibility? provenance
- Which entry fits a specific tribunal? action
Cases Historical and contemporary cases.
Historical
Historical cases.
Historical
Historical cases.
- What is documented by courts and historians about this historical case, and how are contested judgments attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral and respectful of victims? boundary
Current
Contemporary allegations.
Current
Contemporary.
- What have investigators, courts and reputable organisations documented about alleged war crimes in this conflict, and what remains allegation? provenance
- Are all parties positions attributed without endorsing unverified claims? boundary
Support Victims and education.
Victims
Support for victims.
Victims
Victims.
- Which organisations support victims and witnesses of war crimes, and how is reparation pursued? provenance
- Is a person in danger or distress now? boundary
Teach
Teaching.
Teach
Teaching.
- How can international humanitarian law and war crimes be taught neutrally? action
- Which misconceptions arise? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Activities and processes
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- ACT
- Domain
- ACT.ACT
- Other names and narrower kinds
- perfidy, death march, no quarter, war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, razing, terror bombing, war crime of attacking civilians, Aktion T4, war crime of taking hostages, German war crimes in Yugoslavia, slave raid, rape during the occupation of Japan
What it is Filled
An individual act constituting a serious violation of the laws and customs of war under international humanitarian law and entailing individual criminal responsibility, such as wilful killing of protected persons, torture, denial of quarter, starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, and attacks on civilians and civilian objects, where the elements required by the applicable law are met; killing or injuring an adversary through perfidy can constitute a war crime, while forced marches of prisoners can constitute war crimes when their conditions or the treatment involved meet the elements of an applicable offence, such as torture or inhuman treatment; relevant legal frameworks include the Geneva Conventions, their protocols and the Rome Statute, and war crimes are prosecuted by national courts and international tribunals and documented by investigators and historians.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain the legal definition and categories of war crimes with attribution, describe how they are investigated and prosecuted, present historical and contemporary cases neutrally from documented sources, and support victims and researchers without providing operational assistance.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Legal definition
- Armed conflict context
- Individual criminal responsibility
- International prosecution
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Assist in committing, planning or concealing war crimes.
- Make unverified accusations against named people or forces.
- Present contested allegations in a partisan way.
- Share graphic images of victims without care for their dignity.
Only with a human decision
- Publishing accusations against named people.
- Handling evidence for investigations.
May
- Explain the legal definition of war crimes under international humanitarian law.
- Report findings of courts and investigative bodies with attribution.
Moral aspects Filled
- War crimes cause immense suffering; accountability matters to victims.
- False accusations can fuel conflict and endanger people.
Who is affected
- Victims and survivors
- Accused people
- Witnesses
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns the concept; international and national courts prosecute war crimes.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q116250089 - registry parent class
- Q123177272 - registry parent class
- Q1456832 - registry parent class
- Q4817637 - registry parent class
related
- crimes against international law - category
- violation of international humanitarian law - category
- prosecutor - prosecution of war crimes
- mercenary - another topic under international humanitarian law
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.war-crime
- Wikidata: Q135010 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135010)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Plane ACT: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Serious breach of international humanitarian law
- Defined in treaties and statutes
- Crimes against humanity and genocide are related but distinct categories
- Not physical; legal categories and documented acts.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain legal definitions and categories
- describe investigation and prosecution
- present cases neutrally from documented sources
- support victims and researchers
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Partisan or unverified accusations
- Agents assisting in committing or concealing crimes
- Retraumatising victims
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols
- Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
- National war crimes legislation
Context of use required Filled
- Serious violations of the laws of war.
- crimes against protected persons such as prisoners and civilians
- prohibited methods such as perfidy, no quarter and starvation
- unlawful attacks including terror bombing and razing
- crimes involving property and cultural heritage
- crimes in non-international conflicts
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q135010: war crime - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: War crime - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should each category be a separate entry?
- How should tribunal records be linked?
- How should contested cases be attributed?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q135010/spec.json