United States Law that defines a war crime to include a "grave breach of the Geneva Conventions"
War Crimes Act of 1996
Long title
An Act To amend title 18, United States Code, to carry out the international obligations of the United States under the Geneva Conventions to provide criminal penalties for certain war crimes
Enacted by
the 104th United States Congress
Citations
Public law
Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 104–192 (text) (PDF)
Statutes at Large
110 Stat. 2104
Codification
Titles amended
18
U.S.C. sections created
18 U.S.C. § 2441 renumbered from §2401 through the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 §605(p)(1)
Legislative history
Introduced in the House as H.R. 3680 by Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R-NC) on June 19, 1996
Committee consideration by House Judiciary
Passed the House on July 29, 1996 (voice vote)
Passed the Senate on August 2, 1996 (unanimous consent)
Signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 21, 1996
Major amendments
Military Commissions Act of 2006
The War Crimes Act of 1996 is a United States federal statute that defines a war crime to include a "grave breach of the Geneva Conventions", specifically noting that "grave breach" should have the meaning defined in any convention (related to the laws of war) to which the United States is a party. The definition of "grave breach" in some of the Geneva Conventions have text that extend additional protections, but all the Conventions share the following text in common: "... committed against persons or property protected by the Convention: willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health."
The law applies if either the victim or the perpetrator is a national of the United States or a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. The penalty may be life imprisonment or death. The death penalty is only invoked if the conduct resulted in the death of one or more victims.
The Act was passed with overwhelming majorities by the United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
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