WION explains: The ultimate, yet hard to prove war crime called 'genocide'

Russia has been accused of genocide in Ukraine, the ultimate war crime. However, genocide has a specific legal definition and to date has only been proven in court a few times.

Let's find out more.

What exactly is genocide?

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According to the 1948 Genocide Convention, it is defined as crimes done with the goal to eliminate, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group.

Killing members of a group, causing substantial bodily or mental injury to them, establishing conditions meant to destroy them, preventing births, or forcibly transferring children to other groups are all examples of genocide.

What criteria are used to determine genocide?

Prosecutors must first show that the victims were members of a distinct national, ethnic, racial, or religious group in order to prove genocide. This rule does not apply to organisations targeted based on their political ideas.

"Genocide is a difficult crime to prove. Parties have to bring a lot to the table," explained Melanie O'Brien, head of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, citing the combined need of demonstrating intent, targeting a protected group, and crimes such as murder or forcible removal of minors.

Who made the allegation against Russia?

Multiple people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Joe Biden and even UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have accused Russian forces of genocide, citing evidence of rape, torture, and executions in districts near Kyiv regained by Ukrainian troops earlier this month.

Watch |Ukraine war: Russian acts in Ukraine amounts to 'genocide', says Joe Biden

"Yes, I called it genocide because it has become clearer and clearer that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of being able to be Ukrainian and the evidence is mounting," said Biden.

The scope of the horrors "doesn't look far short of genocide," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned last week.

What is Russia's response to these accusations?

Moscow claims the West fabricated evidence to defame its troops, calling the war on its smaller neighbour "a special operation" to stop genocide against Russian speakers in Ukraine.

Will theallegations against Russiabe investigated?

In February, the International Criminal Court launched a probe into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. It has authority over genocide as well.

Are there any old cases of genocide?

Yes, the international courts have had three cases meet their threshold:

-The Cambodian Khmer Rouge slaughter ofminority Cham and Vietnamese people in the 1970s. An estimated1.7 million people were murdered in this genocide.

-Rwanda's mass massacre of Tutsis in 1994, which resulted in the deaths of 800,000 people.

-The 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which claimed the lives of 8,000 Muslim men and boys.

Since the 1990s, the US administration has declared genocide in seven situations: Bosnia, Rwanda, Iraq, Sudan's Darfur area, Islamic State's massacres, particularly against the Yezidi, Myanmar's crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, and China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims. Only time will tell if the Russian violence against Ukraine will be categorized as a 'genocide'.

(With inputs from agencies)