Syed Gilani

The Crime of Genocide and Its Subsequent Development: Genocide a Unique Crime Syed Gilani

According to Raphael Lemkin Genocide can be described as the deliberate extermination of a racial, religious or ethnic group. Genocide is distinguishable from all other crimes by the motivation behind it to eliminate the enemy group and that makes it more cruel and different from other International crimes i.e (Mass Murder, Crime against Humanity and war crimes). Therefore, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide prohibits all the actions, which can be taken to minimize the enemy group. For example, rape would not normally be considered as Genocide but if it has been promoted in a civilian population area with the intention to prevent normal reproduction, this would amount to a crime of Genocide. Generally speaking, this crime does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. Genocide is directed against the national group as an entity, and the actions involved are directed against individuals, not in their individual capacity but as members of a national group.