Saddam Hussein and 11 of his former lieutenants face charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes — terms heard in cases ranging from Nazi Germany, to Rwanda, to the Balkans wars.
The following definitions of these crimes were taken from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court:
Genocide
This crime occurs when "the perpetrator killed one or more persons" who "belonged to a particular national, ethnical, racial or religious group," if the perpetrator "intended to destroy, in whole or in part, that national, ethnical, racial or religious group."
Genocide can involve any of the following acts: killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction, imposing measures intended to prevent births, by forcibly transferring children.
Crime Against Humanity
This crime involves conduct that "was committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population." The possible elements of crimes against humanity are:
apartheid
deportation or forcible transfer of population
enforced disappearance of persons
enforced sterilization
enslavement
extermination
forced pregnancy
imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty
murder
persecution
rape
sexual slavery or enforced prostitution
sexual violence
torture War Crimes
War crimes cover offenses against soldiers as well as civilians that take place in the context of armed conflict. In addition to the elements listed under crimes against humanity, the possible elements of war crimes are:
attacking civilian objects
attacking civilians
attacking civilians
attacking objects or persons using the distinctive emblems of the Geneva Conventions
attacking personnel or objects involved in a humanitarian assistance or peacekeeping mission
attacking protected objects
attacking undefended places
biological experiments
compelling participation in military operations
compelling service in hostile forces
cruel treatment
denying a fair trial
denying quarter
depriving the nationals of the hostile power of rights or actions
destroying or seizing the enemy's property
destroying or seizing the enemy's property
destruction and appropriation of property
displacing civilians
employing poison or poisoned weapons
employing prohibited bullets
employing prohibited gases, liquids, materials or devices
employing weapons, projectiles or materials or methods of warfare listed in the Annex to the Statute
excessive incidental death, injury, or damage
improper use of a flag of truce
improper use of a flag, insignia or uniform of the United Nations
improper use of a flag, insignia or uniform of the hostile party
inhuman treatment
killing or wounding a person hors de combat
medical or scientific experiments
murder
mutilation
outrages upon personal dignity
pillaging
sentencing or execution without due process
starvation as a method of warfare
taking hostages
treacherously killing or wounding
unlawful confinement
unlawful deportation and transfer
using protected persons as shields
using, conscripting and enlisting children
willfully causing great suffering
willful killing