What is Genocide?

The legal term “genocide” refers to certain acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Genocide is an international crime, according to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948). The acts that constitute genocide fall into five categories:

• Killing members of the group
• Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
• Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, in whole or in part
• Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
• Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group

Although the term “genocide” is often used, its commission is rare when compared to other serious crimes that are not defined by an intent to destroy a targeted group, such as crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Origin of the Term “Genocide”

The word “genocide” did not exist prior to World War II. It is a specific term coined in 1942 by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin (1900–1959) and first used in print in his 1944 book, Axis Rule in Occupied Europe. In his book, Lemkin analyzed Nazi policies of systematic persecution and mass murder during World War II. His analysis included descriptions of the destruction of European Jews, which today is referred to as the Holocaust. He formed the word genocide by combining geno-, from the Greek word for race or tribe, with -cide, from the Latin word for killing. Lemkin defined “genocide” as "a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves."

Early Use of the Term “Genocide” in the International Military Tribunal

In 1945, the International Military Tribunal (IMT) was held in Nuremberg, Germany. During the trial, 24 high-ranking Nazi officials were charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, among other crimes, as defined by the Nuremberg Charter. 

The word “genocide” was used in the indictment as a way to describe Nazi crimes of the Holocaust. It was not, however, a legal term at this time.

Genocide as an International Crime

After the Holocaust, the word “genocide” was established as a legal term for a specifically defined international crime. 

On December 9, 1948, the United Nations approved a written agreement known as the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The adoption of this convention was in no small part due to the tireless efforts of Raphael Lemkin. By the end of the 1950s, over 65 UN member states had signed it. As of April 2022, 153 states have ratified the convention (meaning they have agreed to follow its terms). 

The convention established genocide as an international crime. The obligation to prevent and punish is binding on all states, even those that have not ratified the convention. Preventing and punishing genocide remain ongoing challenges that states, institutions, and individuals continue to face.