German war crimes

The government of Germany ordered, organized and condoned a substantial number of war crimes in both World War I and World War II. The most notable of these is the Holocaust in which millions of people were systematically murdered or died from abuse and mistreatment, between 50 and 60% of them Jews. Millions also died as a result of other German actions in those two conflicts. The true number of victims may never be known, since much of the evidence was deliberately destroyed by the perpetrators in an attempt to conceal the crimes.

Pre-World War I

Considered to have been the first genocide of the 20th century, the Herero and Namaqua Genocide was perpetrated by the German Empire between 1904 and 1907 in German South-West Africa (modern day Namibia), during the scramble for Africa. On January 12, 1904, the Herero people, led by Samuel Maharero, rebelled against German colonialism. In August, General Lothar von Trotha of the Imperial German Army defeated the Herero in the Battle of Waterberg and drove them into the desert of Omaheke, where most of them died of thirst. In October, the Nama people also rebelled against the Germans only to suffer a similar fate.

War crime

A war crime is an act that constitutes a serious violation of the law of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility. Examples of war crimes include intentionally killing civilians or prisoners, torture, wantonly destroying property, taking hostages, perfidy, rape, using child soldiers, pillaging, declaring that no quarter will be given, and using weapons that cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.

The concept of war crimes began to emerge during the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century when the body of customary international law applicable to warfare between sovereign states was codified. Such codification occurred at the national level, such as with the publication of the Lieber Code in the United States, and at the international level with the adoption of the treaties during the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. Moreover, trials in national courts during this period further helped clarify the law. Following the end of World War II, major developments in the law occurred. Numerous trials of Axis war criminals established the Nuremberg principles, such as notion that war crimes constituted crimes defined by international law. Additionally, the Geneva Conventions in 1949 defined new war crimes and established that states could exercise universal jurisdiction over such crimes. In the late 20th century and early 21st century, following the creation of several international courts, additional categories of war crimes applicable to armed conflicts other than those between states, such as civil wars. The United States, Israel and Russia are the only OECD countries that do not accept war crime jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its nationals, since they have not signed the Rome Statute.

War Crimes (film)

War Crimes is a 2005 film starring John Jenner and Earl Palmer. It was written and directed by Thomas Bros.

Production

A low budget ($10,000) British feature film made in the UK in 2005. The film is set in 1992 during the traumatic events of the split up of Yugoslavia. The film itself is based in Bosnia, 40% of the dialogue is in Serbo-Croatian language. This project was shot on Digital Video and currently being distributed by ITN. This film was shot on location in Wales and England and features a multi-national cast from the UK, USA, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Finland and Canada.

Plot

A group of six friends, recently graduated in the UK travel to Bosnia in 1992. As fighting breaks out around the capital Sarajevo the friends are forced to escape overland to the border whilst the fighting spreads. After witnessing a horrific massacre in Bosnia they are pursued by a ruthless Yugoslav People's Army Officer and his brutal Chetnik fighters. With the weather worsening, limited supplies and murderous soldiers behind them, will they ever make it out of Croatia alive?!

The West Wing (season 3)

The third season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from October 3, 2001 to May 22, 2002 and consisted of 21 episodes and 2 special episodes.

Production

The season premiere was delayed by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. When the season did return, the first episode was a special episode titled "Isaac and Ishmael", in which the main cast paid tribute to those affected by the attacks and informed viewers about what to expect from the delayed premiere.

Series creator Aaron Sorkin acknowledged in October 2002 that the terrorism-related plots designed to keep the series relevant after the real-life attacks were awkward at times, saying "from week to week, you felt like you were writing the show handcuffed, a little bit. I didn't know how to write it anymore. It was a constant search for what I wasn't doing that used to make the show work. Maybe there was a way to make it work. There probably was. I wasn't able to find it in twenty-two episodes."