Number: RL32605
Title: Genocide: Legal Precedent Surrounding the Definition of the Crime
Authors: Judith Derenzo and Michael John Garcia, American Law Division 
Abstract: The current situation in Darfur, Sudan, and the surrounding debate over whether the Sudanese governments actions constitute genocide or ethnic cleansing provides the impetus for this report. This report presents a brief historical background on the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention), its ratification and implementation by the United States, and its incorporation into the Rome Statute creating an International Criminal Court (ICC). Decisions from the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR) are analyzed to help determine when charges of genocide have been found to be legitimate.
Pages: 26
Date: September 14, 2004