{"id":352077,"date":"2023-11-13T16:45:40","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T21:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/criminal\/criminal-charges\/genocide.html"},"modified":"2023-11-13T16:45:40","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T21:45:40","slug":"genocide","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-charges\/genocide.html","title":{"rendered":"Genocide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Genocide<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By John Mascolo, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by John Mascolo, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n

Under U.S. federal law, genocide includes killing, injuring, or imposing destructive conditions on such groups, and applies whether committed in war or peace. The U.S. can prosecute genocide if the offender is present in the country, and penalties range from lengthy prison terms to life imprisonment or even the death penalty in cases involving death.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Polish-American Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin coined the term genocide in 1944 to describe acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. By 1948, the United Nations (UN) adopted the term<\/a> to describe the Holocaust, the German Nazi Party’s effort to systematically murder European Jews during World War II.<\/p>\n

Other historical examples of genocide include:<\/p>\n