Chapter 8—Offences against humanity and related offences

Division 268—Genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes against the administration of the justice of the International Criminal Court

Subdivision H—War crimes that are grave breaches of Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions

268.95 War crime—medical procedure

A person (the perpetrator) commits an offence if:
(a) the perpetrator subjects one or more persons to a medical procedure; and
(b) the procedure seriously endangers the physical or mental health, or the integrity, of the person or persons; and
(c) the perpetrator's conduct is not justified by the state of health of the person or persons; and
(d) the perpetrator knows that, or is reckless as to whether, the conduct is consistent with generally accepted medical standards that would be applied under similar medical circumstances to persons who are of the same nationality as the perpetrator and are in no way deprived of liberty; and
(e) the person or persons are in the power of, or are interned, detained or otherwise deprived of liberty by, the country of the perpetrator as a result of an international armed conflict; and
(f) the conduct takes place in the context of, and is associated with, an international armed conflict.

Penalty: Imprisonment for 25 years.


268.96 War crime—removal of blood, tissue or organs for transplantation

(1) A person (the perpetrator) commits an offence if:
(a) the perpetrator removes from one or more persons blood, tissue or organs for transplantation; and
(b) in the case of the removal of blood—the removal:
(i) is not for transfusion; or
(ii) is for transfusion without the consent of the person or persons; and
(c) in the case of the removal of skin—the removal:
(i) is not for grafting; or
(ii) is for grafting without the consent of the person or persons; and
(d) the intent of the removal is non-therapeutic; and
(e) the removal is not carried out under conditions consistent with generally accepted medical standards and controls designed for the benefit of the person or persons and of the recipient; and
(f) the person or persons are in the power of, or are interned, detained or otherwise deprived of liberty by, an adverse party as a result of an international armed conflict; and
(g) the conduct takes place in the context of, and is associated with, an international armed conflict.

Penalty: Imprisonment for 25 years.

(2) In subsection (1):
consent means consent given voluntarily and without any coercion or inducement.


268.97 War crime—attack against works or installations containing dangerous forces resulting in excessive loss of life or injury to civilians

A person (the perpetrator) commits an offence if:
(a) the perpetrator launches an attack against works or installations containing dangerous forces; and
(b) the attack is such that it will cause loss of life, injury to civilians, or damage to civilian objects, to such an extent as to be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated; and
(c) the perpetrator knows that the attack will cause loss of life, injury to civilians, or damage to civilian objects, to such an extent; and
(d) the attack results in death or serious injury to body or health; and
(e) the perpetrator's conduct takes place in the context of, and is associated with, an international armed conflict.

Penalty: Imprisonment for life.


268.98 War crime—attacking undefended places or demilitarized zones

A person (the perpetrator) commits an offence if:
(a) the perpetrator attacks one or more towns, villages, dwellings, buildings or demilitarized zones; and
(b) the towns, villages, dwellings or buildings are open for unresisted occupation; and
(c) the attack results in death or serious injury to body or health; and
(d) the perpetrator's conduct takes place in the context of, and is associated with, an international armed conflict.

Penalty: Imprisonment for life.


268.99 War crime—unjustifiable delay in the repatriation of prisoners of war or civilians

(1) A person (the perpetrator) commits an offence if:
(a) one or more persons are in the power of, or are interned, detained or otherwise deprived of liberty by, an adverse party as a result of an international armed conflict; and
(b) the perpetrator unjustifiably delays the repatriation of the person or persons to the person's own country or the persons' own countries; and
(c) the delay is in violation of Part IV of the Third Geneva Convention or Chapter XII of Section IV of Part III of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years.

(2) Strict liability applies to paragraph (1)(c).


268.100 War crime—apartheid

A person (the perpetrator) commits an offence if:
(a) the perpetrator commits against one or more persons an act that is a proscribed inhumane act or is of a nature and gravity
similar to any proscribed inhumane act; and
(b) the perpetrator knows of, or is reckless at to, the factual circumstances that establish the character of the act; and
(c) the perpetrator's conduct is committed in the context of an institutionalised regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups; and
(d) the perpetrator intends to maintain the regime by the conduct; and
(e) the conduct takes place in the context of, and is associated with, an international armed conflict.

Penalty: Imprisonment for 17 years.


268.101 War crime—attacking protected objects

A person (the perpetrator) commits an offence if:
(a) the perpetrator directs an attack; and
(b) the object of the attack is any one or more of the following that are not used in support of the military effort and are not located in the immediate proximity of military objectives:
(i) clearly recognised historic monuments;
(ii) works of art;
(iii) places of worship; and
(c) the monuments, works of art and places of worship constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples and have been given special protection by special arrangement (for example, within the framework of a competent international organisation); and
(d) the perpetrator's conduct takes place in the context of, and is associated with, an international armed conflict.

Penalty: Imprisonment for 20 years.