The conflict in Syria has seen atrocities committed by all sides for six long years. Barbarities are an everyday occurrence.
There are rules governing the conduct of warring parties. The 1949 Geneva Conventions form the core of international humanitarian law. Violating these rules is a war crime. Some atrocities go even beyond this level of criminality. Genocide, for instance, is an international crime in itself, while the systematic killing of political opposition would constitute a crime against humanity.
The existence of these offences counts