crime against humanity
noun phrase
: atrocity (such as extermination or enslavement) that is directed especially against an entire population or part of a population on specious grounds and without regard to individual guilt or responsibility even on such grounds
Examples of crime against humanity in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What the law says: Trump’s Gaza proposal would be a clear violation of international humanitarian law, a war crime and a crime against humanity, experts say.
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Natasha Frost, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
If the Palestinian people were ever somehow forcibly expelled from Gaza, this crime against humanity would spark widespread conflict, put the final nail in the coffin of international law, and destroy what remains of our nation's international image and standing.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
More fully understanding the people who dare to enslave another human being could give law enforcement worldwide a better shot at stopping this crime against humanity.
—Monti Datta, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025
The killing of thousands of suspects during the crackdown is being investigated by the International Criminal Court as a possible crime against humanity.
—Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
Human Rights Watch has called their expulsion a crime against humanity.
—Lorraine Mallinder, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2024
The persecution of women and girls constitutes a crime against humanity—one of the most serious categories of crimes, along with genocide and war crimes.
—Binaifer Nowrojee, TIME, 15 Aug. 2024
These crimes included persecution on the grounds of gender — a crime against humanity — which intersected with discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and religion, the report said.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
For Israelis, this same date will be that of a heinous Palestinian crime against humanity that summoned from the collective Jewish subconscious images of Jew-slaughter through the ages, culminating in the Holocaust.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
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Natasha Frost, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
If the Palestinian people were ever somehow forcibly expelled from Gaza, this crime against humanity would spark widespread conflict, put the final nail in the coffin of international law, and destroy what remains of our nation's international image and standing.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
More fully understanding the people who dare to enslave another human being could give law enforcement worldwide a better shot at stopping this crime against humanity.
—Monti Datta, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025
The killing of thousands of suspects during the crackdown is being investigated by the International Criminal Court as a possible crime against humanity.
—Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
Human Rights Watch has called their expulsion a crime against humanity.
—Lorraine Mallinder, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2024
The persecution of women and girls constitutes a crime against humanity—one of the most serious categories of crimes, along with genocide and war crimes.
—Binaifer Nowrojee, TIME, 15 Aug. 2024
These crimes included persecution on the grounds of gender — a crime against humanity — which intersected with discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and religion, the report said.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
For Israelis, this same date will be that of a heinous Palestinian crime against humanity that summoned from the collective Jewish subconscious images of Jew-slaughter through the ages, culminating in the Holocaust.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Crime against humanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crime%20against%20humanity. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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