Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. It is an international crime
Killing members of the group
Causing serious harm to members of the group
Creating conditions that lead to the physical destruction of the group
Preventing births within the group
Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was established in 1948.

Analyzing the Armenian Massacres of World War I 

Origin of the Term Genocide

The word “genocide” did not exist prior to World War II. It is a specific term coined in 1942 by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin (1900–1959) and first used in print in his 1944 book, Axis Rule in Occupied Europe.

Genocide as an International Crime

After the Holocaust, the word “genocide” was established as a legal term for a specifically defined international crime.