Genocide
Geno race of people/cide murder – The deliberate, systematic, government sponsored annihilation of a people – The term was first coined by Raphael Lemkin at the Nuremberg Trials following WWII
Genocide is the destruction of a people, either in whole or in part.
Genocide has occurred throughout human history, even during prehistoric times. The Political Instability Task Force estimated that 43 genocides occurred between 1956 and 2016, resulting in about 50 million deaths. The UNHCR estimated that a further 50 million had been displaced by such episodes of violence up to 2008.
In 1948, the United Nations Genocide Convention defined genocide as any of five "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group"; this definition emphasizes intent and excludes cultural genocide as well as crimes targeting political and social groups. Raphael Lemkin's original definition of genocide was broader; he focused on genocide as the "destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups", including actions that led to the "disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups".
The colloquial understanding of genocide is heavily influenced by the Holocaust as its archetype and is conceived as innocent victims targeted for their ethnic identity rather than for any political reason. Genocide is widely considered to be the epitome of human evil and often referred to as the "crime of crimes", consequently, events are often denounced as genocide.
