Comparing war crimes and crimes against humanity - Essay Example

One is the most commonly heard crime such as crime against humanity/genocide and the other, the least expected crime by least expected individuals such as rape as perpetuated by US soldiers in Iraq. United S tates and its military is known worldwide to be a global policeman and prides itself as a dispenser of justice. It is often called to end injustices around the world from Egypt to Syria of which she responds (most of the time) to the point of meddling of domestic affairs to which she is often criticized.

Thus, the idea that she herself and some of her soldiers are guilty of war crime and committed injustice is unthinkable. Such, the US case, particulary the Mahmudiyah Killings would make a good discussion about war crime, that anyone could be guilty to it without exception even a superpower like United States. The crime became sensational that it became the basis of the fictional dramatization of the film Redacted (2007) directed by Brian De Palma. The Mahmudiyah Killings involved the rape and murder of a 14 year old young girl Abeer Qasim Hamza by 5 soldiers of 502nd Infantry Regiment in a town of Al-Mahmudiyan in Iraq.

 The perpetrators were SGT Paul E. Cortez, (II) SPC James P. Barker, (III) PFC Jesse V. Spielman, (IV) PFC Brian L. Howard and (V) PFC Steven D. Green. The family’s girl were also murdered that includes her mother, Fakhriyah Taha Muhsin, 34; father, Qasim Hamza Raheem, 45; and six-year-old sister Hadeel Qasim Hamza. The girl had attracted the unwanted attention of the US soldiers who were manning a checkpoint in their village and told her mother that the soldiers were making advances towards her until it consummated to rape and murder of the girl and her whole family (Knickmeyer, 2006).

Despite initial cover-ups, Steven Green et al., were convicted of rape and murder which are also considered as war crimes. “War crime” under the US law of which the five soldiers was convicted is