ON EVE OF 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS, RENEWED DEMAND FOR ENFORCEMENT, ACCOUNTABILITY.
New Guide Released on War Crimes

(Note to editors and producers: to interview CRIMES OF WAR editors and contributors, call 202 885 2051.)

Washington DC, August 12 -- Fifty years ago on August 12, all the major governments agreed on new laws of war built on the lessons of the Holocaust and World War II. The resulting four Geneva Conventions are the principle statement of what is legal, and what is criminal, behavior in war. Though these laws are often flouted, now more than ever they are the basis for justice and accountability for war crimes sought by the international community.

Now there is a simplified guide to war crimes based on the Geneva Conventions. CRIMES OF WAR: What the Public Should Know (W.W. Norton, 1999), co-edited by Roy Gutman (Newsday) and David Rieff (essayist), is an A-to-Z guide for journalists and the general public on the laws of war and what constitutes a war crime. With the indictment of Slobodan Milosevic, the arrest of Augusto Pinochet, NATO's intervention in Kosovo, and the establishment of two United Nations war crimes tribunals, the book is both a timely and useful reference guide.

"The laws of war belong to everyone," write editors Roy Gutman and David Rieff, "They are among the great achievements of civilization, and in this era of uncertainty and disorder, more relevant than ever. Just as war is too important to be left to the generals, war coverage is too important to be left uncritically to the news media."

With over 140 articles authored by 90 renowned journalists, legal scholars, and military law experts, CRIMES OF WAR: What the Public Should Know is a compendium of the laws of war (known as international humanitarian law) and details a compelling portrait of modern war. The goal of the book is to provide a framework for understanding the excesses of modern wars as not simply horrific tragedies, but as crimes according to an internationally ratified legal code.

Contributors to the book include CNN's Christiane Amanpour on paramilitaries in Bosnia, Roger Cohen on ethnic cleansing, Cherif Bassiouni on crimes against humanity, and Elizabeth Neuffer on mass graves. Justice Richard Goldstone of South Africa, the first prosecutor at the International Tribunals on the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and Lawrence Weschler of The New Yorker provide a historical overview.

Illustrating the book's message are over one hundred photographs by leading international photojournalists such as Gilles Peress, Sebastiao Salgado, Annie Leibovitz, and James Nachtwey. A special feature takes a new look at nine recent conflicts in light of international humanitarian law, including Jonathan Randall on the Iran-Iraq war, Mark Huband on Rwanda and Sydney Schanberg on Cambodia .

CRIMES OF WAR: What the Public Should Know is the centerpiece of the Crimes of War Education Project. For more information visit the web site www.crimesofwar.org or call (202) 885-2051.

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