The International War Crimes Agreement

[Maelstrom Vortex]

Maelstrom stood before a press conference at his hotel in Sri Lanka, behind a podium.
 

 
"My people, it is rare that I speak to you directly, let alone the world at large, but today I have envisioned something new that requires the world's attention. I have had a vision of a way forward that I believe most of the world can get behind and embrace. This great world, shaped by its many dreamers, has often been fought over for land and territory when the real challenge is not how much land you can hold.. or how far you can spread your dreams over its surface, but the quality of the dream they are allowed to live in. Building, not destroying and collaboration, not coercion.. those are the true challenges of this existence. For out of the chaos we call forth order, we shape a world and its boundaries. We define it and we give it life. White space yields to abundant color and life shaped by the greater thought we dream together. In the spirit of that, I have forged this treaty in the words of this world to start as the first step. Dreams should not be destroyed in mass. It is uncreative, destructive, to easily done, and hopes to easily dashed. I hereby give definition to war crimes and what their penalty shall be should the perpetrators fall into the hands of Druk Yul. I welcome the world, its dreamers, and its heads of state to join with me in its signing and put an incredibly destructive era behind us."
 

The International War Crimes Agreement

In the spirit of reducing calamity throughout the earth caused by the acts of all intelligent beings the signatories of this treaty hereby proclaim the following.

A war crime is defined as an act of cruelty and destruction perpetuated via

A. The use of the following weapons in an act of aggression and first use during warfare:

1. A nuclear device, based on fission or fusion nuclear process regardless of yields, regardless of fallout levels, and regardless of the target upon which it is released.

2. A biochemical device, based on any pathogen or chemical agent which spreads indiscriminately and can jeopardize civilian populations.

B. The following class of weapons are unacceptable for use at any time:

1. Sexual aggression, including the use of rape, pedophilia, or sexual slavery as a weapon.

2. An eugenics device which uses DNA or organic identifiers to specifically target any group of beings.

3. A nanotechnology device which spreads indiscriminately and can threaten civilian populations.

4. An environmental device, including living organisms, which is designed to negatively impact the natural environment of the world on a long term basis or which has the potential to spread indiscriminately. This includes the introduction of pests into non-native areas for which they have no known predator.

5. An environmental weapon which focuses on a natural process, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, or asteroid bombardment. The Earth and the Solar System are our homes, not weapons of war.

C. The following acts shall also be considered war crimes in all circumstances:

1. Genocide, in an attempt to eradicate a given population regardless as to the nature of its constituents.

2. Murdering or mistreating prisoners of war or civilian internees.

3. Forcing protected persons (civilians and humanitarian workers) to serve in the forces of a hostile power.

4. Killing hostages.

5. Killing or punishing spies or other persons convicted of war crimes without a fair trial.

6. Wantonly destroying cities, towns, villages, or any object not warranted by military necessity.

D. The penalty for a war crime shall be as follows:

1. Death by electrocution, firing squad, lethal injection, or hanging where resources are available. The criminal may choose their form of punishment from available procedures. In the event of a failed execution lethal force shall be applied until brain functions terminate.

All war criminals are to be afforded a trial by a panel of representatives of the signatory nations. Guilty verdicts must be 2/3rds majority. In the event insufficient signatories are able to be obtained to get a 2/3rds majority a trail may not be held and captured war criminals may only be held until such a majority is obtained.

This treaty is subject to revision my simple majority vote of existing signatories. In the event of a tie, the revision is rejected. The treaty may be acceded or receded to/from by any national institution at their whim. The consequences of such a decision are upon them.

Signatories,

Maelstrom Vortex,
Dreamer of Druk Yu

Prime Minister Degrasse,
Landfall

Emperor Jesse,
Shanghai

Edited September 3, 2014 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Hereno]

[Private]

"Any attempt by Druk Yul or any future signatories of this document to pursue Saxon citizens for crimes committed outside the jurisdiction of their respective nations, without Saxon government support, will not be looked upon kindly by the government of Saxony. We do not recognize this document as binding on us or any of our citizens and we do not recognize as legitimate any court or any of its decisions meant to enforce this document upon citizens or governments of non-signatory nations."

-Foreign Ministry of Saxony Edited September 2, 2014 by Hereno

[Maelstrom Vortex]

"Noted, but it does raise my curiosity as to why Saxony finds such strong objection." Maelstrom responded by private letter to Saxoy.

[Maelstrom Vortex]

"I wanted to make one last appeal to Saxony's reason. If you have concern for the wording of the treaty, please bring it up to me and I'll make revisions. If you have fear about the treaty being manipulated, then join it and help ensure it is not." - Private letter from Maelstrom.

[Captain Enema]

"The government of Landfall has met, debated, and concluded that civilized nations require guidelines in how to properly comport themselves. While we have reservations regarding this document, it seems to be an excellent start and will sign it."

 

 

- Prime Minister Degrasse

[Evangeline Anovilis]

"Romania, like Saxony, refuses to sign this document and will not accept any country trying to infringe upon our jurisdiction."
-Maria I de România

[Uberstein]

"Surely you could just dream the crimes away. We will not be signing any document founded by the, to put it simply, insane leadership of Tibet. Any attempt to violate our sovereignty will be met with force." -President Verdoorn

[Markus Wilding]

Any attempts to bring a Wehrmacht soldier or officer to trial under these ridiculous definitions will be met with equal force.

 

- Wehrmacht spokesperson

[JEDCJT]

"Russia will not sign this document, and will not accept any outside attempt to impose their provisions upon us."

[Triyun]

Britain objects to this agreement due to the following issues.

 

1)  It permits the development of biological weapons.  We believe there should be an outright ban.

 

2)  "6. Wantonly destroying cities, towns, villages, or any object not warranted by military necessity."  How can this be included but still permit the use of nuclear weapons and bio-chemical weapons in second use.  Beyond that who will determine this.  Many poor generals think it necessary to protect a monarchs hold on power, but think it totally unjustified when taking live fire from the city.  

 

We remain very suspicious and need firmer language.

[Maelstrom Vortex]

"Britain is welcome to join the treaty and assist in updating and modifying its language and work as a partner in the fulfilllment of its objectives. I did not write this as an intended final work." Maelstrom would note.

Edited September 2, 2014 by Maelstrom Vortex

[Voodoo Nova]

"Novak cannot support this document, as written, and will not be held responsible for any actions taken as a result of its attempted enforcement on any Novaki citizen."

[Centurius]

"The Kingdom of Carthage, while in support of the principles behind this document, will not sign the agreement as our own domestic laws already enforce stricter rules of war"

[Euphaia]

Hungary-Slovakia will not sign, nor allow its soldiers or officials to be arrested or tried under this document.

[jesbro]

"At first I failed to see why so many have a problem with this document but as I thought about it, it ended up becoming more clear. Should citizens from any nations try to carry out mass genocides or other heinous war crimes like that than should they not be punished? If a citizen from another nation should try anything like what was stated in the document than I agree that they should be punished by the nation they have harmed with or without the help of the nation they were supposedly a citizen of. About a month ago or so a terrorist launched a biochemical attack on a park here in Shanghai and when we do find the one responsible I can assure you that fair and swift justice will be brought upon him no matter what nation he was supposedly from because when they decide to do something like that it pretty much voids any citizenship to a nation he may have had before."

 

"The reason they dont want to sign is because if the perpetrator in the attack was from their nation they don't want to be held responsible for him because they might have had something to do with the attack! In the end though it doesn't really matter because the way I see it if we find out the attack was sanctioned by another government than it wont really matter what you think about the document and what it says because whoever is responsible will get their fair and swift justice either way."

 

/Signed

Emperor Jesse of Shanghai

Edited September 3, 2014 by jesbro

[Zoot Zoot]

Sparta will not recognise this document, though supports the principles it was written with. We, likewise Carthage have, and enforce, stricter rules of war.

[Maelstrom Vortex]

"We appreciate those who have, and enforce, stricter rules of war. We encourage you to consider joining this treaty to help strengthen it as you see appropriate if you should change your mind in the future. With three signatories, the treaty has sufficient member body to function and has been entered into the Druk Yul national archive."

[Imperator Azenquor]

[i]“The government of Zapadnaya applauds the intent behind the proposal of the International War Crimes Agreement however we will not be a signatory to the aforementioned agreement at this time. Our decision not to sign the pact is based upon the following:

 

-In section D of the proposed agreement all accused war criminals are afforded trials by representatives of the signatory nations and require simply a 2/3 majority guilty verdict. This pact seems to place no standards on the quality, experience or impartiality of the representatives and may result in ‘majoritarianism’ trumping impartiality, justice and the rule of law.

 

-The pact does not seem to include adequate safeguards to protect against political manipulation of the signatories’ tribunal, or explanations of any checks or balances to the authority that the pact seeks to absorb unto itself.

 

-We express concern that the pact does not rule out attempting to claim jurisdiction over the civilian citizens and military personnel of states which are not signatory to the agreement even in such cases where the individuals are not on the territory or within the individual jurisdiction of any of the signatories of the pact.

 

-Upon review of our own judicial processes, particularly relating to war crimes and the punishment thereof, it is the position of the government of Zapadnaya that our judicial system is capable of handling the arrest, investigation, trial and conviction of war criminals who fall under our jurisdiction.

 

Therefore, in light of the above, we will continue the use of our pre-existing judicial processes and will not recognize the jurisdiction of any panel composed of signatories of the International War Crimes Agreement over any citizen of Zapadnaya.”[/i]-Justice Minister Selena Staneva

 

[Maelstrom Vortex]

"I appreciate Zapadnaya's description as to what they perceive to be flaws in the treaty. I was wondering if you could gives suggestions on how the existing language might be modified to address the listed concerns. Typically I do not write treaty law myself, I leave that to Druk Yul's Foreign Affairs Legal bureaucrats and the parliament. However, when I see there is something within the world, a root of darkness that needs addressed.. sometimes I take the steps necessary to ensure it is addressed. I suppose I could ask them myself, but in the interests of making this more of a multilateral and international effort, I would rather hear the suggestions from foreign perspectives." Maelstrom would reply by private letter.

[Justinian the Mighty]

Our government will use every necessary weapon of war to find and destroy the scourge that calls itself the White Army, including some of the measures this treaty deems improper. We will reciprocate every injustice the tsarist regime has used against the proletariat in Russia. Do what you want in your own countries, but we will not allow ourselves to be subjugated by capitalist fat cats and bourgeois imperialist. We hope that other nations recognize that the sovereignty of our land is supreme and we will not respond well to foreign intrusion.

[rok]

While the Antarctic Federation agrees with this treaty in banning the use of nuclear weapons on Earth and biological weapons, we will not sign. Our officers will do whatever necessary to defend our nation should it ever be threatened, even if deemed immoral by the rest of the world.

Should adjustments to the treaty be made, we would reconsider signing.