[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1348 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1348

     To amend title 18, United States Code, relating to war crimes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 16, 1997

  Mr. Jones introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

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                                 A BILL


 
     To amend title 18, United States Code, relating to war crimes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Expanded War Crimes Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF WAR CRIMES.

    Section 2441 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``grave breach of the 
        Geneva Conventions'' and inserting ``war crime'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``breach'' each place it 
        appears and inserting ``war crime'';
            (3) so that subsection (c) reads as follows:
    ``(c) Definition.--As used in this section--
            ``(1) the term `war crime' means any conduct--
                    ``(A) defined as a grave breach in any of the 
                international conventions signed at Geneva 12 August 
                1949, or any protocol to such convention to which the 
                United States is a party;
                    ``(B) prohibited by Articles 23, 25, 17, or 28 of 
                the Annex to the Hague Convention IV, Respecting the 
                Laws and Customs of War on Land, signed 18 October 
                1907;
                    ``(C) which constitutes a violation of common 
                Article 3 of the international conventions signed at 
                Geneva 12 August 1949, or any protocol to such 
                convention to which the United States is a party and 
                which deals with non-international armed conflict; or
                    ``(D) of a person who, in relation to an armed 
                conflict and contrary to the provisions of the Protocol 
                on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, 
                Booby-Traps and Other Devices as amended at Geneva on 3 
                May 1996 (Protocol II as amended on 3 May 1996), when 
                the United States is a party to such Protocol, 
                willfully kills or causes serious injury to 
                civilians.''.
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