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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ | War Crimes News Questions About Courts, Evidence and Coverage

A lot of confusion around accountability reporting comes from missing definitions, mixed institutions, and headlines without procedure. The FAQ keeps the basics clear.

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Common questions about war crimes, courts, and legal terms

Common questions

What is the difference between an allegation and a charge?

An allegation is a claim or reported suspicion. A charge is a formal legal step brought by a competent authority or court after a specific procedural threshold is met.

Does every serious incident go to the ICC?

No. National systems, universal-jurisdiction cases, commissions of inquiry, and other forums may handle accountability work before, alongside, or instead of ICC action.

Why do these cases take so long?

Investigations often cross borders, depend on witness safety, require translation, and move through multiple institutions before they ever reach a courtroom.

How should readers use the glossary and compare pages?

Use them whenever legal terms or institutions start to blur together. They are built to keep definitions plain and distinctions easy to reuse.

What does a subscription unlock?

Membership improves archive access, newsletters, tracker views, and research workflows so readers can revisit context more easily.

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Use the support or contact routes when you need help with subscriptions, source paths, or a clarification on how a page is organized.

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