Where a government or group of people have severely violated human rights, where there has been genocide for example, the international community does have some power to prosecute violators. (“Genocide” happens when someone tries to destroy a particular group of people because of their national, ethnic, racial or religious heritage.) Following the genocides in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the UN set up the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and for Rwanda (ICTR). These courts prosecute the key people involved in the genocides in those countries. The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutes very serious offences but is not specific to a certain area. It is independent from the UN.
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