Words have
meaning.
Terms like genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity carry specific definitions in international law. This dictionary seeks to remember, reclaim, and renew those meanings — and documents how each term has been systemically hijacked, redefined, inverted, and weaponized to malign certain countries while harming real victims.
What is a hijacked term?
A hijacked term is a word with a precise meaning in law or history that has been stripped of that meaning and repurposed as a political weapon. When the threshold a term requires is ignored, the accusation becomes rhetoric — and the real victims the term was created to protect are erased.
Definition
The meaning grounded in international law, conventions, and/or history.
Hijacking
Documented instances where organizations and officials applied the term without meeting its legal or historic threshold.
The Dictionary
Search by term, by the organization that misused it, or by the country it was aimed at. Each entry pairs the legal definition with a documented account of its distortion.
9 terms in the dictionary
Apartheid
Pursuant to Article II of the 1973 United Nations International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, the crime of apartheid is defined…
Colonialism
Colonialism does not have a singular legally binding definition, however, General Assembly resolution 1514, which states that colonization is “The subjection of peoples to alien…
Crimes Against Humanity
Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, adopted in 1998, states: For the purpose of this Statute, “crime against humanity” means any of the following…
Ethnic Cleansing
To date, ethnic cleansing has not been recognized as a separate crime under international law and falls under the categories of “crimes against humanity” and/or “war crime.” The…
Famine
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, famine (IPC Phase 5) is defined as:“A situation in which widespread starvation and destitution, acute malnutrition,…
Genocide
According to Article II of the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, genocide is: “Any of the following acts committed…
The IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism…
Rape
The First Geneva Convention (1949) provides a legal duty to protect civilians against rape during conflict. Article 27 of the Geneva Convention states:“Women shall be especially…
War Crimes
Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, adopted in 1997, is the most comprehensive codification of war crimes in international law. It states: “2. For…
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Hostage
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Indigenous
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Occupation
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Refugees
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Sovereignty
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Zionism
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