The Geneva Convention and the Hague Conventions

Geneva convention prohibited certain ways of warfare. But it did not include any punishment, in case you did not comply with them. That was the fundamental weakness of the geneva convention. It describes very clearly that i am not allowed to torture a prisoner of war. But it doesn't tell any one what happens if i do. This question of accountability and punishment for war crimes began to be addressed after the first world war. The treaty of versailles included a clause that allowed for germany's leader, the kaiser, to face charges before an international court. He emigrated to the netherlands, which were not part to this treaty. So he couldn't be brought to trial