It's a Landmark Trial on the Use of Starvation as a Weapon of War. It's Also Not What You Think.

"For decades, the principle has existed only on paper. Since 1977, the Geneva Conventions have classified the deprivation of food as a prosecutable war crime-yet no court has ever tested that rule. Now, for the first time, judges, prosecutors, and witnesses will attempt to define what it means to starve a population on purpose. The witnesses, as well as the victims, are Palestinians."

"In Koblenz, prosecutors have charged five men linked to the Assad regime-four members of a pro-government militia and one Syrian intelligence officer. Four face counts of torture and murder. One faces an additional charge, the unprecedented allegation of having ordered starvation as a weapon. A conviction would do more than punish individuals. It would define the crime itself. To understand the stakes, the court will revisit one of the most harrowing chapters of the Syrian civil war: the siege of Yarmouk."

A courtroom in Koblenz, Germany is conducting the first-ever war crimes trial focused on deliberate starvation of civilians, testing a provision of the 1977 Geneva Conventions. The case centers on five men linked to the Assad regime, including militia members and a Syrian intelligence officer, with charges ranging from torture and murder to the unprecedented allegation of ordering starvation as a weapon. Palestinian witnesses and victims figure prominently. The trial follows renewed global attention after 2024 International Criminal Court warrants regarding starvation allegations in Gaza and will revisit the siege of Yarmouk to define the crime and its legal contours.

Read at Slate Magazine