ABSTRACT
Public recognition of matters such as torture and war crime has increased in recent years, by virtue of education and the wider availability of information particularly communicated by social media. The current legal basis for and the means by which international crimes can be investigated and prosecuted are reviewed and summarised. Emphasis is placed upon the need for forensic & legal medicine practitioners to understand the background to their role, and the wide range of scenarios when their expertise in documenting and interpretation may be required in the context of the deceased and living complainants of such crimes or human rights abuses.
