Introduction

The word genocide, which is derived from Greek, means the destruction of a race or tribe. Although genocide has been with us since time immemorial, and is even mentioned in the Bible, it was coined in 1944. In 1946 genocide was affirmed by the United Nations as a crime under international law. Two years later the U.N. held a convention on the prevention of, and punishment for, genocide. In 1951 it was promulgated as a crime (Mant, 1978).