Under international criminal law, destruction and appropriation of property is a war crime.
The crime has the following elements:
- Extensive destruction or appropriation of property;
- that was not justified by military necessity;
- that was extensive and carried out wantonly;
- of property that was protected under the Geneva Conventions of 1949;
- the conduct was associated with an international armed conflict.
[Last updated in August of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]