The Criminalization of the Use of Biological and Chemical Weapons

Although international conventions prohibit the use in war of asphyxiating and poisonous gases or analogous materials and ban bacteriological methods of warfare States often used biological (bacteriological) and chemical weapons in international and internal conflicts. the international practice and jurisprudence affirm that the use of BW or CW in international and non-international armed conflicts is a crime under international law, and that individuals deploying CW and BW may be held accountable for war crimes. The same cannot be affirmed for their ancillary activities, unless they imply accomplice liability for the production and/or supply of these weapons.