Which GoT character would most likely be prosecuted for war crimes?
The answer may surprise you!
Game of Thrones has never been known for playing it safe. Most episodes see some really brutal violence inflicted on its characters and every character at one point or another has had to make ethically tricky decisions: from the strategic deployment of dragon fire to the treatment of captured soldiers.
Tyrion’s got a lot to ponder if he’s going to help The Mother of Dragons take back Westeros.
So we thought we’d help our GoT peeps out of this ethical quagmire by giving them a little instructional advice using the Geneva Conventions, the rulebook on war.
We’re sure Cersei would have thought twice about blowing up the Great Sept of Baelor had she been aware of these laws of war…maybe. Ok probably not.
Jaime kills Aerys Targaryen — use of explosive weapons in urban areas
The Mad King was mad for his wildfire that’s for sure. Planning to “burn them in their homes, burn them in their beds” as Jamie so eloquently puts it is definitely a no-go under the Geneva Conventions.
The use of explosive weapons in urban areas is indiscriminate and prohibited under international humanitarian law (IHL). That’s especially important when the incidental loss of civilian lives exceeds the direct military advantage. If Aerys had survived Jaime, he’d be hauled before the International Criminal Court, quick smart.
Battle of the Blackwater — use of explosive weapons on enemy combatants
Look, you probably think Tyrion is awesome. But the use of wildfire on his enemies is problematic.
The laws of war restrict the means and methods of warfare that inflict superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering to combatants.
It is possible that wildfire could be viewed as an incendiary weapon (like napalm), which must not be used against combatants unless it is not feasible to use a less harmful weapon to remove those combatants from the conflict.
Daenerys ambushes the Lannister army — Dragon fire on soldiers potentially okay; burning food for civilians, nope.
Ok, so we were all super excited to see this battle FINALLY happen and even though the Geneva Conventions doesn’t include “unleashing a dragon on non-combatants” it does say something about the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects.
The laws of war protect civilians from the effects of armed conflict under the principle of distinction, wherein parties to a conflict must at all times distinguish between civilian objects and military objectives.
So using her dragon to blow up all those wagons of food and supplies on their way to civilians? NOT OKAY, DANY.
Battle of the Bastards — treatment of captured enemy combatants (i.e. letting them get eaten by dogs)
It may sound crazy but… Sansa had a duty of care to Ramsay Bolton once he was in that dungeon. It’s easy to treat people properly if they are ‘nice’. But IHL is all about having minimum standards of treatment for everyone, regardless of who they are and what they might have done.
Combatants who have fallen into the hands of an adversary in international armed conflicts are entitled to prisoner-of-war treatment. The laws of war prohibit any unlawful act that causes death or physical mutilation (i.e. being fed to one’s own dogs).
In situations of non-international armed conflict, which this scenario probably is, combatants captured by an adverse party will not be identified as POWs, but there are similar protections afforded to them.
Lyanna Mormont shuts Robett Glover down — use of child soldiers
Ok, we get it. Everyone loves Lyanna Mormont, and why wouldn’t they? She is a strong female character and we can never have too much of that! But FYI, she legit can’t volunteer children to fight in a war, OK?
IHL grants special protection to children because they are particularly vulnerable in war. Above all, IHL aims to prevent children from participating in hostilities. Under the Geneva Conventions a child is defined as a person that has not attained the age of 15 years.
The Red Wedding — just…bad. Like wow.
The Freys, they were all like “Hey Starks come to this awesome wedding, let’s all get boozed together and have a great time!” When in actual fact they were planning to massacre them all. Under the Geneva Conventions, they’d be done for perfidy (ie they’ve committed a war crime).
They represented themselves as civilians when they were actually combatants, thus tricking the Starks into believing that they were not participating in hostilities when in fact they were minutes away from massacring them all.
So who would be the most likely GoT character to be prosecuted for war crimes?
We’re afraid it’s everyone’s fave, Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons.
And we know what you’re thinking, “Seriously!?!? Cersei blew up the Great Sept of Baelor!! She killed hundreds of innocent people. SHE KILLED QUEEN MARGAERY AND SHE WAS VERY ATTRACTIVE AND NICE AND LOVELY!!”
But… as this was technically an act of terrorism it’s not a violation of the laws of war (obviously it’s a violation of other laws) so for now Cersei does not top our list of potential war criminals.
But seriously, the amount of Dragon fire Dany uses to smite civilians and civilians’ objects — not awesome.
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