Last Updated on September 30, 2025 by Karl Thompson
State crime refers to illegal or harmful acts committed by governments or their agencies. Unlike ordinary crime, state crime involves abuses of power by those responsible for upholding the law — which makes it especially difficult to define, investigate and prosecute.
This post provides a series of state crime examples from around the world, including genocide, war crimes, torture, corruption and green crimes. Classic cases such as the Holocaust, Rwanda and Bosnia are compared with more recent conflicts such as Israel/Gaza and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Together, these examples illustrate how state crimes continue to shape global politics and human rights.
Before reading this post, you might like to read these two posts:
Studying State Crime is an explicit requirement for students studying A-level Sociology, as part of the compulsory Crime and Deviance Module.
Below I have highlighted five countries who are responsible for some of the worst state crimes in recent years….
I’ve tried to select examples of mainly developed countries committing state crimes, to demonstrate that it’s not all impoverished, war torn countries or ‘rogue states’ who are state-criminal actors.
It is, however, important to realise that I have been selective (so there is some selection bias here and these examples will lack representativeness) but I think it has to be this way to make this topic manageable. I have included links below where you can search for further examples of State Crimes.
Key Types and Examples of State Crime
- Genocide – Rwanda 1994, Holocaust.
- War Crimes – Bosnia (Srebrenica), Iraq War abuses.
- Torture/Illegal Punishment – Abu Ghraib, CIA “black sites.”
- Corruption/State Collusion – Watergate, Latin American dictatorships.
- Green State Crimes – Chernobyl cover-up, deforestation sanctioned by governments.
Countries Committing State Crimes in 2020-2025
Three prominent examples of governments committing crimes against humanity since 2020 include:
- Israel – is accused by the United Nations of committing genocide in Gaza
- Russia – the invasion of Ukraine
- China – the cultural genocide against the Uyghers.
- The Taliban’s increasing oppression of women.
Israel / Gaza (2023–2025)
Israel has been committing crimes against Palestinians in the occupied territories for several decades now – there are presently almost 7 million Palestinian victims of Israeli apartheid policies which forbids Palestinians from having equal access to regions across Israel. This 2021 report from Human Rights watch explores this. A more accessible report might be this one from Amnesty international .
A September 2025 United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israeli authorities are committing genocide in Gaza, meeting four of the five acts defined under the Genocide Convention (UN Report; AP News).
- Killing members of the group and causing serious harm.
- Imposing destructive living conditions, blocking aid, restricting health services.
- Preventing births and family life through displacement and attacks on infrastructure.
- Senior leaders accused of incitement consistent with genocidal intent.
Israel strongly rejects the findings as biased. The report has no direct legal force but fuels international calls for accountability.
NB it is also important to note that we are only talking about the State of Israel here, as with any other country, there are plenty of Israeli people who are against what the State is doing.
Russia’s Crimes Against Humanity
Russia’s War in Ukraine (2022–2025)
The International Criminal Court is currently investigating Russia for potential crimes against humanity committed during its invasion of Ukraine. Russia is under investigation for the following crimes:
- Targeting civilians with missile and drone strikes on homes, hospitals, and energy infrastructure.
- Torture and extrajudicial killings of detainees and civilians in occupied areas.
- Forcible deportation of Ukrainian children for “re-education” in Russia or occupied territories.
- Occupation practices (blackouts, destruction of services) creating unliveable conditions.
These actions have been described as war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, but prosecution is politically challenging.
China’s Genocide Against the Uyghurs
The Human Right’s Watch Report 2021 report summarises a nearly 10 year history of human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese State. The Uyghurs live in Xinjiang province in the far North East of China, a relatively remote and underdeveloped region of China.
In 2014 the Chinese government commenced a “Strike Hard Campaign against Violent Terrorism” in the Xinjiang region has since involved pressuring Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims to abandon Islam and their culture.
Two examples of Chinese state crimes include:
- Since 2014 over one million ethnic minorities have been forcibly detained and subject to ‘re-education’ sometimes involved torture.
- The populations of the region are also subject to mass surveillance and there are reports of women having been forcibly sterilised.
These actions by the Chinese state are possibly characterised as a cultural genocide and are ongoing today.
The Chinese State has a history of violating human rights. For example the crushing of Hong Kong’s freedoms, ongoing repression in Tibet and Inner Mongolia, and the crackdown on independent voices throughout the country more generally.
The Taliban in Afghanistan
According to Human Rights Watch since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan they have:
- forced women to wear headscalves in public
- Banned girls from secondary education
- Banned women from working and public office.
- Imposed mass censorchip on the media, undermining freedom of speach
- Murdered or disappeared numerous political opponents.
The United States and Israel as State Criminals
Historically, there’s only one real contender for the the worst state criminal in all of all of human history – the USA.
Despite the United States outing Russia as a perpetrator of State Crime in Ukraine, according to Noam Chomsky, the United States, along with Israel, are the two worst terrorist organisations/ rogue states of modern times, even if in the last couple of years their crimes against humanity may have been out of the spotlight!
The Crimes of the United States of America
Below is a useful summary video which takes a trip through some of the War Crimes committed by the United States of America since the end of World War Two.
Syria and Turkey
War Crimes are still being committed by Syria and Turkey in Syria – including the arbitrary killing of civilians, forced detention, which can lead to the death penalty, looting of property and displacement of peoples – there are now 6 million refugees from the region.
Interestingly the report also labels neighbouring countries as committing crimes by blocking access to these refugees!
War Crimes in War Torn Countries (Special Note)
NB – you will find plenty of examples of many state crimes in war torn countries such as Yemen for example, but it seemed a little bit too easy to focus on those, I’m trying to be critical here!
Comparison of State Crime Examples
The case studies above show the variety of ways in which states can commit crimes — from mass killings to corruption and environmental destruction. The table below summarises and compares these examples side by side, highlighting their type, scale, impact and key controversies.
| Case / Conflict | Type of State Crime | Key Actions | Victims / Impact | Notes / Controversies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holocaust (1941–45) | Genocide | Systematic extermination via camps, shootings, forced labour | ~6 million Jews + Roma, disabled, political opponents | Classic example of state-organised genocide |
| Rwanda (1994) | Genocide | Mass killings organised by state and militias | ~800,000 Tutsis & moderate Hutus in 100 days | Shows speed and intensity of genocide |
| Bosnia (Srebrenica 1995) | Genocide / War Crime | Massacre despite UN safe zone | ~8,000 Bosniak men and boys | Later ruled genocide by ICC/ICTY |
| Iraq War (2003–04) | War Crime | Abuse and torture of detainees at Abu Ghraib | Iraqi prisoners | Highlighted US hypocrisy re: human rights |
| CIA “Black Sites” (2000s) | Torture / Human Rights Abuse | Secret prisons, waterboarding, sensory deprivation | Terror suspects in US custody | Justified as “counter-terrorism,” condemned globally |
| Chernobyl (1986) | Green State Crime | Nuclear accident, state cover-up & misinformation | Thousands exposed to radiation; environmental damage | Example of state denial and concealment |
| Israel / Gaza (2023–25) | Genocide (alleged) | Bombing, restrictions on aid, destruction of civilian life | Tens of thousands of Palestinians | UN report (2025) accuses Israel; Israel disputes findings |
| Russia / Ukraine (2022–25) | War Crimes / Crimes Against Humanity | Attacks on civilians, deportation of children, torture | Thousands of Ukrainian civilians, children displaced | Widely documented; political barriers to prosecution |
Why State Crimes Are Difficult to Define and Prosecute
- Control of legal systems – States define the law, so acts may be legal domestically but criminal internationally.
- Power and sovereignty – Powerful states can resist investigation or ignore international rulings.
- Intent and evidence – Genocide requires proving intent to destroy a group, which is hard to establish.
- Political disputes – Whether actions count as “state crime” often depends on international politics (e.g. Israel, Russia, US).
- Weak enforcement – The International Criminal Court has limited reach and depends on state cooperation.
Three organisations which monitor state crimes:
- Amnesty International has a useful hub page here which will allow you to explore contemporary case studies of States involved in various crimes – such as disappearances, political violence, torture and states denying citizens freedom of expression.
- Human Rights Watch – monitors all sorts of State crimes – they cover some of the same ground as Amnesty but also focus more extensively on issues such as women’s’ rights, and reproductive rights and lots more. Their reports page is well worth a browse!
- Transparency International – monitors global political corruption – they’ve developed an index based on surveys which asks people questions such as ‘have you paid a bribe to access a public service in the last year’ – they rank countries according to how corrupt they are and do research into corruption in several countries.
- You might also be interested in this rare academic source – The State Crime Journal .
What is an example of state crime?
Examples of state crime include genocide (Rwanda 1994), war crimes (Srebrenica massacre), torture (CIA black sites), corruption (Watergate scandal), and green crimes (Chernobyl cover-up).
What is state crime in sociology?
In sociology, state crime refers to harmful or illegal acts committed by governments or state agencies. These include war crimes, genocide, human rights abuses, torture, and corruption.
Is Israel an example of state crime?
Some international organisations and NGOs argue that Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank constitute state crimes, including indiscriminate bombing and collective punishment. The Israeli government disputes this, illustrating the political difficulty of defining state crime.
Why are state crimes difficult to prosecute?
Because states control legal systems and often have international power, crimes by states are harder to investigate and prosecute than crimes committed by individuals.
Sources and Signposting
This material is mainly relevant to the Crime and Deviance module.
To return to the homepage – revisesociology.com
Image Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Xinjiang_in_China_%28de-facto%29.svg
