Amidst times of utter terr*r, the laws of warfare governing the conduct and obligations of warring parties are often forsaken. Transgressions of these principles encompass acts as egregious as the execut!on of prisoners or civilians, as well as the h*rrors of r*pe, t*rture, and human experimentation. In the list that follows, we delve into the lives of influential, albeit often infamous, figures – frequently from history – whose m*nstrous crimes against humanity inexorably led to their own demise. And if not that, they often vanished or chose to take their own lives…
While some of these names might not be immediately recognizable, their malevolent deeds have indelibly marked the annals of history. Noteworthy is the deliberate omission of figures like Stalin and Hitler, for their transgressions far transcend the categorization of mere war crimes. It is crucial to underline that the individuals to be discussed here should never be celebrated, admired, or held up as role models; thus, this list is presented without any hierarchy.
Here, we delve into the stories of the 20 Most Notorious War Cr!minals and Their Unforgivable Crimes.
20. Carmen Mory
Carmen Mory, originally from Switzerland, moved to Berlin in 1933 and later became a Gestapo agent. In 1940, her capture followed a failed assass!nation attempt on a newspaper editor in France. Initially sentenced to death, Mory was pardoned under the condition of spying for the French. However, suspicions arose, leading to her arrest by the Gestapo as a double agent. Transferred to Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, she assumed the role of a Blockova, wielding authority over her block and engaging in a brut*l life of torture and m*rder.
Beyond daily beatings and administering deadly injections, Mory’s cruel pleasure involved dousing prisoners with buckets of ice water in the “lunatic room.” Despite liberation after the war, Allied authorities re-arrested her upon discovering her heinous cr!mes. Found guilty of torture and m*rder, she evaded execution by taking her own life with a razor on April 9, 1947, just a week before her scheduled hang!ng.
19. Flicien Kabuga
Kabuga stands as the orchestrator of the 1994 Rwandan genoc!de, where government forces and Hutu militias ruthlessly sla*ghtered half a million people. As the chairman and co-founder of FDN (Fonds de Défense Nationale), Kabuga utilized his organization to supply machetes and weapons to government forces during the horr!fying massacre.
Despite his seemingly generous contributions to Rwanda’s radio station, which fueled v!olence and hatred against the Tutsi population, Kabuga’s support extended even after the genoc!de to v!olent Hutu militias and the Congo-based Interahamwe militiamen. Captured in Paris in 2020 after two decades on the run, Kabuga played a significant role in a genoc!de that claimed over 800,000 lives, predominantly Tutsis. For a glimpse into the atroci!ies of those 100 days of terror, we highly recommend watching Hotel Rwanda. He is currently 88 and will most likely die in police custody or prison due to his age.
18. Anwar Raslan
In a pivotal war cr!mes conviction of our time, Anwar Raslan, a former Syrian intelligence official, was sentenced to life in prison in Germany in January 2022 for his br*tal actions during the Syrian civil war. Ironically seeking refuge in Germany after fleeing Syria, Raslan faced justice through the application of “universal jurisdiction,” a legal principle permitting the prosecution of crimes in a country where they weren’t committed. The court listened to harrowing accounts from survivors and witnesses detailing nightmarish experiences at Raslan’s detention center, recounting beatings with cables and metal pipes, overcrowded cells, r*pe, torture, and m*rder.
17. Aribert Heim
Also known as Dr. Death and the Butcher of Mauthausen, Heim conducted horr!fic experiments on concentration camp prisoners, including organ rem*val without anesthesia to gauge pa!n tolerance. At Mauthausen, he gained notoriety for injecting victims’ hearts with gasoline, water, or poison, timing their deaths with a stopwatch when he grew “bored.”
Captured by the US military in 1946, Heim was held for only two years before being released without charges. Despite working as a physician in Germany until 1962, impending prosecution rumors led him to flee to South America. Reportedly dying in Cairo in 1992 under an assumed identity, skepticism remains about his continued evasion of justice. Although Heim’s body was never found, evidence provided by his lawyer and son suggests his demise.
16. Barzan Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti
Barzan Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, Saddam Hussein’s half-brother and head of the secret police, engaged in br*tal and oppressive actions against the Barzani tribe in 1983. Employing systematic t*rture methods, including r*pe, he targeted ethnic and religious minorities. Known for his feroc!ty, he ruthlessly purged disloyal members from the Iraqi military. Sentenced to death by gallows on January 15, 2007, a miscalculation by the hangman resulted in a surreal scene as the trapdoor opened, separating Ibrahim’s head from his body.
The mishandled execution stirred controversy, with Sunni Arab followers claiming deliberate decap!tation as an act of vengeance and insult to the Sunni Muslim world. Despite this, not everyone lamented the hanging error. Some residents across the country viewed it as a divine punishment for Ibrahim’s crimes, a fitting retribution for the suffering he had inflicted.
15. Alfried Krupp
Alfried Krupp, the offspring of steel magnate Gustav Krupp, managed the Krupp factory during World War II, supplying German troops with tanks, guns, and munitions. Appointed chief of the Mining and Armaments Department in 1943, Krupp ruthlessly sought slave labor, collaborating with the SS to acquire workers from Auschwitz. Around 100,000 slave laborers from concentration camps toiled in his factories, with roughly 70% succumbing to harsh conditions and v!olence from SS guards.
In a 1948 American court trial, Krupp was sentenced to 12 years in prison and had his assets confiscated. Despite this, High Commissioner John J. McCloy granted him a pardon in 1951, reinstating his possessions. Resuming leadership in 1953, Alfried steered the company back to its former glory until his death in 1967, marking the conclusion of the Krupp family’s leadership over the company.
14. Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić, the army chief under Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, played a pivotal role in what he termed the “ethnic cleansing” of Croats and Muslims from the region, resulting in the tragic loss of thousands of Bosnian lives through fires, torture, r*pes, and public behe*dings. In 1995, he faced charges of genoc!de before the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague (Netherlands).
Despite being an elusive figure, Mladić successfully evaded capture and remained a fugitive for nearly sixteen years. However, in 2011, his luck ran out, and he was discovered hiding in one of his family’s houses, leading to his arrest. Transported to The Hague, he received a life sentence for his active involvement in cr!mes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes committed during the Bosnian conflict.
13. Irma Grese
Irma Grese’s name is forever linked to cr!me and suffering, as she emerged as one of the most ruthless Nazi guards during World War II. Known as “the Hyena of Auschwitz,” Grese ascended swiftly to the position of senior SS supervisor, unleashing her lethal cruelty upon prisoners. Particularly sadistic, she targeted women with br*tal bre*st hits, kicked prisoners with hobnailed jackboots, and had her dog ruthlessly att*ck the sick and defenseless. Fuelled by jealousy and spite, Grese deliberately selected beautiful female inmates for the gas chamber, and shockingly, she r*ped numerous prisoners, even preserving three dead prisoners’ skin as macabre trophies.
Captured by the British in spring 1945, Grese faced several war crime charges, all of which she vehemently denied. Found guilty based on the testimonies of surviving victims and witnesses, she was sentenced to death. Notably, she became the youngest woman ever hanged under British law on December 13, 1945, at the age of 22.
12. Slobodan Milosevic
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic became the first sitting head of state to face war cr!mes charges in 1999, but his trial in The Hague did not commence until 2002, well after his regime had ended. Milosevic was implicated in some of Europe’s most egregious atroc!ties since World War II, stemming from conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Croatia. The extensive evidence presented during the prosecution’s two-year case included allegations that Milosevic orchestrated sweeping ethnic cleansing and br*tal mass m*rders. This encompassed the trag!c Srebrenica massacre in July 1995, where Bosnian Serb forces massacred over 8,000 Bosnian Musl!ms.
A lawyer by profession, Milosevic chose to argue his own case, dismissing the proceedings as a farce and asserting that he should be “credited for peace, not war.” Unfortunately, the dramatic courtroom spectacle did not lead to justice being served. Milosevic was found dead in his cell in 2006, mere months before his anticipated verdict, succumbing to a longstanding heart condition.
11. Joseph Kony
Evil manifested in Joseph Kony’s actions is profoundly disturbing. Establishing the LRA rebel group in northern Uganda in 1987, Kony and his fighters sought refuge in politically unstable regions after being expelled by the Ugandan military. Operating under the name “Tongo-Tongo,” their infamy arose from the appalling abduction of children, forcibly conscripting them into armed activities, and subjecting girls to s*xual slavery and ab*se.
UN data reveals that the LRA is directly responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 people in central Africa, having k!dnapped between 60,000 and 100,000 children while displacing millions of Ugandans. In 2005, the International Cr!minal Court issued an arrest warrant for Kony, compelling him to go into hiding. Former child soldiers have reported that he is still alive and concealed in Darfur.
10. Friedrich Flick
Friedrich Flick, a prominent German industrialist, rose to the directorship of United Steelworks, Germany’s largest steel company, by the 1930s. A staunch supporter of the Nazi Party, Flick not only donated seven million marks but also supplied 10,000 marks annually to the SS. Exploiting SS slave labor during WWII, he accumulated wealth at the cost of severe treatment, resulting in the death of 80% of his 48,000 slaves (equivalent to 38,400 lives lost).
Convicted in Nuremberg before an American court, Flick received a relatively modest seven-year sentence. High Commissioner John J. McCloy’s desire to revive German steel manufacturing led to Flick’s release, akin to Alfried Krupp, in 1951. Subsequently reported as Germany’s wealthiest man and the world’s sixth wealthiest, Flick passed away in 1972 without ever compensating the families of the deceased slaves, leaving an immense fortune behind.
9. Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžić, a former Bosnian Serb politician, faced justice in 2016, found guilty of war cr!mes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed during the Bosnian war. Evading capture from 1996 to 2008, he assumed a false identity as a new-age expert in alternative health care, specializing in treatment for s*xual disorders and ailments. Conducting lectures in plain sight and even launching his own website, he managed to stay hidden for years. Despite posing as a Croatian healer selling ointments to avoid arrest in Austria, Karadžić was eventually apprehended in Belgrade in 2008 when authorities unveiled his true identity. He is now serving a life sentence in prison.
8. Adolf Eichman
Eichmann, often termed “the architect of the Holocaust,” demonstrated organizational prowess in orchestrating the systematic deportation of Jews to designated ghettos and death camps. Under the guidance of Reinhard Heydrich, one of history’s darkest figures, Eichmann, regarded as an organizational genius, extensively studied Jewish culture, even learning Hebrew, to coerce Jews into relinquishing their homes and assets for life in the ghettos. Post-war, he continued his sinister activities with Hungarian Jews, but the intervention of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg’s rescue efforts prevented an even higher number of Holocaust victims.
As the war concluded, Eichmann fled Germany through a ratline to South America, later apprehended by the Mossad in Argentina. Following a highly publicized trial, he was deported to Israel and met his end by hanging in 1962.
7. Omar Hassan al-Bashir
Omar al-Bashir, a brigadier general who seized power in a military coup in 1989, governed Sudan for three decades. His rule came to an end on April 11, 2019, when Bashir was deposed in a military coup and subsequently arrested. Conv!cted of corruption-related charges in December 2019, he received a two-year sentence in a “reform center” due to his advanced age. Concurrently, he faced charges related to inciting and complicity in the m*rders of demonstrators during rallies against his leadership earlier that year.
Furthermore, Bashir was accused of three distinct and separate genoc!de charges, along with involvement in the 1989 coup that brought him to power. His trial commenced in July 2020, leading to his imprisonment. The Darfur conflict in 2003 resulted in the deaths of between 300,000 and 400,000 people, with many subjected to torture by Sudanese government militias, s*xual assault, and decapitation. Additionally, over 4 million people were forcibly displaced from their homes.
6. Paul Touvier
Paul Touvier, known as the “Hangman of Lyon,” stood as the sole Frenchman charged with war cr!mes from World War II. Fearing the specter of death, Touvier evaded authorities, leading a fugitive life where he sustained himself by selling bootleg chocolate to confectionery stores. This continued until the statute of limitations on his heinous cr!mes expired, prompting a pardon from France’s President Georges Pompidou.
However, his transgressions caught up with him again when he was found amassing stolen Jewish property in 1971, reigniting charges of cr!mes against humanity. Suspected of being protected at a priory, Touvier was uncovered through wiretapping by French Colonel Jean-Louis Recordon and his squad, leading to his discovery in 1989, hiding in a monastery disguised as a priest. Convicted for his role in the Holocaust, Touvier received judgment on April 20, 1994, in Versailles, France. He passed away in prison in 1996 at the age of 81.
5. Ali Hassan al-Majid
Ali Hassan al-Majid, widely known as “Chemical Ali,” bore unsettling parallels with Heinrich Himmler as he frequently ordered lethal gas attacks on hundreds of thousands of innocent people without remorse for the resulting fatalities. Serving as a military commander under Saddam Hussein, his cousin, Al-Majid surpassed the Iraqi d!ctator in cruelty and brutal!ty. Following the invasion of Iraq, U.S. soldiers arrested him, leading to his 2006 trial in Baghdad for cr!mes against humanity and genocide.
Upon conviction, Al-Majid received a death sentence by hanging, facing additional death sentences for various atrocities, notably the horr!fic gas attack on the Kurdish city of Halabja, claiming nearly 5,000 lives. The suffering endured by his victims is too distressing to detail, but witnesses vividly recounted graphic h*rrors, including entire families perishing in the streets. “Chemical Ali” met his end by hanging in January 2010.
4. Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, earned infamy as one of the world’s worst war cr!minals for his involvement in the Sierra Leone civil war. Exploiting tribal differences in Liberia, Taylor oversaw a horr!fically br*tal seven-year civil war that claimed the lives of up to two hundred thousand civilians. Many perished due to Taylor’s use of ch!ld soldiers, and he faced charges including terror!sm, r*pe, and m*rder. Indicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, he sought refuge in Nigeria.
Evading capture for three years, Taylor earned a spot on Interpol’s Most Wanted list, with the United States Congress offering a $2 million reward for his capture. In 2006, Nigeria announced plans to hand him over to the Liberian government. Authorities apprehended him as he attempted to cross the border from Nigeria in a Range Rover with Nigerian diplomatic plates, carrying substantial sums of cash and hero!n. Currently serving a 50-year sentence, Taylor remains incarcerated.
3. Kurt Blome
Kurt Blome, as the Nazi biological warfare program director, played a sinister role in overseeing and participating in experiments on thousands of POWs. He subjected his v!ctims to afflictions such as plague, anthrax, typhoid, and cholera to assess the efficacy of potential vaccinations. Additionally, Blome conducted experiments on the impact of chemical aerosols on captives in Auschwitz and other concentration camps. He collaborated directly with Japanese scientists in Unit 731 on chemical and biological warfare research.
Post-WWII, the Americans recruited Blome to contribute to their biological and chemical warfare program. Although arrested by the US Army in May 1945 and accused, he was acquitted in Nuremberg due to US involvement under Operation Paperclip. Remaining in West Germany, he continued to be employed by the US and passed away from natural causes in 1969.
2. Josef Mengele
Mengele gained notoriety as one of the SS physicians overseeing the selection of arriving prisoner transports, determining who would face execution and who would become forced laborers. Dubbed the “Angel of Death,” Mengele conducted horr!fying human experiments on camp inmates, committing numerous heinous crimes.
In one instance, upon discovering lice infestation in a hospital block, Mengele callously gassed all 750 women assigned to it. His time at Auschwitz was marked by relentless studies into heredity, involving inhumane experiments on prisoners, with a particular focus on identical twins. Mengele’s cruel experiments ranged from attempting to alter eye color through chemical injections to numerous limb amputations and other br*tal surgeries. Despite being sought as a Nazi war cr!minal, he survived the war, escaping to South America and evading capture for the remainder of his life.
1. Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein, a name universally recognized today, is synonymous with the atroc!ties of his rule in Iraq. His career, marked by exile, arrest, and imprisonment, culminated in his ascent to the presidency in July 1979 after serving as Vice President in 1968. Ruling with an iron fist, Saddam relied on fear and t*rror, typical of a true d!ctator, to maintain power, showing little tolerance for second chances.
Under Saddam’s monstrous regime, at least 250,000 Iraqis lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands more perished in Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. His ill-fated decision to order the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 triggered the Persian Gulf War. In March 2003, the U.S. launched an attack on Iraq. Although Saddam escaped Baghdad during the conflict, he was eventually discovered hiding in a tunnel near Tikrit. Convicted and sentenced to death for his crimes, Saddam Hussein met his end by hanging on December 30, 2006.