Ethnic cleansing refers to a policy of forcibly relocating an entire ethnic group from a certain geographic area. This practice, which is conducted on a discriminatory basis and which in times of armed conflict violates an array of individual as well as collective civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, can be considered as a form of genocide or crimes against humanity. In addition, it can be a violation of international humanitarian law and invoke individual criminal responsibility (Humanitarian Law, International).
While the use of forcible population transfers has been common practice throughout history, it was not until the end of the 20th century that the term ethnic cleansing was coined to describe certain policies or practices which were conducted in this context. This was largely due to the rise of powerful nation-states fueled by nationalist and pseudoscientific racist ideologies, the emergence of the Cold War, and developments in the field of advanced communications technology.
Despite remaining ambiguities on the scope of the concept and in particular the actus rei, ethnic cleansing is generally understood as a forcible relocation or expulsion of members of an ethnic or religious group from their traditional areas. The range of violent and terror-inspiring techniques that may be employed to achieve this objective is vast and defies exhaustive circumscription. These include killings (Criminal Act, Genocide), torture or ill treatment (Torture, Prohibition of), arbitrary arrest and detention (Detention, Arbitrary), forced homogenization or assimilation (Assimilation, Forced); rationing of access to education, housing, work, food, medicine or other essential services; and political violence in the form of pogroms.
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