The War Crimes Act of 1996 was passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The law applies if either the victim or the perpetrator is a national of the United States or a member of the U.S. armed forces. The penalty may be life imprisonment or death. The death penalty is only invoked if the conduct resulted in the death of one or more victims.

The law defines a war crime as a violation or grave breach of any of the Geneva Conventions or the Hague Conventions of 1907.

External link:US Code, Part I, Title 18, Chapter 118, section 2441