Post–World War II Genocides

This table lists major post-1945 genocides with documented death estimates and substantial scholarly or legal recognition. Each entry includes the event name, time period, estimated death toll, principal victim groups, and a brief note on recognition status.

Event	Years	Estimated Deaths	Principal Victims & Notes
Bangladesh (1971)	1971	300,000–1,500,000	Bengali civilians targeted during Pakistan’s military crackdown. Estimates vary; recognition debated but widely discussed.
Cambodia (Khmer Rouge)	1975–1979	1,200,000–2,000,000	Urban dwellers, minorities, and political opponents. ECCC convicted leaders for genocide and crimes against humanity.
Rwanda	1994	~500,000–1,000,000	Tutsi and moderate Hutus killed in 100 days. ICTR issued genocide convictions; widely recognized.
Bosnia (Srebrenica)	1992–1995	~80,000–200,000 overall; ~8,000 at Srebrenica	Bosniak Muslims. ICTY and ICJ ruled Srebrenica as genocide; broader war crimes documented.
Anfal Campaign (Iraq)	1987–1989	50,000–182,000	Kurdish civilians. Chemical attacks and mass killings; recognized as genocide by several courts.
Darfur (Sudan)	2003–present	~200,000–400,000+	Non-Arab groups targeted. ICC indictments; some states affirm genocide, others cite crimes against humanity.
Rohingya (Myanmar)	2016–2017 onward	Thousands killed; 600,000–800,000 displaced	Mass killings and displacement. UN and several governments declared genocide; ICJ investigation ongoing.
ISIS vs Yazidis	2014 onward	Thousands killed; thousands abducted	Executions, sexual enslavement, forced conversions. Recognized as genocide by UN and national parliaments.
Indonesia (1965–66)	1965–1966	300,000–500,000	Communists and ethnic Chinese. No tribunal convictions; classification debated; documented by Amnesty and truth commissions.
Guatemala (Maya genocide)	1978–1983	~100,000–200,000	Mayan civilians. National and Inter-American courts recognized genocidal intent; supported by UN-backed reports.
East Timor	1975–1999	~100,000–200,000	Massacres and famine during Indonesian occupation. UN and Timorese commissions documented atrocities; genocide label debated.
North Korea	1990s onward	Hundreds of thousands to >1,000,000 (famine); tens of thousands in camps	Deaths from famine and prison camps. UN COI reports document abuses; some scholars argue for genocide classification.

Sources & Recognition

• International Criminal Tribunals (ICTR, ICTY)
• Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC)
• UN Fact-Finding Missions and Commissions of Inquiry
• National courts and truth commissions (Guatemala, East Timor, Indonesia)
• Genocide Watch, Rummel’s Democide database, Harff’s Political Mass Murder dataset