
THE HAGUE—In an effort to crack down on the systematic killing of entire races and ethnic groups, International Criminal Court officials introduced a new “three strikes” policy Monday that mandates harsher punishments for offenders receiving their third genocide conviction. “You get three chances, and that’s it,” said ICC president Sang-Hyun Song, a judge with a reputation for being tough on genocide. “It doesn’t matter if you’re slaughtering rival clans en masse, gassing your own people, or gunning down all males over the age of 15 in front of their families and neighbors. If it’s your third time, we’re throwing the book at you.” According to the ICC, three-time perpetrators of genocide will face stiff fines and have to issue formal public apologies, pending appeals.