Under the 1948 Genocide Convention and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine, all states are legally and morally obligated to intervene and take appropriate measures to prevent and punish genocide whenever there is credible evidence that such atrocities are being committed, regardless of where they occur.

Leaders who fail to prevent or punish genocide may face individual criminal liability. The Genocide Convention (Article IV) states that individuals, including heads of state, can be prosecuted for genocide, complicity, or failure to act. This can occur through domestic courts (if the state has incorporated the Convention into its laws, as required by Article V) or international tribunals like the ICC.