History Main / FictionalGenevaConventions

[[quoteright:497:[[Series/DoctorWho https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shadow_proclamation_montage.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:497:The Shadow Proclamation; now with new aricles as the plot demands]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Briefly mentioned in ''Literature/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove''. During a cooking segment, Nyarko mentions the difficulties of acquiring an "ingredient" due to the "[[SpaceX Space Washington Treaty]]", then quickly realizes that [[SayingTooMuch she said too much]].

* The Vatican Treaty of ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion''. The most plot-important part of the rules set on it is that they disallow any country from having more than three active Evangelion Units at any single time, no matter how many they have available. In order to appease this treaty, Unit-02 is put in cryogenic suspension for part of the film, [[spoiler:making Asuka the pilot of Unit-03 instead of Toji]] and setting up a ChekhovsGun that is fired [[spoiler:when Mari decides to conduct a GrandTheftPrototype and use it to battle Zeruel.]] Furthermore, in the TimeSkip between the second and third movies, [[spoiler:Gendo Ikari decides he does not cares about the rules as he becomes the full BigBad ([[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt and it's not like there is any government left to stop him anyway]]) and mass-produces Evangelion MechaMooks by the literal hundreds.]]
* While not many details are provided regarding its specifics, it is mentioned on the backstory of ''Anime/MyOtome'' that the titular super-powered action girls are considered PersonOfMassDestruction material and that there's a law called SOLT (standing for "Strategic Otome Limitation Talks/Treaty--a clear stand-in for the real SALT) in place to prevent the kingdoms from proliferating with them.
* ''Anime/MacrossDelta'' mentions the Ormond Treaty, which seems to take the place of the Geneva Conventions in the New UN galactic society. While it does contain clauses regarding the humane treatment of prisoners of war, [[spoiler:much like the real Geneva Conventions, those rules do not apply to mercenaries, and the heroes ''are'' a mercenary organization, not part of the New UN's actual military. Things are even worse for Freyja, because, as a native of Windermere, she's technically guilty of treason]].

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''Film/MenInBlack3'', after Jay goes back to [=MIB=] headquarters, and demands to speak to Kay, to talk about their fight the night before, Agent O tells Jay that [[BigBad Boris the Animal,]] a [[PlanetLooters Boglodite]], killed Kay in 1969. When Kay mentions some weird symptoms he's experiencing, Agent O deduces that he's suffering from the effects of a messed up TemporalParadox, and reveals that soon after it was invented, the [=MIB=] Organization successfully lobbied for TimeTravel to be made illegal all over the universe, citing the possibility that someone might use it to [[ResetButton change history for their own needs.]] In the case of Boris, [[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight prevent Kay from activating an anti-Boglodite defense network by killing him,]] and [[AlienInvasion paving the way for an invasion of Earth.]]

* Averted in ''Literature/AnOutcastInAnotherWorld''. Rob notes that no analogue to the Geneva Convention exists in Elatra...which is part of the problem.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** The [[http://dresdenfiles.wikia.com/wiki/Unseelie_Accords Unseelie Accords]] regulate the relations between various magical factions of the world, including duels and armed conflicts. Many of the rules are different than many of those above; for example, faeries CannotTellALie (although they can [[MetaphoricallyTrue bend the truth by allowing you to come to your own conclusions]]), [[MustBeInvited the threshold]] and the laws of SacredHospitality are ''very'' sacred, and especially, no fighting may be done on neutral territory.
** The series also has the [[http://dresdenfiles.wikia.com/wiki/Laws_of_Magic Seven Laws of Magic]] which forbid things like killing, necromancy, mind-control, time-travel, transformation of others, etc. These seem to both ''bind'' solely human magic-users (a supernatural entity turning a human into a dog would not count as a violation as such, for example -- neither would the White Council immediately send its Wardens after that being the way they would try to punish a human perpetrator nor would the entity likely suffer noticeable corruption in the way that humans using "black magic" are prone to) and ''protect'' mainly human targets; a human wizard who'd get into trouble over killing another human being with magic awfully fast can still [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman blast nonhuman "monsters" to ashes to their heart's content]], for example. They're also open to occasional more subtle forms of LoopholeAbuse.

* Creator/OrsonScottCard's ''Literature/EndersGame'':
** During the wars between the Buggers and humanity, the Buggers had never attacked a human planetary population, and the humans reciprocated by never attacking a Bugger-occupied planet. During the last battle between the Bugger and human fleets over the Bugger home planet, Ender [[spoiler:breaks the (unspoken) rule by using the Little Doctor device to destroy the planet (and kill all of the Bugger Queens), thus ending the war]].
** This is only in the first novel. In other novels, this is {{retcon}}ned into China getting hit by the Buggers hard during the First Invasion. Originally, it was claimed that nukes were used. However, in the [[Literature/FormicWars prequel novels]], it's established that they were using poison gas to attempt to terraform large parts of China, treating humans as nothing more than dangerous animals.
* The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' universe has the three Unforgivable Curses (a [[MindControl mind-control spell]], a [[AgonyBeam spell that does nothing but inflict excruciating pain of the target]], and [[BloodlessCarnage a spell that instantly kills the target without leaving any scars]]). Using any one of these spells against a human being, even once, merits a life sentence in [[HellHolePrison Azkaban]]. [[spoiler:Once the Ministry of Magic that normally enforces these laws is taken over by the series villains, all three curses enter mainstream use for hero and villain alike.]]
* Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''[[Literature/NightWatchSeries Night Watch]]'' books have the Grand Treaty, which is meant to enforce the balance between Light and Dark, as the last time Great Light and Dark Others went at each other they nearly destroyed the world. Only the most basic spells are allowed to be used on a daily basis. Attempts to use higher-order spells, such as healing a human with cancer would result in the other side receiving permission for an equivalent spell (e.g. cursing someone with cancer) to keep the balance. Many young Light Others are disillusioned with this neutrality. The Light Others have organizations in major cities around the world called Night Watches (i.e. they watch those who mainly act at night), while the Dark Others have created the Day Watches (to keep an eye on the Light Others). There is also a third power called the Inquisition, usually involved in only the biggest issues involving the violation of the Treaty. The Inquisition is composed of Light and Dark Others who get sick of the constant {{Xanatos Gambit}}s done by both sides and say ScrewThisImOuttaHere. Maintaining the balance is even more important in modern times, as this also keeps up TheMasquerade. Not even the Others can survive if the {{Muggle}}s find out the truth and decide to destroy them.
* ''Literature/StarCarrier'': Terran Confederation law bans the use of both {{antimatter}} and nanotechnology as weapons. [[spoiler:Confederate forces violate ''both'' bans in ''Deep Space'' when attacking the United States of North America at the start of [[WorldWarWhatever World War VI]].]]
* ''Literature/HellsGate'': The Union of Arcana has the Kerrelian Accords, which much like the Geneva convention has rules for the treatment of prisoners of war. The commander of the Arcanan forces has reason to order his forces to disregard them. The Sharonans come to think this is standard policy. Especially troubling is the tactical necessity for Arcanans to execute all telepathic 'Voices' they can find, even civilians.
* The "rules of war" in the ''Literature/AlexisCarew'' series are laid down by the Abbentheren Accords and observed to the letter, lest the other guy not do so next time the tables are reversed. If you strike your colors, you are considered to have surrendered and may not resume combat (nor can you [[ISurrenderSuckers resume combat or resist capture if you explicitly communicate your surrender]]), and if you give your parole to a captor you may not take part in any escape attempts (but you can be rescued). OrbitalBombardment is banned outright (the Accords having been adopted in the wake of the Republic of Hanover achieving its independence by [[ColonyDrop indiscriminately bombarding several planets with asteroids]]), and a capital offense for all involved. Alexis achieves some of her more improbable victories by [[LoopholeAbuse skirting the letter of the Accords]] but [[ExactWords not actually directly violating them]].[[note]]She once nearly gives an Army general a heart attack by flying ''below'' the level of atmosphere that the Accords define as "space" and firing broadsides at targets on the ground, essentially making her ship into a high-altitude bomber. The general nearly orders her shot, hoping that if he does they won't shoot him, too, before she points out the loophole.[[/note]]
* In the ''Literature/EarthCentAmbassador'' novels, the mercantilist and technologically superior Stryx outright ban interstellar warfare entirely, which leads to rival alien races within their borders treating the {{MMORPG}} ''Trader/Raider'' as an InternationalShowdownByProxy (which surprises the hell out of the human players, for who it really is just a video game).
* ''Literature/TheFourHorsemenUniverse'': {{Downplayed}}. There are rules of war in the setting which PrivateMilitaryContractors usually observe, but [[FictionalUnitedNations the Union]] that is supposed to enforce them is pretty weak. Some rules that have been established:
** Canavars, [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically engineered monsters]] that caused the collapse of TheFederation centuries ago, are banned. [[spoiler:TheConspiracy sics them on a rival alliance in ''Cartwright's Cavaliers''; the Cavaliers kill them and their creators but can't prove a connection between the two to get the Mercenary Guild's enforcement arm involved.]]
** Air-to-ground attacks are not allowed above an arbitrary ten miles above a planet surface. OrbitalBombardment is banned outright and is one of the few things that will guarantee Union retaliation if proven. [[spoiler:The Besquith are known to have used NeutronBomb airbursts to leave no witnesses, and are resistant to the fallout. Nigel finds some of their bombs aboard a ship stolen from Besquith mercs but there's no ironclad connection he can take to the Mercenary Guild.]]
** It's also mentioned that ArtificialIntelligence is illegal due to a law against wholly computer-controlled weapons. [[spoiler:The Winged Hussars' flagship ''Pegasus'' has a shipboard AI that predates their ownership.]]
* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' novel ''The Empire of Glass'' features the establishment of the Armageddon Convention, mentioned below. The Doctor was supposed to chair it, but due to the hoopla of the day, a 15th century Venetian Cardinal entered in his stead - and, thinking he had been summoned to mediate in a war in Heaven between different angelic factions, he arguably did as good a job as the Doctor himself.
* In ''Literature/TheLostFleet'', both sides of the war have pretty much forgotten such rules existed. The protagonist, having been [[HumanPopsicle frozen in stasis]] since the opening battle, remembers them very well and insists on those under his command following them. The full rules are never given, but they apparently include not murdering prisoners or indiscriminately bombarding civilians on planets. Soldiers disguising themselves as civilians are explicitly stated to be fair game, although the protagonist is of course far too noble to do anything other than let them go.

* ''Literature/WarriorCats'': It's considered very wrong to attack [[TheMedic medicine cats]] or [[ChildrenAreInnocent kits]]. These are effectively mortal sins, for which the offender is likely to end up in the Clans' version of Hell (and will probably not even get a funeral). Killing in battle is also (usually) frowned upon.[[note]]The goal is to send them home crying for their mamas, not to tear their throats out.[[/note]] Attacking elders is also usually ''verboten'', but as they are retired warriors, they may be combatants, especially during [[RapePillageAndBurn camp raids.]]
* ''Literature/SchooledInMagic'': The laws of war on the Nameless World are mentioned, in the context that most sides in the Zangarian civil war have abandoned them. King Randor is constantly murdering surrendered armies to the last, and even Alassa's forces refuse the parole of noble prisoners, [[spoiler: because Randor won't honor the parole and will force them to fight or die]].
* ''Literature/SuperMinion'' has a downplayed example with Hellion's Henchmen. HH minions' employment contract forbids actions that will encourage heroes to abandon nonlethal force, such as using superpowers to resist arrest if one isn't a properly marked [[EliteMooks bonehead]].
* ''Literature/APracticalGuideToEvil'': After witnessing [[spoiler:how Diabolist turned the city of Liesse into a magic weapon and killed and zombified all the civilian population]], one of VillainProtagonist Catherine's major goals becomes the establishment of the "Liesse Accords" - rules binding nations in warfare to forbid RapePillageAndBurn, most superweapons (especially the summoning of Angels and Demons) and a few other egregiously destructive acts. The Accords also put limits on other types of conflict, such as the use of devils, or heroes and villains indiscriminately attacking each other or controlling/assassinating heads of state.
* ''Literature/HowARealistHeroRebuiltTheKingdom'': The ''Declaration of Mankind's Common Front Against the Demon Race''--usually shortened to the "Mankind Declaration"--is a treaty backed by the powerful [[HegemonicEmpire Gran Chaos Empire]] in the west of the continent following the appearance of the Demon Lord's Domain, and is very important in the continent's geopolitics. The treaty essentially outlaws war among the nations of the southern half of the continent, so that "mankind"[[note]]not just humans but also the other StandardFantasyRaces that lived there[[/note]] can form TheAlliance against the demons: military conquest is outlawed, the rights of minorities are to be respected, and states far from the front lines are expected to support those directly threatened. Not every nation has signed it, however, notably the protagonists' own Kingdom of Elfrieden, which is very important to volumes 2 and 3: [[spoiler:through negotiation with Princess Jeanne of the Empire, Souma Kazuya is able to position Elfrieden as a [[EnemyMine non-signatory co-belligerent]], allowing him to adhere to the Declaration in spirit while preserving Elfrieden's independence and allowing him to continue building it into a competing superpower]].
* In the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series, bonded and licensed mercenary companies have to be in good standing with the Mercenaries Guild, which enforces a code like this (essentially: stick to the contract, follow orders, and don't loot, rape, or pillage). Most countries won't hire unbonded mercenaries. They also levy fines against employers which mistreat mercenaries.

* In ''Series/StargateSG1'', there is a treaty between the Goa'uld and Asgard protecting many planets from interference and invasion. However, it turns out that the Protected Planets Treaty is a giant bluff by the Asgard and still quite one-sided in favor of the Goa'uld. By their own admission, the Asgard would rather be rid of the Goa'uld entirely, but they're stretched so thin fighting the [[GreyGoo Replicators]] in their home galaxy that all they can afford to do is designate a few planets as off-limits while limiting the inhabitants' technological development to preindustrial levels. The Asgard ''do'' enforce the treaty if the Goa'uld attack a protected planet and the Asgard tech advantage is enough that most Goa'uld won't try their luck, but [[EvilerThanThou Anubis isn't most Goa'uld]].
* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S4E20Nightmare Nightmare]]", the Alpha Aquarii Convention governs warfare between different civilizations. It prohibits the torture of prisoners of war.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'' has the Imperial Rules of War, which are an unwritten guideline as to how Imperial vassals will settle difficulties between them. Basically they boil down to, "Have fun, boys, but don't make too much of a mess because The Emperor has means to punish you." "Too much of a mess" means no [[WeaponOfMassDestruction Weapons Of Mass Destruction]] on the ground, war crimes, or excessive death and destruction.

* ''VideoGame/OracleOfTao'' has a OneWorldOrder [[HypocriticalHumor running the world as an organized anarchy]], conducting trade and keeping peace. Building troops is illegal, as is invasion of countries, or even ruling more than one town (you cannot, for instance, have an empire). The purpose is to prevent expansion of lands or governments. In terms of rules of combat, it is unclear if there are any, but war ''itself'' is frowned upon since it is typically for the purpose of gaining land or control.
* ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'' uses this not just as a plot element, but as [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration an important game mechanic]]: The UN colonial charter prohibits the use of [=WMDs=], though it is possible for factions in-game to use chemical and biological weapons and [[FantasticNuke planet busters]]. Using the former will impose trade sanctions on the offending faction while the latter will cause every other faction, including allies, to declare Vendetta. The Charter also forbids [[ColdBloodedTorture nerve]] [[AgonyBeam stapling]] as a means of controlling civil disturbances; the punishment is 10 years of (enforced!) trade sanctions and possibly suspension from the Planetary Council, which can be devastating if you're running a wealth- or diplomacy-based strategy. Strangely, the Charter says nothing about [[{{Room 101}} Punishment Spheres]], which are a more intensive application of the same technology.
* By the time ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' takes place something called the "Reiko Accords" have been signed. Based on the context they were mentioned it sounds like they were the equivalent of non-aggression pacts between [=EarthRealm=] and other Realms, thus any Realm that signed the Accords agree not to invade [=EarthRealm.=]
* In ''VideoGame/SunsetOverImdahl'', Altering is forbidden. It later turns out Altering is [[spoiler: RealityWarper magic, specifically causing a StableTimeLoop]].

* The rules and customs of war in ''VideoGame/AceCombat'', like most things in Strangereal, are LikeRealityUnlessNoted. Consequently, ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'' goes in-depth on how modern technology like [[AttackDrone UCAVs]] and information control allow severe LoopholeAbuse. Erusea's initial offensive involves launching combat drones from shipping containers on merchant vessels - blatantly in violation of misuse of civilian disguises, but drones aren't people and can't be prosecuted. The boundaries of what's an acceptable FalseFlagOperation are being constantly pushed. At first good PR makes people ignore the implications of this, but as the war goes on and things start going pear-shaped some serious questions are asked over what should and shouldn't be acceptable even in war.
* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' allows the players to form the Galactic Community which are essentially this game's FictionalUnitedNations. The Galactic Community can pass resolutions, laws that apply advantages to the member nations, but at a cost. One set of Resolutions are the Rules of War. Rules of War tend to increase the morale of armies defending their worlds and reduce collateral damage to civilian populations from fighting, and allows wars to go on for longer, at the cost of banning [[WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide Purges]], [[EarthShatteringKaboom Weapons of]] [[DepopulationBomb mass destruction]], and increasing the upkeep cost of armies.

* The Vatican Treaty of ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion''. The most plot-important part of the rules set on it is that they disallow any country from having more than three active Evangelion Units at any single time, no matter how many they have available. In order to appease this treaty, Unit-02 is put in cryogenic suspension for part of the film, [[spoiler:making Asuka the pilot of Unit-03 instead of Toji]] and setting up a ChekhovsGun that is fired [[spoiler:when Mari decides to conduct a GrandTheftPrototype and use it to battle Zeruel.]]

* In ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'', it's explained that hyperspace ramming (known as the [[Film/TheLastJedi Holdo maneuver]] in the Sequel Trilogy) is basically seen as the mother of all war crimes, having been harshly outlawed by the galactic community (including the [[EvenEvilHasStandards Separatists, the Hutts, and even some of the ancient Sith]]) for thousands of years. This also serves to explain why we rarely see anyone in canon use this maneuver despite it's StoryBreakerPower potential.

* In ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs. Warhammer 40K]]'', it's explained that hyperspace ramming (known as the [[Film/TheLastJedi Holdo maneuver]] in the Sequel Trilogy) is basically seen as the mother of all war crimes, having been harshly outlawed by the galactic community (including the [[EvenEvilHasStandards Separatists, the Hutts, and even some of the ancient Sith]]) for thousands of years. This also serves to explain why we rarely see anyone in canon use this maneuver despite it seeming like such a StoryBreakerPower.

* In ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs. Warhammer 40K]]'', it's explained that hyperspace ramming (known as the [[Film/TheLastJedi Holdo maneuver]] in the Sequel Trilogy) is basically seen as the mother of all war crimes, having been harshly outlawed by the galactic community for thousands of years.

* In ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection'', the Second Khitomer Accords bans the use of Subspace Weapons - devices capable of creating very unpredictable {{Negative Space Wedgie}}s.