The principle of individual criminal responsibility is a cornerstone of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), ensuring that individuals, regardless of rank or position, can be held accountable for serious violations committed during armed conflicts. Under IHL, responsibility is personal, meaning that it cannot be transferred to a state, organization, or commander. This principle emerged prominently after World War II during the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, which established that individuals could not escape liability by claiming they were following orders or acting on behalf of a state. The application of this principle under IHL emphasizes that acts such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions are punishable at both national and international levels. Individual criminal responsibility under IHL is grounded on the notion that legal and moral accountability is inseparable from the act itself. It targets perpetrators who commit or order unlawful acts, including intentional attacks on civilians, torture, hostage-taking, unlawful deportations, and destruction of property not justified by military necessity. Both direct perpetrators and those in command positions who fail to prevent or punish such acts are liable. This is known as the doctrine of command responsibility, which holds superiors