History Main / FictionalGenevaConventions

* In ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs. Warhammer 40K]]'', it's explained that hyperspace ramming (known as the 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.

*** Gundams in this continuity, which are mobile suits using a BrainComputerInterface, were banned in the prologue for the harm they do to their pilot. This was not from a treaty between nations, but Delling Rembram's unilateral and violently-enforced edict, but the law is still generally recognized and publicly enforced across all inhabited space.

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury'': It's mentioned that kinetic weapons in space are banned by a treaty, as it pollutes space; this is why [[WeWillUseLasersInTheFuture everyone uses beam weapons]]. The fact that all the Earthians use kinetic weapons also implies that lasers are more ''expensive'', prohibiting kinetic ammunition is yet another way to keep the (largely impoverished) Earthians down.

** Mass drivers (weapons that bombard planets with large objects such as asteroids) are forbidden by treaty. In the instance where they are used in the show, however, none of the other powers have the will to enforce this treaty. That said, it is seen as enough of an atrocity that the (ancient and powerful) Vorlon Empire, who typically take no interest whatsoever in the concerns of the younger races, files an official protest against the act, possibly their first participation in interstellar politics in the entire show. [[spoiler: This also acts as minor {{foreshadowing}} of their ''much'' more active foreign policy in the fourth season.]]

** In "Revenge of the Cybermen", the Doctor mentions that the planetbuster bombs the Cybermen are using are prohibited by the Armageddon Convention.

** {{Deconstructed}} and played for horror in the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E23ATasteOfArmageddon A Taste Of Armageddon]]"; On Eminiar VII, '''all''' weapons and tactics have been banned to preserve valuable infrastructure - everything is calculated via computers, and "fatalities" march voluntarily into [[DisintegrationChamber disintegration chambers]] like mindless conscripts to be killed painlessly as an alternative to real war - meaning the war has lasted '''''[[ForeverWar five hundred years]].''''' Faced with the prospect of having his entire crew killed (because the ''Enterprise'' has unwittingly (and quite unwillingly) become a "casualty" of this "conflict", same as another Federation ship before it) Kirk blows up the computers to force them to actually face the consequences of war, telling them it's up to them to make peace or suffer the brutality for real.
--->'''[[KirkSummation Captain James T. Kirk]]''': "Death, destruction, disease, horror. [[WarIsHell That's what war is all about]]. That's what makes it a thing to be avoided. You've made it neat and painless. So neat and painless, you've had no reason to stop it."
** The Treaty of Algeron in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', which defined the limits of the Romulan Neutral Zone (namely violating the Zone without adequate reason could start a war). It also prohibits the use of cloaking devices for the Federation. It proves a plot point in the episode "The Pegasus".\\
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By ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', the Romulans made an exception to the treaty, and loaned a cloaking device for Starfleet use, in exchange for intel on the Dominion.

** The Seldonis IV Convention, which is deals with the treatment of prisoners of war. [[spoiler: Because Starfleet disavows any knowledge of Picard's actions in one episode, the Cardassians decide that the Captain is not protected under this Convention. The resulting experience is a [[ColdBloodedTorture less than pleasant]].]]

** The ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Time and Again" mentions the Polaric Test Ban Treaty, which prohibits research into polaric ion energy by the Alpha and Beta Quadrant powers due to its destructive potential.
** On ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', 31st-century [[TimePolice Time Cop]] Daniels is involved with enforcing the Temporal Accords (possibly a descendant of the Federation's Temporal Prime Directive), which permits time travel solely for non-intrusive historical research and forbids interference with historical events. ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' then reveals that after the Temporal Wars, a new agreement outlawed and destroyed all time-travel technology.
* 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]].

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

* ''LightNovel/RecordOfGrancrestWar'': Weaponizing the miasma of Chaos is banned under the laws of war. In episode 9, Marrine Kreische does exactly this to produce a fantasy version of DeadlyGas while besieging the capital of Starck.
* ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'': [[LightEmUp Ginnungagap]] is the strongest known military-grade offensive spell in their world and is so powerful that it not only requires numerous high-level clerics to simultaneously cast the spell, it must be sanctioned and unanimously agreed upon, by the High Council, for use.

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury'': It's mentioned that kinetic weapons in space are banned by a treaty, as it pollutes space; this is why [[WeWillUseLasersInTheFuture everyone uses beam weapons]]. The fact that all the Earthians use kinetic weapons also implies that lasers are more ''expensive'', and it's yet another way to keep the Earthians down.

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury'': It's mentioned that kinetic weapons in space are banned by a treaty, as it pollutes space; this is why everyone uses beam weapons. The fact that all the Earthians use kinetic weapons also implies that lasers are more ''expensive'', and it's yet another way to keep the Earthians down.

* ''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.
** Note that the Charter can be repealed, but the bit about everyone declaring war on you if you nuke someone doesn't change.
** 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.

* No [[SyntheticPlague poisonous or biological weapons]] [[TyphoidMary or magic]].

* And [[PowerOfTheVoid no using nothingness]], [[RetGone especially not to erase people from existence]].
* No [[OrbitalBombardment orbital destruction]] [[KillSat technology]] or [[PillarOfLight spells]].

* No [[FateWorseThanDeath permanent curses]], [[TakenForGranite especially not petrification]] [[TouchOfDeath or soul-sucking]].

** The world runs off concrete PowerLevels, so the various factions have to put some rules in place to prevent the strongest [[SupernaturalMartialArts sacred artists]] from just slaughtering everyone else. If the higher level experts are of roughly equal number, they will either all sit out the fight equally or move the fight somewhere their weaker servants won't be collateral damage. A higher-level expert murdering a lower one can invite the enemy to do the same to you, and besides that killing someone weaker than you is considered dishonorable even in the AsskickingEqualsAuthority culture of Cradle. But on the other hand, if one side has a sufficient advantage in number of powerful experts, the other side will generally surrender without a fight; true open warfare is rare.

* The immortals of the ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'' franchise have rules against fighting each other on holy ground and using ranged weapons to incapacitate an opponent before closing in for the kill is considered "cheating".

* 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.]]

* ''LightNovel/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]].

* ''LightNovel/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.

* In ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' the backstory has one of these called the Ares Conventions, created by the Great Houses prior to the formation of the Star League. Said conventions were [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem rescinded just before the Star League's ruler declared the Reunification War]]. After the Star League collapsed and the ''tremendously'' destructive [[GreatOffscreenWar First and Second Succession Wars]] caused several planets to be literally bombed back to the stone age, parts of the Conventions were resurrected as the "honours of war" system. The honours are an informal set of rules created in a cynical version of MyGodWhatHaveIDone, involving more the loss of technology than any guilt over the warfare, and their rules include things like no nukes in atmosphere, no orbital bombardments, no chemical or biological weapons, as well as respecting salvage rights for victors and ransoms for captive 'mechs and (noble) pilots.

* ''Webcomic/TheLegendOfGenji'': Following Kuvira's failed invasion of Republic City, which saw the use of a [[{{BFG}} railway gun]] powered by spirit vines, laws were put into place that strictly banned weaponizing [[FantasticNuke spirit energy]], not that that's stopped terrorist organizations like the Red Lotus from trying.

* ''Webcomic/TheLegendOfGenji'': Following Kuvira's failed invasion of Republic City, laws were put into place that strictly banned weaponizing [[FantasticNuke spirit energy]], not that that's stopped terrorist organizations like the Red Lotus from trying.

* ''Webcomic/TheLegendOfGenji'': Following Kuvira's failed invasion of Republic City, laws were put into place that strictly banned weaponizing spirit energy, not that that's stopped terrorist organizations like the Red Lotus from trying.

** The Treaty of Farixen is the law that prevents races from constantly making dreadnoughts (ships with kilometer-length railguns) in order to prevent undue damage to the galaxy as a whole in times of war, but also the ratio of ships permitted by each military. The ratio that for every five ships build by the turians for their Peacekeeper forces, the other Council races the asari and salarians (plus humanity as of the end of the first game) are permitted three, while protectorate races such as hanar and volus are only allowed one. However, it says nothing about [[ExactWords non-dreadnought ships with equivalent firepower to dreadnoughts]]. Humanity [[LoopholeAbuse exploits this]] building carrier ships whose fighters add up to equivalent firepower to dreadnoughts (which apparently nobody had ever thought of); in the third game it's mentioned that the quarians were able to similarly get around the Treaty by equipping their civilian-use Liveships with dreadnought-scale weaponry (and their signatures were effectively removed from it when they were stripped of the embassy).

** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'', it is explicitly mentioned that the Dáinsleif AntiArmor [[{{BFG}} railguns]] were banned since [[GreatOffscreenWar the Calamity War]]. [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene Which goes to show how hypocritical Gjallarhorn is]] when they plant a few on a Tekkadan transport and then use this as an excuse to go to town with the Dáinsleifs they hold in reserve in the final arc of the anime.

* ''Literature/CradleSeries'': The world runs off concrete PowerLevels, so the various factions have to put some rules in place to prevent the strongest [[SupernaturalMartialArts sacred artists]] from just slaughtering everyone else. If the higher level experts are of roughly equal number, they will either all sit out the fight equally or move the fight somewhere their weaker servants won't be collateral damage. A higher-level expert murdering a lower one can invite the enemy to do the same to you, and besides that killing someone weaker than you is considered dishonorable even in the AsskickingEqualsAuthority culture of Cradle. But on the other hand, if one side has a sufficient advantage in number of powerful experts, the other side will generally surrender without a fight; true open warfare is rare.

* ''VideoGame/AliensVersusPredatorExtinction'': The background lore of a number of human units mentions that the Geneva Conventions have been [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar officially deemed non-applicable]] when fighting alien lifeforms only interested in hunting or parasitizing other lifeforms. The result of this is that human units can be upgraded to use a variety of 'dirty' weapons, like smartguns whose bullets [[CruelAndUnusualDeath shatter into radioactive splinters]].

* The anime ''Anime/DogDays'' has rules so that their wars are more like a sporting event than actual war. They take place on special settings, and defeated warriors will either get turned into cute little balls of fluff or ([[FanService if they're cute girls]]) [[ClothingDamage their costumes get shredded]]. Since the setting is full of actual horrible monsters, the war games serve to keep the soldiers in fighting shape should a serious threat arise, and it fosters friendly relations between the different countries so they can aid each other at a moment's notice.
* Briefly mentioned in ''[[LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove Haiyoru! Nyarani]]''. During a cooking segment, Nyarko mentions the difficulties of acquiring an "ingredient" due to the "[[SpaceX Space Washington Treaty]]", then quickly realizes [[SayingTooMuch she said too much]].

** The Antarctic Treaty in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', which prohibits the use of chemical, biological, atomic weapons, [[ColonyDrop Colony Drops]] as well as stipulating that [=POWs=] be treated humanely and the rights of neutral zones be respected. Considering the wanton destruction caused prior to the Treaty, it may be there was no formal treaties between the Federation and Zeon limiting warfare before the war.

* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' one military scientist tells one of the protagonists an alternate reason why messing with human alchemy is forbidden (besides it being creepy, generally tampering with life, and the fact the Homunculi are using it as energy for their own ritual). It's also forbidden by the military because a person could create their own invincible army to use against the state.