By Bethany Morley / GICJ
The 9th of December 2022 marks the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. [1]. It was established in September 2015 by resolution A/RES/69/323 of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
The United Nations Genocide Convention (Article 2) defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with the intent to “destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”
- Killing members of the group;
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
- Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group [2]
The Genocide Convention was adopted in the aftermath of the Second World War and the Holocaust, with every state affirming the prevention of genocide. Today, however, genocide is still taking place.
Today’s Genocides
In November 2019, The Gambia brought a case against Myanmar to The International Court of Justice (ICJ), on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), arguing that Rohingya Muslims have been subject to genocide by Myanmar’s military and other security forces [2]in an attempt to “erase their identity and remove them from the country” [3]. Myanmar has subsequently rejected these allegations. However, this disingenuous denial is proven to be false by the vast numbers of minority Rohingya Muslims who have fled to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh to escape atrocities in Myanmar and the growing number of deaths established as having taken place in the country.
In Yemen, there has been a continual escalation of violence and war between the supporters of Yemen’s government and the Houthi rebels backed by foreign intervention.The UN estimates the death toll to be at least 377,000 from the beginning of the conflict to the end of 2021.. This includes civilians as well as those involved in the conflict.
The currently aggression from Russia towards Ukraine, intensified since the 24th of February 2022, is mirroring elements of genocide. Since the start of the invasion, it has been reported by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) that “16,631 civilian casualties in the country: 6,557 killed and 10,074 injured “[4]. Further, the UN estimates that “12 million people in Ukraine will need relief and protection” [5]
Preventing Genocide
An important part of the UN Genocide Convention is prevention. The convention calls on states to take substantial measures to prevent and punish genocide “including by enacting relevant legislation and punishing perpetrators, “whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals” (Article IV)” [6]. However as demonstrated in the above examples, genocide is still a very real issue. To prevent future genocides, states and the international community need to work tirelessly to build upon the fundamental rule of law and human rights for all to guard against the increased divisions that fuel hatred.
Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) commemorates and recognises the dignity of all victims of genocide. We ceaselessly acknowledge the need to preventing genocide. Further, as genocide is a global problem,we need to commit to collective solutions and respect for fundamental rights. Therefore, we urge the international community to condemn genocide along with other atrocities. Preventing genocide is a continuous process that requires relentless efforts to build societies based on the rule of law and human rights for all.
International Day, genocide, Justice, Geneva, geneva4justice, GICJ, Geneva International Centre For Justice
[1] https://www.un.org/en/observances/genocide-prevention-day
[2] https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046442
[3] https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046442
[4] https://www.ohchr.org/en/news/2022/11/ukraine-civilian-casualty-update-14-november-2022 [5]https://news.un.org/en/focus/ukraine?gclid=Cj0KCQiAkMGcBhCSARIsAIW6d0BfUZpEC0jWZcpYyjCMfYl1hKEKgpUBJ9hheuQXwOZODr73pwJIn-EaAu3GEALw_wcB
Image source: United Nations
[6] https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide-convention.shtml
