Press Releases

More than 300 civil society groups and individuals today issued a joint statement urging United Nations member states to declare support for moving the Draft Articles on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity into treaty negotiations. Human rights organizations based in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Americas, and Europe — as well as leading international law and human rights experts — are among the signatories. Beginning Monday, April 1, the UN’s Sixth Committee will resume its session to address crimes against humanity, where member states will have the opportunity to demonstrate support for treaty negotiations. Although crimes against humanity are among the most serious crimes in international law, there has yet to be a treaty regulating their prevention and punishment. The Draft Articles are the result of six years of work in the International Law Commission, an independent body of experts established by the UN General Assembly that is responsible for helping develop and codify international law. Civil society organizations and international law experts believe that the current draft is a strong starting point for negotiations. They have also recommended several areas where the Draft Articles should be improved. Ahead of a Sixth Committee debate on the treaty in October 2023, the Global Justice Center issued a series of legal briefs with recommendations to ensure the treaty is gender-competent and survivor-centric. A full list of signatories can be found here. Elise Keppler, Executive Director at the Global Justice Center, issued the following statement: “Activists from every corner of the globe have united to deliver the message that the world needs a treaty on crimes against humanity. Governments should step up and signal that they support moving to treaty negotiations. From Afghanistan to Myanmar, crimes against humanity are rampant, and more tools to combat these crimes are needed. A strong, gender-competent, and survivor-centric treaty is not only possible — it is necessary.”

NEW YORK — A United Nations committee today passed a resolution that advanced the International Law Commission’s draft treaty on crimes against humanity. If eventually adopted by states, it would be the first stand-alone treaty that specifically addresses a broad range of obligations, including duties to prevent and punish crimes against humanity. Introduced by the Gambia, the final resolution passed by the UNGA Sixth Committee was co-sponsored by a cross-regional group of over 85 countries and creates an “interactive format” for debate on the substance of the draft treaty over the next two years. The resolution represents significant progress after the topic has stalled in recent years following resistance from Russia, China, and its allies. In 2021, prominent international law experts and practitioners from around the world — including former International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda — signed a statement arguing the treaty would “close a crucial gap in the current international framework on mass atrocities.” Akila Radhakrishnan, president of the Global Justice Center, issued the following statement: “Today’s resolution represents the most significant progress on the treaty since work on it began in 2013. For too long, victims of atrocious crimes around the world have languished without a comprehensive international framework that specifically targets these crimes and requires the international community to prevent and punish them. As an organization dedicated to combating gender-based crimes around the world, we’re heartened to finally see action on this critical treaty after so many years. “Year after year, progress on the treaty was stymied by a small cadre of authoritarian countries determined to halt human rights measures at every turn. In these cases, procedural objections were used as a cover for opposition to the treaty itself. “We can’t allow this gap in the international legal system to exist any longer. Perpetrators of sexual and reproductive violence, enslavement, deportation, and other crimes against humanity are growing more emboldened thanks to an increasingly-weakening international order. We need this treaty now more than ever.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 27, 2018 [New York] – The Global Justice Center (GJC) welcomes the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar’s report on the crimes against minority groups, including the crime of genocide against the Rohingya committed by Myanmar’s security forces. In particular, GJC commends the Fact-Finding Mission for highlighting the military’s use of sexual violence as a tactic against all minority groups and recognizing the structural barriers to accountability in Myanmar. For decades, the Myanmar army has targeted ethnic minority groups with impunity—burning villages, killing indiscriminately, and raping and sexually assaulting women and girls. These systematic and brutal attacks against civilians have been used to intimidate and terrorize local populations. Years of impunity for these atrocities have emboldened the military to escalate their policies of violence and repression, creating an opening for the genocidal campaign against the Rohingya. Myanmar’s civilian government has neither the will nor the demonstrated capacity to end these horrific crimes and hold those responsible accountable. It is essential that the international community act expeditiously to address the situation in Myanmar, including the ongoing genocide of the Rohingya, and take action in line with the obligations to prevent, suppress and punish genocide.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 22, 2017 [NEW YORK] – The Global Justice Center (GJC) welcomes the historic verdict by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) of Ratko Mladić for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Mladić was convicted of genocide and persecution, extermination, murder, the inhumane act of forcible transfer, terror, unlawful acts against civilians and hostage taking. “The true heroes are the victims and survivors who never gave up on their quest for justice. They displayed real courage by coming to the Tribunal to tell the truth and confront the men who wronged them. On behalf of my Office, I would like to thank and recognize them.” the ICTY’s Chief Prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, said in his statement on the judgment. GJC’s UN and EU Advocacy Director, Stephanie Johanssen says, “Today’s verdict by the UN tribunal defies those cynical voices who dismiss international criminal justice as being bound to fail. While this verdict was long overdue and the extremely slow process has tested survivors, we welcome this judgment as a strong warning to war criminals and génocidaires around the world – history will not be on your side. In today’s environment with xenophobia on the rise, the verdict is also an important reminder of the disastrous consequences when hate speech of nationalist movements goes unchallenged.” "Mladić’s defense in the past had tried twisting the narrative of these horrendous crimes by his client by stating Mladic was fighting “radical Islam” a term that seems all too familiar in today’s politics,” Johanssen continues. “To combat violent extremism successfully, we must ground any anti-terrorism measures in human rights and cannot scapegoat entire communities. Further, in light of today’s verdict, GJC again draws attention to the urgent need to prosecute acts of sexual and gender-based violence. The brutal and systematic rape of Muslim women, including sexual slavery was a defining element of the atrocities in the former Yugoslavia and yet, too often sexual violence is still seen as a “lesser crime” compared to mass killings, even when crimes of sexual violence amount to genocide.” For more information contact: Stephanie Olszewski (New York), Global Justice Center, solszewski@globaljusticecenter.net 412.478.3896

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 9, 2017 [NEW YORK, NY] - In light of ongoing violence in Rakhine State, the Global Justice Center issues the following statement: The Global Justice Center calls for the immediate cessation of all acts of violence and the protection of civilian populations in Rakhine State. The Myanmar government must swiftly investigate credible reports of horrific crimes and human rights abuses against civilians in Rakhine State, including acts by its own military and security forces, and provide meaningful punishment, redress and reparations for violations. The government must allow investigators access to Rakhine State and cooperate fully with international investigations, including the UN Fact-finding Mission authorized by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2017. Further, the government must ensure the safety of all civilians, including the Rohingya population, and facilitate humanitarian access and aid to affected communities. Myanmar’s military and security forces have long engaged in campaigns of repression and violence against the country’s ethnic minorities, including Karen, Kachin, Shan and Rohingya. As the recent report from the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State found, the situation in the state represents a development, human rights and security crisis requiring swift action. Furthermore, as the Commission found, at the root of this crisis is “deeply-rooted historical grievances, shaped by the experience of violence, injustice and neglect” between the people of Rakhine and the central government, as well as the various ethnic groups in Rakhine State. This has been exacerbated by protracted and persistent discrimination and restrictions against the Rohingya. Widespread human rights abuses in the state by military and security forces may amount to crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. Myanmar is a party to the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide and it, along with the international community, must act on genocide once a serious risk is known. Resolution to the situation in Rakhine state will require multi-faceted, concerted action and implementation of the recommendations from the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State are an important starting point. Myanmar must also ensure compliance with its obligations under international law, including human rights and humanitarian law, as well as the Genocide Convention. More broadly, the government needs to address issues facing the country as a whole in order to complete its transition to democracy. This includes: reform of the 2008 Constitution which places the military outside civilian oversight and promotes a culture of impunity; an end to, and accountability for, decades of armed conflict characterized by human rights abuses against ethnic minorities, including rape as a weapon of war; and the repeal of discriminatory laws and policies. Finally, the international community must support the government of Myanmar in this process and comply with its own obligations under international law. For more information contact: Stephanie Olszewski (New York), Global Justice Center, solszewski@globaljusticecenter.net +1.212.725.6530 ext. 211

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—June 17, 2016 [NEW YORK, NY] – Yesterday, the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Syria concluded that ISIS is committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against the Yazidi people. The report, “They Came to Destroy”: ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis, recognizes that the genocide is ongoing and is being committed not just through mass killings but also through gendered non-killing crimes such as rape and sexual violence. “The report confirms not only that over 3,200 women and children remain in captivity, but that they are daily subjected to genocidal acts,” says Global Justice Center (GJC) president Janet Benshoof, “it’s time for the international community to act on its obligations under the Genocide Convention to prevent, suppress, and punish genocide.” In December 2015, GJC sent a brief to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in support of Yazda and Free Yezidi Foundation’s submission, asking the ICC to investigate ISIS’s gender-based crimes against Yazidi women and girls. “As our submission stated and the COI’s report confirms, genocide is being carried out along sharply divided gender lines,” says Benshoof. “Any actions to prevent and punish these genocidal acts must take into account the role that gender plays in the way genocide is being carried out.” The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales has been working since the summer of 2015 to raise awareness of the genocide of the Yazidis and breaches of international human rights law. Kirsty Brimelow QC, Chair: “The ongoing genocide of the Yazidi people is one of the worst crimes of our time. Human rights are global and States are obliged to protect the Yazidis from further killings and sexual enslavement. To date, no State has started investigations with a view to prosecuting those concerned in this genocide and no court has seized jurisdiction. The World can no longer watch this carnage and international law must be implemented.” The COI urges the international community, including the United Nations and its member states, to act on its obligations under the Genocide Convention as a matter of urgency. This must include measures to rescue and save women and children currently in ISIS captivity and hold states and individuals accountable. “Genocide prosecutions are enormously important to deter and delegitimize ISIS atrocities,” says Benshoof. “All captured ISIS fighters should be investigated for genocide crimes, including crimes of rape, abduction, and sexual slavery against Yazidi women and girls. These women and girls deserve justice. Naming the crimes is an important first step, but there must be more. There must be action and prosecutions.” For more information contact: Stephanie Olszewski (New York), Global Justice Center, solszewski@globaljusticecenter.net +1.212.725.6530 ext. 211 Ed Gillett (London), Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, coordination@barhumanrights.org.uk +44 (0) 7754 197862