75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention (December 9)

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the United Nations 75 years ago, has not achieved its goal. Today, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) published a memorandum stating: “Since 1948, millions of people have been killed with the intention of destroying their population group or religious community in whole or in part.” The UN General Assembly had adopted the convention on December 9, 1945, one day before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, under the impression of the horrors of the Holocaust.

Until today, people are killed, displaced, or brutally deprived of their identity – before the eyes of the world public. Minorities are especially affected – for example the Rohingya in Myanmar, the Uyghurs in the north-west of China, and the Yazidis in Iraq,” stated Sarah Reinke, head of the STP’s department of human rights work. “Further, Russia’s attack on Ukraine shows that the scope of international criminal law is still far from sufficient. International law must urgently also take into account the crime of aggression, meaning an attack by one state on another. This deficit inevitably leads to war, to violence and expulsion, and even to genocide.” Thus, the STP is calling for an extension of the ICC Statute. Given the ongoing blockade in the Security Council, the UN General Assembly should take care of this. The German Federal Council should support the International Criminal Court and try to convince other states to ratify the Genocide Convention.

“Political decision makers – including those in the German Federal Government – must no longer ignore these monstrous crimes. They will have to call out those who are responsible, as genocides are not natural disasters. They are deliberately perpetrated by brutal regimes, militias, and governments. Political decision makers in Germany and Europe are making genocide crimes possible by looking the other way, by ignoring warnings, by prioritizing their own interests over those of the affected, or by actively supporting these crimes,” Reinke stated. This becomes clear when considering the millions of victims over the past 75 years. German foreign policy must not fall into double standards for political reasons, as was the case with support for the Russian aggression against Chechnya, under former German Chancellor Schröder, or the Turkish aggression against the Kurds under Turkish President Erdogan. The motto of the Buchenwald-prisoners – “never again” – must apply to all victims, today and in the future.

The memorandum “75 Jahre Völkermordkonvention” (in German) can be found here. It provides detailed information on 10 genocide events, together with statements by survivors and victims. A table lists genocide crimes of the past 75 years.