U.N. Commemoration of 60th Anniversary of Liberation of Nazi Death Camps Should Include Commitment to Prevent and Punish the Crimes of Today

On Monday, January 24, 2005, the United Nations General Assembly commemorates the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps.

Human Rights First urges all of the governments of the world represented in the General Assembly to use this occasion not only to reflect on the barbarous acts of the past but also to commit themselves to addressing the challenge of racist violence and religious intolerance today.

Hate crimes driven by a chilling rise in antisemitism and anti-immigrant bias in Europe are a part of this challenge. Preventive action at the national and international level is required to stop intolerance and discrimination there and around the world from reaching the unthinkable levels of the past.

Elsewhere, the unthinkable is already occurring. The present day horror of mass atrocities in Darfur shows the potential for ethnic cleansing and genocide to recur – and the cost of international paralysis in the face of crimes against humanity.

“If the words ‘never again’ are to have meaning, then governments must be prepared to act decisively to stop genocide,” said Michael Posner, Executive Director of Human Rights First. “Today in Darfur the U.N. and its member states must act to protect civilians and to prosecute the perpetrators of grave crimes.”

Since 2003 the Sudanese government, and armed militias acting in concert with the government, have committed massive violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Darfur. Civilians have been victims of mass killings, rape and other serious forms of sexual violence, burning of villages, and forced displacement. An estimated 1.6 million people are internally displaced within Darfur and an additional 200,000 have crossed the border to seek refuge in neighboring Chad.

As the Sudanese authorities have shown they are unwilling or unable to investigate and prosecute the grave crimes committed in Darfur, Human Rights First has recommended that the U.N. Security Council refer the Darfur situation to the International Criminal Court.

To bring security to the civilian population of Darfur and end the ongoing violations of human rights and humanitarian law, Human Rights First has called on members of the Security Council to assist the African Union with the rapid deployment of its Darfur mission. Less than one-third of the 3,320 member force has been deployed in Darfur, and those deployed there require a stronger mandate in order to provide more meaningful protection to the local population. The U.N.’s delay in taking action is reminiscent of its failure a decade ago to act in Rwanda – a failure that cost tens of thousands of lives.

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