TURKEY TO BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE?
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[12:53 pm] 09 December, 2008
Sixty years ago today, the United Nations adopted the Convention on
the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
"The Convention was a direct outcome of the attempted extermination of
the Jewish people during the Holocaust, and ever since has embodied
the aspiration of the United Nations to prevent such a horror from
occurring again," as stated in the message of the UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-Moon.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon released a message on the 60th
anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of
the Crime of Genocide.
"The Convention compels signatory States "to prevent and to punish"
the crime of genocide – to act against those who kill or commit other
grave acts "with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national,
ethnical, racial or religious group, as such". Under the Convention,
attempts to commit genocide and public incitement to genocide are
punishable acts.
The work of the United Nations to prevent genocide encompasses a wide
range of activities. In the broadest sense, we promote human rights,
the rule of law and the fundamental equality of all people. Through
its global presence, the Organization provides practical assistance
to States in building democratic institutions and resolving disputes
through peaceful means. We have established an office dedicated to
genocide prevention. And in 2005, Member States agreed unanimously
on a new, groundbreaking global norm, the responsibility to protect,
which aims to keep national leaders from hiding abuses behind the
false cloak of sovereignty.
The United Nations also seeks to ensure that perpetrators of genocide
are brought to justice promptly. The crime of genocide is included in
the Statutes of the International Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia
and Rwanda, in the Law on the Establishment of the Extra-ordinary
Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, and in the Statute of the
International Criminal Court. Justice is not only one of our main
goals; it is itself an important means of prevention.
Despite these efforts, the world has continued to witness appalling
acts that violate human dignity. Too often, the international response
has been inadequate. Far from being consigned to history, genocide and
its ilk remain a serious threat. Not just vigilance but a willingness
to act are as important today as ever.
On this anniversary, I call on those States that have not already
done so to accede to the Convention. I urge all States to implement
the Convention, and to support our efforts to prevent genocide
and other serious human rights violations that may degenerate
into genocide. Preventing genocide is a collective and individual
responsibility. We must do everything in our power to ensure that
our children may live free from the fear of being killed because they
belong to an ethnic, national, religious or racial group," as stated
in the message.