Statements

The Genocidal Dimensions of Israel’s Use of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) against Palestinians

September 11, 2024


Summary

- Based on reports from the United Nations, B’Tselem, Euro-Med Monitor, and other sources, Israel has used sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in a systematic manner against Palestinians in detention, at checkpoints, and during encounters in Gaza since 7 October 2023. The use of sexualized violence against Palestinians appears to have increased dramatically since 7 October.

- Statements by Israeli leaders, social media posts by IDF soldiers, and testimony from Palestinians who have experienced or witnessed sexualized violence, including released detainees, not only establish the widespread and systematized nature of sexualized violence but also document the broader sexualization of the conflict itself by the Israeli state and armed forces. This sexualization alone is indicative of genocidal violence, as it indicates a desire to destroy Palestinians as such by desecrating symbols of generation and undermining the ability of Palestinians to reproduce biologically and culturally.

- The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security has identified several specific patterns of sexualized violence that are indicative of a genocidal process. These include: The widespread use of sexualized violence against men and boys; life force atrocities (including ritualized humiliations); separation of families and other reproductive violence; and possible elitocide through the use of sexualized violence.

- The Lemkin Institute supports ongoing independent investigations of crimes committed by the Israel state and military and by Hamas, and underscores the importance of a trusted empirical narrative of crimes – especially of SGBV – to a lasting peace.

Statement on Hamas’s Execution of 6 Israeli Hostages

September 11, 2024

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security forcefully condemns the execution of six Israeli hostages by Hamas militants hours before Israeli forces were to attempt a rescue operation over the weekend of 1 September 2024. The cruel murder of these young people is a terrible crime and only serves to further escalate an already catastrophic situation for Palestinians. Furthermore, Hamas’s subsequent taunting of Israeli families by posting videos of their loved ones taken before their deaths betrays a cruel genocidal logic in which relationships of love and responsibility are instrumentalized to cause harm and to destroy the soul of the group.

A 12-Point Genocide Prevention Agenda for U.S. Presidential Candidates

August 13, 2024

The United States exhibits many red flags for genocidal processes, including extreme political divisiveness, institutional ossification and breakdown, political corruption, dependence on special interests, a highly militarized security sector, and widespread pessimism as well as disengagement from a political system that is increasingly unresponsive to the needs of ordinary people.

Statement Condemning the Murder of Muhammed Bhar

July 18, 2024

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention is horrified and heartbroken by the cruel IDF murder of Muhammed Bhar, a 24-year-old Palestinian man who had Down's Syndrome and autism.

The IDF's treatment of Mr. Bhar is not the exception. It is but one of countless similar genocidal atrocities committed by Israel, which our founder, Dr. Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, calls life force atrocities. Life force atrocities aim to destroy the spirit of the group by instrumentalizing family and community bonds, targeting and desecrating community symbols, including the most vulnerable people within a community, and perpetrating sadistic rituals of cruelty that become permanent wounds within the target group's psyche – and also permanent wounds on the body of humanity. Life force atrocities are found in every genocide.

The pattern of life force atrocities in Israel's assault on Gaza is one of the most direct forms of evidence of genocidal intent.

Statement Condemning the Global Rise in Police Violence within Democratic States

July 8, 2024

The Lemkin Institute has become increasingly distressed and appalled by the escalation of the use of force by police and security forces against protestors in democratic states, particularly in the USA, Georgia, Armenia, India, and across Europe. The use of violent police tactics, the politicization of the law, and the targeting of political opponents are worrying signs of encroaching authoritarianism within putatively democratic and liberal regimes. Police violence against peaceful protest is a violation of civil and human rights. It can also set the stage for atrocity crimes by marginalizing specific communities, radicalizing tensions, and expanding the state’s willingness to use brute force as a means of social and political control. We reiterate that genocide prevention cannot exist without freedom of speech and assembly. The right to free speech, assembly, and protest is fundamental to inclusive and equitable societies. These rights empower individuals and communities to speak out against injustices and demand accountability from their governments. By ensuring people can voice their concerns and mobilize collectively, societies are better equipped to address and mitigate factors that could escalate into genocide.

Statement on the Genocidal State of Azerbaijan Hosting COP29

June 4, 2024

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention opposes the decision by the United Nations to name Azerbaijan as host of COP29, the annual UN climate change summit, given Azerbaijan’s genocidal strategies in Nagorno-Karabakh, the genocidal Armenophobic ideology of its leader, President Ilham Aliyev, and the extensive corruption and human rights abuses at home. By granting Azerbaijan the honor of hosting this important event, the UN is endorsing genocidal speech, genocidal policies, and dictatorship, which benefits neither the climate nor the people of the world. The choice of Azerbaijan as COP host legitimizes, rationalizes, and normalizes genocide in world politics. Furthermore, it threatens the credibility of the principles established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In the interests of genocide prevention, human rights, and the legitimacy of the United Nations as a body representing the people of the world, the United Nations must rescind Azerbaijan’s recognition as host of COP29 and either find another host country or hold this year’s meeting in Bonn, Germany, COP’s default meeting place.

Statement Calling Out US & Israeli Propaganda

May 28, 2024

The Lemkin Institute has had it with the cynical lies and propaganda from Israel and the USA. One can have different views about the definition of genocide, but one may not use definitional disputes to deny genocide. If a genocide may be occurring, every nation is compelled by customary law to try to stop it.

Դատապարտող հայտարարություն Վարչապետ Նիկոլ Փաշինյանի ծածուկ ներգրավվածությունը ցեղասպանության ժխտողական քաղաքականության մեջ

Մայիսի 14, 2024

Արցախյան ցեղասպանության արդյունքում ստեղծված իրավիճակում՝ Լեմկինի ինստիտուտը շարունակում է հավատարիմ մնալ իր ներգրավվածությանը Հարավային Կովկասում ցեղասպանության ակտիվ կանխարգելման աշխատանքներում՝ միաժամանակ հանձն առնելով առաջ քաշել արդարության և հաշվետվողականության սկզբունքներ:
Թեև մենք, որպես կանոն, չենք խառնվում պետությունների ներքին գործերին, քանի դեռ չկա ցեղասպանության ուղիղ վտանգ, մենք անհրաժեշտ ենք համարում բարձրաձայնելու մեր մտահոգությունները, որոնք բխում են ՀՀ վարչապետ Նիկոլ Փաշինյանի վերջին հայտարարություններից, որոնք, ըստ ամենայնի, շեղվում են ցեղասպանությունների կանխարգելման, ճանաչման, և անցումային արդարադատության հիմնարար սկզբունքներից, և որոնք ուղղակիորեն առնչվում են Հայաստանի Հանրապետության ազգային անվտանգության խնդիրներին։

Statement Condemning Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Cryptic Engagement with Genocide Denial

May 10, 2024

In the wake of the Artsakh genocide, the Lemkin Institute remains committed to engaging in active prevention work in the South Caucasus while advocating for justice and accountability. While we do not generally involve ourselves in domestic affairs of states unless there is an internal threat of genocide, we must address concerns stemming from recent statements made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that appear to diverge from fundamental principles of genocide prevention, genocide recognition, and transitional justice, and that directly relate to issues of Armenian national security.

We are particularly perplexed and alarmed by aspects of Prime Minister Pashinyan's commemorative statement on 24 April 2024 (Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day), as well as a recent interview with Pashinyan’s associate Hovik Aghazaryan questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Türkiye, and discussions led by Civil Contract party member and parliamentarian Andranik Kocharyan about compiling a list of genocide victims.

Statement in Support of Students, Faulty at Columbia University

April 29, 2024

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention expresses solidarity with the students and faculty at Columbia University who are standing up against genocide and for prevention, peace-building, and freedom of speech. We remind the leadership of the United States, including university presidents, that the freedoms of speech and assembly are guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution and have been a shining light in the country’s contribution to human history. In the spirit of the US Constitution, universities – even private ones – should embrace differences of opinion and especially protect the expression of opinions that are unpopular among power holders. Retaliating against students for peacefully protesting genocide is an assault not only on freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, but also on the rules-based order established after 1945 and championed by the United States, which codified within international law a moral responsibility to prevent genocide.

Statement Condemning Pogroms by Israeli Settlers in the West Bank

April 25, 2024

On Friday, April 12th, hundreds of armed Israeli settlers violently attacked Al-Mughayyir, East of Ramallah, in the West Bank. According to the head of the village council, Amin Abu-Alia, around midday, 1,000-1,2000 settlers narrowed in on Al-Mughayyir, blocking the surrounding roads. Then, up to 600 “stormed” the Al-Mughayyir village, attacking its Palestinian inhabitants. This attack falls within an ongoing trend of settler violence in the West Bank — last year, hundreds of settlers also violently attacked Turmusayya and Huwara.

Statement on the Western Media Narrative Regarding Israel’s Genocide in Gaza

April 14, 2024

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention condemns the misleading framing in the western media’s coverage of Israel’s bombardment and genocide of the Palestinian people. Since this latest cycle of attacks on Gaza began in October 2023, the narrative most prominent in western media has been that Israel is exercising its right to self-defense. There has been little analysis of what the right to self-defense allows and little challenge of Israel’s justifications for the IDF’s indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas or its responsibility for humanitarian crises, including famine and water shortages throughout the enclave. Although this spin is beginning to shift with the recent apparent targeted killing of international humanitarian workers employed by World Central Kitchen, the Lemkin Institute views the cause for this shift to be indicative of the broader failure of Western journalism to provide an accurate picture of what is happening in Israel-Palestine.