Statement on U.S. Actions towards Venezuela

December 17, 2025

With the newly issued Executive Order from the U.S. President designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) on 15 Decemeber 2025, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security is gravely concerned about an impending U.S intervention in Venezuela and the commencement of even more brutal immigration enforcement tactics domestically. Since September 2025, the United States has already murdered at least 90 people in waters with close proximity to Venezuela in twenty different attacks. These strikes have been called illegal extrajudicial killings by experts in international law. The Lemkin Institute warns that a war in Venezuela will render the U.S. deeply vulnerable to the commission of genocide at home and abroad.

Statement on U.S. Governor Greg Abbot’s Designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization

December 16, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security condemns Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s designations of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a “foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organisation” alongside the Muslim Brotherhood. Abbot’s and DeSantis’s proclamations are part of an alarming coordinated effort in the United States to chip away at civil liberties and religious freedom through attacks on organizations that have voiced opposition to genocide, particularly Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Lemkin Institute warns that these incidents are indicative of a broader environment in which political officials and powerful private actors mobilize state power to silence criticism of Israel by U.S. citizens despite their constitutional right to critique and to peacefully protest genocide. The criminalization of CAIR fits squarely within this pattern. If left unchallenged, these tactics will continue to erode core constitutional protections and undermine the rights of religious and political minorities across the United States.

Statement on the Antisemitic Terrorist Attack in Australia

December 15, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security condemns with deep sadness the horrific antisemitic terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that took place on Sunday, December 14. The attack, which has been declared an act of terrorism by New South Wales law enforcement and Australian Prime Minister Albanese, has left at least sixteen people dead, including a ten-year-old girl and an elderly Holocaust survivor who died shielding his wife from the bullets. Over three dozen more victims are in hospital with serious injuries. This attack is one of the deadliest attacks on Jews in the English-speaking world, ranking alongside the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) in 2018 that killed 11 members of the congregation. The Lemkin Institute mourns the loss of these irreplaceable people and implores gentiles around the world to step up efforts to defend the rights of their Jewish neighbors and fellow citizens.

Statement on the Gukurahundi Massacres and the Failing “Peace Process” in Zimbabwe

December 11, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention & Human Security is deeply concerned about the Gukurahundi Community Engagement Outreach Programme, launched in July 2024 by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa, a guerrilla fighter in Zimbabwe’s independence struggle, was also Minister of State for National Security during the Gukurahuni genocide (1983-1987), when he was in charge of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), which is responsible for the killing of an estimated 20,000 Ndebele people. Critics of the Gukurahundi Community Engagement Outreach Program have noted that it lacks a legal foundation, a victim-centered structure, and authentic community involvement.

Given that no perpetrators of the Gukurahundi genocide have ever been held accountable, the Lemkin Institute rejects the idea that a genuine peace process is underway. We urge Zimbabwean authorities to engage with Zimbabwean civil society as well as international and regional states, organizations, and mechanisms that are devoted specifically to restorative justice proceedings after mass atrocity. There can be no healing without justice; politicized efforts that attempt to paper over the past are more often a continuation of genocidal violence by other means than genuine attempts at reconciliation.

Statement on U.S. President’s Use of Genocidal Language in His Thanksgiving Holiday Social Media Post

December 9, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security is deeply alarmed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s long Thanksgiving Day message, which was posted on the social media platforms Truth Social and X on November 27th, 2025. Trump’s message came in the wake of the tragic shooting of two national guard soldiers by an Afghan national with CIA ties on Wednesday, November 26th, which resulted in the death of 20-year-old U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. In his statement, the President utilized language and imagery that is common to genocidal ideology, in particular the scapegoating of a single population – which he refers to as the “foreign population” – for all of America’s ills since the 1950s, including “[f]ailed schools, high crime, urban decay, overcrowded hospitals, housing shortages, and large deficits, etc.”

Among other threats, President Trump vowed to stop all immigration from “Third World” countries and "denaturalize migrants,” with the goal of “achieving a major disruption in illegal and disruptive populations.” This harmful rhetoric, in combination with this administration’s brutal and violent policies towards immigrants and anyone suspected of being an immigrant, should not go unnoticed by global genocide prevention organizations, foreign leaders, or the American people as a significant red flag for genocide. Sentiments such as those expressed by the U.S. President are the ideological backbone of ethno-fascism and are early warning signs for genocidal ideology and practice. The Lemkin Institute categorically rejects President Trump’s genocidal lies about immigrant populations in the United States and asks the American people to stand in unyielding solidarity with all immigrant communities.

Statement on Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Genocide Denial at the Israel Hayom Summit

December 9, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security feels called to point out that former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s recent remarks at the Israel Hayom Summit on 2 December amount to outright genocide denial. During her remarks, the Secretary correctly noted that the recent deterioration of Israel’s standing among U.S. voters is not a “Republican versus Democrat kind of divide” but rather a generational one. Nevertheless, she incorrectly diagnosed the reasons for the shift as a matter purely of optics, stating that “Israel [has] the worst PR of any group” and accusing social media, particularly TikTok, of presenting “pure propaganda” that American youth are uncritically ingesting.

Secretary Clinton’s framing is not at all an accurate reflection of why Americans are growing more critical of Israel. Young Americans of all political stripes have not fallen prey to propaganda, though that is always a legitimate concern. Rather, they have consumed two years of videos depicting Israel’s genocide against Palestinians that have been uploaded by Palestinian journalists, ordinary people trying to survive in Gaza, IDF soldiers, and ordinary Israelis themselves. There has been no convincing refutation of the sheer amount of raw evidence of genocide coming out of Palestine. Young people in the U.S. are not stupid or gullible. They simply reject genocide – something the Secretary might consider doing as well. Secretary Clinton’s remarks are not only inaccurate, they are also a shameful example of the lengths to which people complicit in genocide will go to to deny its existence.

Statement on The Domestic Deployment of National Guard Into U.S. Cities

Nov 27, 2025,

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security strongly condemns the Trump Administration’s occupation of Washington, D.C. and eight other major cities, most notably Memphis, Charlotte, and New Orleans at the time of publication.

Even as the National Guard deployments fade from the headlines and federal operations shift to new cities, the American people must remain vigilant, aware, and united in opposition to the Trump Administration’s deployments if they wish to retain their democracy.

Statement Calling for the Release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli Prison

October 27, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security is appealing to the Trump Administration and the Government of Israel for the urgent release of Marwan al-Barghouti from Israeli prison. Despite broad international recognition of his role as a legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, the Israeli government has thus far rejected calls for his release, calling him “a symbol of terrorism.” Barghouti is one of the few figures in Palestine who has the public trust necessary to represent Palestinians in the long and hard political process that will be necessary to bring lasting security to both Israelis and Palestinians in the region. Any real effort towards peace will require Barghouti’s immediate release.

Expanding the Dragnet: Trump’s Threatened Crackdown on “Antifa,” the Dangerous Mandate of NSPM-7, and the Impending Militarization of Government in the U.S.

October 23, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security condemns the Trump Administration’s recent executive order designating “antifa” a domestic terror organization as well as its dangerously broad and sweeping national security presidential memorandum, Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence, known as the NSPM-7. The Lemkin Institute is particularly alarmed by these presidential actions given the Administration’s rhetoric at the recent emergency meeting of generals at Quantico and the ramping up of plans to deploy the National Guard to U.S. cities like Chicago, Portland, and Memphis, in addition to Washington, DC, where they are already stationed as part of the federal "D.C. Safe and Beautiful” mission. The Trump Administration’s sweeping yet ill-defined conception of “antifa” lends itself to constant reinvention and radicalization and will provide a mechanism for the Administration to criminalize any category of “out group” that may emerge within MAGA ideology. The looming implementation of this crackdown on “antifa,” especially combined with the threat to use the military against civilians, serves as a red flag for the genocidal process underway in the U.S. and further jeopardizes fundamental human rights and democracy.

Statement on the Transphobic UN Report on Violence Against Women and Girls

October 17, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security is appalled by the advanced edited report from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls (VAWG) entitled “Sex-based violence against women and girls: new frontiers and emerging issues,” released on June 16, 2025.

In addition to situating itself within the quickly spreading global wave of transphobic and interphobic genocidal language, the Report is blatantly ignorant of basic biological concepts and purposely misleads the reader.

We at the Lemkin Institute join the voices of numerous other organizations standing in opposition to this report and its proposed erasure of gender diverse individuals. We call on the UN Special Rapporteur to base her conclusions on facts and to cease aligning herself with governments imposing a strict gender binary.

Statement on the Ceasefire in Gaza

October 14, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention & Human Security welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages & prisoners on both sides. The most essential thing in the immediate term is saving the lives of Palestinians who are facing ongoing genocide and returning all hostages and other illegally detained persons being held on both sides, including Palestinians who have not yet been released. Any ceasefire is to be embraced -- and it must be enforced, so that needed humanitarian aid can reach the Palestinian people. We acknowledge the important role played by US President Trump in realizing this difficult agreement on the first phase of a proposed 20-point peace plan. He now has the significant responsibility of ensuring that Israel does not violate the ceasefire, as it has previous ones, and that it allows in "full aid," including medical aid, via the United Nations, the Red Crescent, and other organizations, as the peace plan requires. As the Lemkin Institute warned in a previous statement, ceasefires and peace deals must not devolve into deals brokered by genocidaires to benefit themselves or their fellow genocidaires’ colonial projects at the expense of victim populations.

The Lemkin Institute reminds the world that this ceasefire does not mean the end to the genocide. The military attack on Gaza was but one pattern of genocide – the mass murder pattern – being pursued by Israel against Palestinians. Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, its expansive settlements, and its cruel and unjust detention and prison system are all part of an overall genocidal process. For there to be a sustainable peace, these issues must be addressed. Furthermore, the Lemkin Institute maintains that for an enduring peace to emerge from genocide, there must be justice for the victims. Without a justice mechanism in this case as in others, it will be difficult to ensure that necessary changes are made in the perpetrating government and society to guarantee safety to the victim population. If such changes are not made, survivors cannot – and should not – trust that the perpetrators will not continue their genocide through other means, such as the forced displacement process that is in full swing in the West Bank, for example. The reality is that both the Israeli government and Israeli society are currently deeply imbued with genocidal ideology towards Palestinians. This cannot be allowed to continue if there is to be any hope for peace.

We Need Your Help: The Lemkin Institute is under Attack

October 14, 2025

On 17 September, Fox News published a defamatory op-ed claiming that the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention & Human Security is misappropriating the Lemkin family name to spread “antisemitism masquerading as human rights.” It further claims that we “defended or excused terrorist organizations.”

We need your help. We intend to keep our voice strong against false claims and any litigation. One of our great strengths – that we are an unfunded organization with full independence – is a weakness if we are faced with endless legal challenges from genocide deniers. We are currently launching a fundraising campaign to strengthen our organization against the many threats – legal and political – that we are facing in the USA.

This is not just about us. This is about defending a space for genocide prevention, for truth-telling, and for accountability in a world that is increasingly hostile to all three. If you believe in the work that we do, in the values that we defend, in the memory of Raphael Lemkin and the struggle he began, please stand with us now. Donate. Share. Speak out.