Statement in Solidarity with Anti-ICE Protesters

Released 20 June, 2025


The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security condemns the ongoing ICE raids across the United States, the police violence against anti-ICE protesters, and the Trump Adminstration’s unlawful deployment of the California National Guard and US Marines in Los Angeles. We wholeheartedly agree with our colleagues at Genocide Watch that ICE’s mass deportations constitute a crime against humanity. Moreover, we see many red flags for genocide within the Administration’s anti-immigrant activities. We fear that escalating violence against protesters and elected officials questioning the Trump regime could result in further crimes against humanity, including murder, imprisonment, enforced disappearance of persons, torture, and persecution.

Statement on the G7 Statement Related to Israel’s War of Aggression against Iran

June 18, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security believes that the G7 leaders have demonstrated unforgivable, willful ignorance about the crime of genocide and the proper way to engage with states that are committing genocide.

The recent G7 statement on Israel’s illegal aggressive war against Iran not only fails to treat Israel as a major threat to peace and security globally, but also engages in propaganda techniques that are most commonly used by genocidal actors.

G7 leaders should know better than to guarantee impunity to Israel. If they really do not know better, if they believe their own words, they should organize immediate training for themselves and their staffs in genocide prevention. The world needs leaders -- not amateurs or ideological puppets -- making critical decisions at this dangerous time.

Statement Condemning Israel's Attacks on Iran

June 14, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security condemns Israel’s unlawful attacks on Iran targeting nuclear sites and leaders across the country, including in residential buildings in Tehran, which have killed at least 78 people and injured 300 more. Israel clearly aims to derail US President Trump’s ongoing negotiations with Iran towards a nuclear deal. As many analysts have pointed out, Israel’s actions risk a regional war and could advance all humanity further towards a global war.

We continue to call for an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza. We further call on all nations, including especially the United States, to pull Israel back from the brink and protect Iran's sovereignty.

A Test for the Future of Human Rights in the United States: the Continued Imprisonment of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Released on 29, May 2025

The Lemkin Institute condemns the unlawful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his continued arbitrary detention in El Salvador as well as President Donald Trump’s defiance of the Supreme Court order to facilitate his release and return to the United States.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation due to an “administrative error” without due process and in violation of a court order of non-removal for fear of persecution is emblematic of the ongoing human rights violations from Trump’s immigrant crackdown. In addition, the Trump administration’s continued testing of the US court system through its defiance of any restraint placed on their targeting of noncitizens poses a threat to the future of human rights in the country. Trump’s open defiance of court orders with little to no real consequence gives him and his administration the greenlight to escalate their targeting of noncitizens and citizens alike. Abrego Garcia’s case is another test. Any outcome short of Abrego Garcia being released and returned to the US and the Trump administration held accountable will signal that they can use deportation as a method to effectively disappear those who don’t fit within their vision of America–a clear red flag for an escalating genocidal process.

We Sacrifice Law and Morality When We Allow Israel to Commit Genocide Without Repercussions

Released on 23 May, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security mourns the murders of Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, two young workers at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, who were gunned down yesterday outside of the Capital Jewish Museum after attending the American Jewish Committee’s Young Diplomats Reception. Predicatbly, it did not take long for many politicians and people in the media to embrace the retributive logic that led to Milgrim and Lischinsky’s murders by turning the tragic murders into a renewed justification for ongoing genocide in Gaza and the supression of anti-genocide activists in North America, the UK, and Europe.

The exploitation of these two young people’s deaths for political gain is a disgrace and a dishonor to their memory.

In the murder of Milgrim and Lischinsky we encounter the horrifying fact that genocide creates a world without laws and morals. Perpetrators assume that their superior force will protect them, but there is no Iron Dome when it comes to blowback.

Perpetrators of genocide make all their own rules and thereby unwittingly open the door for everyone else in the world to do the same. If perpetrators are not stopped, if, as in the case of Israel, there is no real attempt by any government in the world to push back forcefully against the crime, the crime itself – its darkness, its logic, its destructive force – will overtake the entire world.

We call on everyone who opposes genocide to condemn efforts to weaponize these murders in the pursuit of ideological, authoritarian, and expansionist goals. Human beings are stronger when we stand together. If we want to live in a just world, we must fight for a big tent where morals and laws have meaning. We can only end the cycle of violence by making violence unnecessary. There is no end to genocide unless we collectively decide to end it.

We’re Glad to See You Use the G-Word, but Now You Must Act

Released on 18 May 2025

We welcome the sudden about face among some scholars, NGOs, the media, and government officials in Europe, who are now ready to declare what is happening in Gaza a genocide. It is beyond regretful that it took the situation reaching this level of extremity for so many to find the courage to speak out.

While the correct time to act passed long ago, failure to act now will be perhaps the most egregious failure of humanity in the annals of human history. Every single leader – in the West and outside of it – who does not take action at this decisive moment will ensure for themselves a shameful legacy defined by cruelty and cowardice.

World leaders simply do not have any other choice but to confront Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Any choice other than decisive and immediate action will result in the full-scale extirpation of Palestinian life in Palestine as well as a rapid expansion of genocidal violence in the Middle East.

Four Facts about Israel’s Genocide

Released on 18 May 2025


The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security welcomes the scholars, NGOs, media outlets, and large human rights organizations who have spoken out in the past week and have used the correct term – genocide – to describe the horror that Israel is inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza. We believe that correctly diagnosing the problem is critical to the creation of a long-term and sustainable peace. We also believe that the consistent and correct use of this term will help guide genocide prevention efforts in the future.

Given that many of the people suddenly recognizing genocide in Gaza are connected with large, respected institutions, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, some people may assume that it was impossible to responsibly use the term before the present exterminationist pattern. Others may assume that the only genocidal crime committed by Israel is the current man-made famine.

We wish to counter these two false impressions with four facts.

Statement on Escalating Violence between India and Pakistan

May 8, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security strongly condemns the escalation of violence across the Line of Control (LoC) between Indian- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. This escalation has followed India’s launch of Operation Sindoor on 7 May in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April, which India blames on Pakistan. Since then, India has carried out missile strikes targeting sites in Pakistan’s Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which have resulted in the deaths of at least 31 people, including children as young as three years old, and injured dozens. We call on both India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint and cease all forms of military aggression immediately. Escalating this conflict serves no national interest and only brings immense suffering to millions of innocent civilians on both sides. We urge the international community, particularly key global actors and multilateral institutions, to intervene immediately and bring both countries to the negotiating table. The world cannot afford another catastrophic conflict—especially one involving two nuclear powers.

Statement on the Recent Terrorist Attack in Jammu and Kashmir

May 3, 2025

The Lemkin Institute For Genocide Prevention and Human Security unequivocally condemns the recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which has resulted in tragic loss of at least 26 lives and left many more injured. We at the Lemkin Institute extend our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims and wish a swift recovery to those who were injured.

In this critical moment, we take note of Pakistan’s offer for a neutral, international investigation into the attack. Transparency is essential to ensuring justice and preventing future violence. India must cooperate with credible, neutral mechanisms — justice cannot be served through unilateral actions or politicized narratives.

As an organization committed to genocide prevention, we warn against the dangers of unchecked hostility, which can exacerbate communal violence and put civilian lives at risk. The government of India must not use this attack as an excuse to enact genocidal violence against Muslim communities in Kashmir, other parts of India, or Pakistan. Both nations must return to diplomatic channels, uphold their obligations under international law, and work toward a peaceful resolution.

The people of Jammu and Kashmir have endured decades of conflict. It is time to break this cycle. We stand with all victims of violence and urge global stakeholders to support de-escalation, impartial investigations, and meaningful dialogue between India and Pakistan.

Letter to the American People

March 27, 2025

Many of you have reached out to the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security to ask what you can do in the face of what appears to be an authoritarian coup against the US Constitutional order, driven and overseen by a President and a billionaire who gave the Nazi salute at the President’s inauguration, and deeply infected by the genocidal thinking of many conservatives and evangelicals, targeted mainly at immigrants of color and trans people (for the time being).

We have watched these developments with dismay, and like many of you, we’ve had some dark days. The disturbing political developments have impacted our US-based team members in different ways depending on where they exist within the dynamics of oppression. So, we have been trying to figure out the same things as everyone else. We are with you.

We want to share what we have learned from our experiences studying, researching, and writing about genocide and working in genocide prevention. We offer the points below in the hope that they will generate discussion, direction, and action.

Statement on the Fall of Bashar al-Assad’s Regime in Syria

March 11, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security stands in solidarity with the Syrian people as they mark the end of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a brutal chapter in Syria’s history characterized by relentless human rights violations and profound suffering.

We are, however, deeply concerned about the roles of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) in the post-Assad period. Both groups have histories of human rights abuses and ideologies that conflict with the democratic aspirations of many Syrians. With US support, Turkey has actively been pursuing genocidal expansion in northern Syria since 2019.

As Syria transitions, addressing the humanitarian crisis must be a top priority. Decades of war have devastated infrastructure, displaced millions, and created generational trauma. International aid must focus on rebuilding essential services, supporting displaced communities, and fostering conditions that allow refugees to return voluntarily, safely, and with dignity.

The international community must also provide substantial support to grassroots Syrian organizations that have been the backbone of resistance and resilience throughout the conflict. These groups, including women’s organizations, youth movements, and local councils, are essential to building a democratic and inclusive Syria.

Statement on the Oval Office Meeting between US President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Ukrainian President Zelensky

March 7, 2025

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security protests the shameful treatment of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to the White House on 28 February 2025. We wish to underscore the outrageous behavior of US Vice President J. D. Vance. Vance’s behavior was petulant, childish, and in jaw-dropping violation of diplomatic protocol. It was particularly offensive given the genocidal threat Russia poses to Ukraine. By publicly dressing down the Ukrainian president and personalizing a high-stakes press conference that – until Vance’s interjections – was going remarkably well, Vice President Vance did a terrible disservice to President Trump, US national security, and the American people. The Trump Administration may feel it is being effective by humiliating state guests and the victims of genocide, but it should consider the long-term impact to the US reputation abroad – among traditional allies, important trade partners, emerging powerhouses, and great power competitors like Russia – of this sort of approach. Statesmanly behavior can serve the same purposes as vulgar bullying, but it also garners respect and good will in the process.