The United States Congress may be lame-duck when it comes to other issues, but a bipartisan group is aggressively pushing forward genocide and atrocity-prevention legislation in the last few weeks of the session, which is spectacular news! Today alone has already brought three incredible developments: The Senate, by unanimous consent, on Wednesday, Dec. 12, passed…
Advocacy, designed to create change, is an essential component of Jewish World Watch’s work. By joining your fellow JWW Upstanders, you spoke out with passion about issues crucial to the safety and livelihood of survivors of genocide and mass atrocities around the world. Over the past year, your calls, emails and visits to elected officials…
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Genocide Convention. Catalyzed by the “never again” sentiment pervading the aftermath of World War II, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide codified and outlawed this most heinous and unconscionable of crimes. The Genocide Convention has been ratified by 149 member states. But…
After Bangladesh and Myanmar officials met in Dhaka in late October, they announced that they had developed a concrete plan to begin repatriation in mid-November, with the first round to include 2,260 Rohingya from 485 families. Starting on November 15, 150 refugee would be received each week at the Nga Khu Ya reception center before…
Although a genocide designation shouldn’t matter, since a country’s responsibilities to protect innocent civilians should be triggered whenever and wherever mass atrocities are under way, it does matter legally. The Genocide Convention requires signatories to take stronger punitive measures when the intent to annihilate or wipe out a particular group is present. Given America’s increasingly…
Jewish World Watch was one of the first organizations to officially call the Tatmadaw’s (Burmese military) persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority a de jure genocide. Since JWW made its genocide designation, numerous entities have followed suit, including the UN fact-finding mission. Although individual lawmakers have taken the brave step of using the “g” word, the State…
[UPDATE: Dec. 12, 2018] President Donald Trump signed legislation on Tuesday to help ensure humanitarian relief reaches the members of religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria who have been targeted for genocide by Islamic State militants. “In recent years, IS has committed horrifying atrocities against religious and ethnic minorities in Syria and Iraq, including…
The House of Representatives passed the “Democratic Republic of the Congo Democracy and Accountability Act of 2018” (H.R. 6207) on Nov. 27. Jewish World Watch (JWW) has strongly been advocating for the adoption of this crucial piece of legislation since it was introduced by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ-4), with Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37) and Rep.…
Big news for Yemen — finally, Congress has stepped up to the plate and managed to get the ball rolling on ending the Administration’s facilitation of war crimes and crimes against humanity in this impoverished nation, which has been deemed the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. In a 63-37 vote, lawmakers discharged S. J.…
In my last update on Darfur, I expressed skepticism regarding the United Nations’ assessment that the situation in Sudan had significantly improved. I detailed some of the violence that continues to pepper the region, including some skirmishes between returnees and new settlers stemming from competition for land. The U.N., Government of Sudan, and mainstream media…