Crimes Against Humanity News

The Crimes Against Humanity Initiative is pleased to share its review of government statements at the Sixth Committee’s October 2024 Resumed Session on Crimes Against Humanity. The session was notable as it culminated in the Sixth Committee’s recommendation to elaborate a treaty on crimes against humanity, which the General Assembly ultimately adopted in Resolution 79/122. […]

On April 1, 2025, Professor Leila Nadya Sadat—Director of the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative and James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law at Washington University School of Law—delivered the fourth Nuremberg Academy lecture. Her remarks are now available to watch here. Professor Sadat’s lecture, titled “The Long Arc of Justice: Forging a Convention for Crimes […]

Today we will be welcoming eminent figures in international law — including diplomats, prosecutors, and scholars — to WashU Law for a symposium on the emerging crimes against humanity treaty. The agenda for the event is below. The symposium can be livestreamed here: https://wustl.zoom.us/j/94469285428 (Meeting ID: 944 6928 5428).

The CAH Initiative welcomes everyone to a one-day symposium to discuss the emerging Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity. Global experts, advocates, and diplomats will convene to explore the need for such a treaty, alongside key questions of treaty design and negotiation. We are thrilled to host the symposium, as WashU […]

On December 16, 2024, the International Center for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Multi-Generational Legacies of Trauma held a webinar to celebrate the adoption of Resolution 79/122 by the UN General Assembly. As discussed in our recent post, the Resolution launches the treaty-making process for a new Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of […]

In December 2024, the Assembly of State Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) convened in The Hague, The Netherlands. Professor Leila Nadya Sadat, Director of the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative and James Carr Professor of International Law at WashU Law, discussed the forthcoming Convention on the Prevention and Punishment […]

On December 4, 2024, the General Assembly accepted the Sixth Committee’s recommendation and adopted Resolution 79/122, creating a formal process to elaborate a treaty on crimes against humanity. The Resolution was adopted without a vote and only the Russian Federation disassociated.  What’s next? The Resolution establishes a timeline for treaty negotiations, with the goal of […]

In a historic moment, the Sixth (Legal) Committee of the U.N. General Assembly has decided to move forward and develop a Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity.  States adopted a revised version of Draft Resolution A/C.6/79/L.2/Rev.1, titled “United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity,” with […]

On Friday, November 22, the United Nations Sixth (Legal) Committee will decide whether they will move forward with a Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity. The Convention currently enjoys broad support from a cross-regional group of States, however, some opposition remains. Human Rights Watch accordingly issued a statement calling on States […]

Professor Leila Sadat, James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law at Washington University School of Law and Director of the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative, recently spoke during High-Level Week at the United Nations. The event focused on “Accountability for Environmental Violations and Crimes: Advancing a More Global and Inclusive Approach to International Environmental Law.” In […]

In April 2024, the U.N. General Assembly’s Sixth (Legal) Committee held its second resumed session discussing the ILC’s Draft Articles on the Punishment and Prevention of Crimes Against Humanity. Under the direction of Professor Leila Sadat, students in the Lowenstein Human Rights Project at Yale Law School and the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative at Washington […]

The U.N. General Assembly’s Sixth (Legal) Committee will decide whether they will move forward with a Convention on the Punishment and Prevention of Crimes Against Humanity in Fall 2024. Ahead of their decision, civil society is rallying together and calling upon States to advance negotiations.  More than 582 civil society groups and individuals signed a […]

Volker Türk, The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, delivered a Global Update to the Human Rights Council on September 9, 2024. Notably, he urged States to advance negotiations on the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity.  The High Commissioner’s Global Update was a reflection on the state of human […]

Victor Allison, Mina Nur Basmaci, Nareh Derhartounian, and Zej Moczydlowski recently represented WashU Law at the 16th annual International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Roundtable in New York.  The IHL Roundtable is a working retreat for international prosecutors, scholars of international criminal law, and students. This year, the Roundtable included the current or former chief prosecutors at […]

The New York Times recently published an article, “The Bitter Fight Over the Meaning of ‘Genocide,’” highlighting the importance of a treaty on crimes against humanity.  The article traces the legal history and application of the crime of genocide. Importantly, it discusses shortcomings within the legal framework that have compelled calls for a robust treaty […]

In April 2024, the U.N. General Assembly’s Sixth (Legal) Committee held its second session discussing the International Law Commission’s 2019 Draft Articles on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity. As Professor Leila Sadat recently noted in an essay published in Just Security, the second session saw increased support and engagement by States. In 2022, […]

In April 2024, the American Society of International Law held its 118th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Leading scholars and advocates in international criminal law, including WashU Law’s Professor Leila Sadat, convened a panel to discuss the emerging convention on crimes against humanity.  The International Law Commission adopted the Draft Articles on Prevention and Punishment […]

2023 saw momentum build in favor of the International Law Commission’s Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity. Amidst global challenges, states are rallying around the cause of preventing and punishing crimes against humanity and protecting and enhancing human dignity. Spring and fall saw progress on substantive elements of the treaty through discussion among State representatives in March, April, and October.

From April 10-14, 2023, a resumed session of the UN Sixth (Legal) Committee will be held in New York to discuss the ILC draft articles on crimes against humanity. Important background information for the upcoming session in New York is available here.

On March 13-14, 2023, the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations, joined by the Permanent Mission of France, hosted a two-day workshop on a Convention on Crimes Against Humanity to discuss the ILC 2019 Draft Articles. Organized by Professor Leila Nadya Sadat, and open to all UN Member States and civil society, the […]

2022 saw important advances in the work to negotiate a new global treaty on crimes against humanity. The Spring was devoted to developing a series of practical procedural options that States wishing to advance to negotiations could use to bypass what seemed to be an intractable block posed by the consensus tradition in the U.N. […]

Crimes Against Humanity Initiative Director Leila Nadya Sadat, James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law, carefully followed the meetings of the U.N. Sixth Committee in Fall 2021 and the discussions of the International Law Commission’s Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity. Her analysis of the negotiations and the tabulation of State responses, conducted by the […]

Crimes Against Humanity Initiative Director Leila Nadya Sadat and Global Justice Center Akila Radkrishnan have been closely following the work of the UN Sixth Committee delegates as they debate the International Law Commission’s draft articles on crimes against humanity. The negotiations have been very productive this year, but there remain some holdouts which could block […]

The Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute has updated the compilation report of government reactions on the International Law Commission’s Project on crimes against humanity, which now includes the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee. Read more. 

The U.N. Sixth Committee considered the ILC’s Draft Articles on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity in October 2020. In large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s limitations on working methods at the United Nations, the Committee was again unable to agree on a way forward in 2020 and instead opted for a […]

Amnesty International issued a press release on September 30, 2020, calling upon the United Nations to turn the Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity into a UN Convention. You can read the full statement here.

On July 24, 2020, an Inter-sessional Dialogue on the Way Forward on a Global Convention on Crimes Against Humanity was hosted virtually by the Permanent Missions of Sierra Leone, Austria, Czech Republic, Mexico, and New Zealand to the United Nations, in collaboration with Florida International University and the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute. Over 200 people […]

On November 10, 2019, the U.N. Sixth Committee adopted Draft Resolution II on Crimes against Humanity which took note of the International Law Commission’s Draft Articles and decided “to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-fifth session an item entitled “Crimes against humanity” and to continue to examine the recommendation of the Commission.” (https://undocs.org/en/A/74/425). […]

On October 29, 2019, the Harris Institute, along with the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Sierra Leone, and the Permanent Mission of Chile to the United Nations, hosted a panel discussion and interactive dialogue on crimes against humanity at the German House in New York City. The event was scheduled […]

On October 11, 2019, the Harris Institute organized a panel on crimes against humanity during the premier international law event of the American Branch of the International Law Association – International Law Weekend in New York City. The panel, entitled Forging a Convention on Crimes Against Humanity, discussed the Draft Articles on the Prevention and Punishment of […]

More than 70 years after crimes against humanity were defined in Article 6(c) of the London Charter and prosecuted at Nuremberg, the international community may soon have a global convention on crimes against humanity. In Chapter IV of the Report of the International Law Commission on the work of the seventy-first session, made available in […]

Building on the work of the Harris Institute’s Crimes Against Humanity Initiative, a new global treaty on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity is gaining momentum. In summer 2017, the International Law Commission (ILC) completed Draft Articles for a global convention for crimes against humanity and requested comments from governments, international organizations, and […]

By: Madaline George, Harris Institute Fellow May 16, 2019 A new global convention on preventing and punishing crimes against humanity is one step closer to reality. The UN International Law Commission (ILC) began its Second Reading of Draft Articles following a unanimous decision by Members of the Commission to send the Articles to the Commission’s […]

On 3 May 2019, the War Crimes Committee of the International Bar Association hosted a Discussion on the Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity at the Palais des Nations, home of the United Nations Office in Geneva. Co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of […]

On 21 February 2019, the Human Science Research Council and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa will host a Policy Seminar on Crimes Against Humanity. In conjunction with the seminar, the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Center will host a film screening of Never Again: Forging a Convention on Crimes Against Humanity.

The United Nations International Law Commission has been receiving comments from governments and other interested actors on the 2017 Draft Articles for a new global convention on crimes against humanity. On November 30, 2018, the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative submitted its Comments and Observations to the 2017 ILC Draft Articles. The Commission will complete a […]

The Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute has updated the compilation report of government reactions on the International Law Commission’s Project on crimes against humanity, which now includes the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee. Read more.

[Originally published by the Coalition for the International Criminal Court.]   The Draft Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity has been in the agenda of the International Law Commission since 2014, and,following the presentation of the third and final report in 2017 by the Special Rapporteur for the subject, Prof. Sean […]

Organized by the Harris Institute’s Crimes Against Humanity Initiative, in conjunction with the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, the Latin American Workshop on a Global Convention for Crimes Against Humanity will be held in Lima, Peru, on September 28, 2018. The workshop will provide an opportunity for experts in the field of international criminal law and […]

On March 12th, the experts’ meeting Re-imagining Justice: Ending Impunity for Gender-Based Crimes was convened at CUNY School of Law to discuss the International Law Commission’s 2017 Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity, with a focus on women’s rights and gender persecution. The meeting brought together over 30 international and regional experts and scholars in […]

On Friday, March 9th, a diverse group of participants gathered at Matrix Chambers in London to discuss the International Law Commission’s 2017 Draft Articles on Crimes Against Humanity. These Draft Articles, which were submitted to the General Assembly in fall 2017, mark an important step towards achieving a new global convention on preventing and punishing […]

The Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute has updated the compilation report of government reactions on the International Law Commission’s Project on crimes against humanity, which now includes the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee. Read more.

On Monday, 11 December 2017, the Harris Institute will host a Side Event “Progress in Drafting a Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity” at the Sixteenth Session of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court. The side event is co-sponsored by the Republic of Chile, Federal Republic of Germany, […]

[Originally published on Brandeis News.] On Oct. 4, the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life at Brandeis University hosted a film screening of Never Again: Forging a Convention for Crimes Against Humanity.  The 45 minute documentary paints a stark picture of an international criminal legal system unable to fully deliver justice to war-torn […]

On September 25, 2017, the world lost a great soul, Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni.  Cherif was a friend, a colleague, a mentor and an inspiration to me personally, and to many like me. He was also an active supporter and friend of Washington University School of Law, and especially the Whitney R. Harris World Law […]

This summer, at its sixty-ninth session, the United Nations International Law Commission (ILC) completed a first reading of the draft articles on a global convention for crimes against humanity. The Commission considered Special Rapporteur Sean Murphy’s third report, taking into account the views expressed during the summer session on this topic.  The Chairperson of the […]

In August 2017, the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute at Washington University School of Law launched a documentary film Never Again: Forging a Convention for Crimes Against Humanity, which was screened at the 11th annual International Humanitarian Law Dialogs  in Chautauqua, New York.   Directed by Professor Leila Nadya Sadat, the James Carr Professor of […]

During the first half of its sixty-ninth session, the International Law Commission’s Drafting Committee considered and provisionally adopted five additional draft articles, as well as a corresponding annex and a draft preamble, completing the Commission’s consideration of draft articles on a future convention for crimes against humanity. The new draft articles were proposed in the […]

In fall 2016, the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute held a series of events to support its flagship project, the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative.  The Crimes Against Humanity Initiative was launched in 2008 by Professor Leila Sadat, the James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law and Director of the Whitney R. Harris World Law […]

The Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute presents a compilation report of government reactions on the International Law Commission’s Project on crimes against humanity during four sessions of the United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee (68th, 69th, 70th and 71st Sessions). Read More

1:30 – 3 PM | Room Oceania 2 | World Forum Convention Center, The Hague On Monday, 21 November 2016, the Harris Institute, and the Governments of Germany and Korea will host a side event during the Fifteenth Session of the ICC Assembly of State Parties. The panel discussion will provide a briefing by the […]

On 30 May 2016, a groundbreaking ruling from the Extraordinary African Chambers in the Senegalese courts convicted Former Chadian Dictator Hissène Habré of crimes against humanity (rape, sexual slavery, kidnapping and ordering the killings 40,000 people) and sentenced him to life in prison.  Habré fled to Senegal in 1990 after being overthrown and was first […]

Professor Leila Sadat recently spoke to BBC Legal Affairs Correspondent, Joshua Rozenberg, in his Law in Action segment on crimes against humanity.  In this segment, Rozenberg explores the origins of international criminal law, particularly the difference between “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.”  Other featured guests include Special Rapporteur for Crimes Against Humanity, Professor Sean Murphy, […]

On 16 February 2016, several leading non-governmental organizations submitted a letter to Special Rapporteur Professor Sean Murphy in support of the current work of the International Law Commission on crimes against humanity.  The letter underscored the importance of certain key provisions for the ILC’s consideration as the Commission prepares to meet in summer 2016 to […]

In November 2015, the UN General Assembly’s Legal Committee (also known as the Sixth Committee) in New York discussed the need for a global convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity. Thirty-seven countries specifically addressed the proposed draft articles presented in the Report by International Law Commission Special Rapporteur on Crimes Against […]

On April 20, 2015, Prof. Leila Sadat gave a presentation regarding the need for a new global treaty on crimes against humanity at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa.  In attendance were students, administrators, faculty, deans and members of Portugal’s Supreme Court. In particular, the presentation was attended by the President of the Portuguese Supreme Court, Justice António […]

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) will reintroduce Crimes Against Humanity (CAH) legislation in Congress. Referring to the lack of such legislation as a “legal loophole,” he explained that “[d]espite longstanding U.S. support for the prosecution of crimes against humanity committed in World War II … in Pol Pot’s Cambodia, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone […]

“Seventy years after the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps, many countries lack the legal authority to prosecute war criminals and perpetrators of atrocities and give redress to victims.” Genocide, and a number of war crimes, including torture and enforced disappearance, have dedicated UN treaties, but there is still none which covers crimes against humanity. […]

This important development follows the Experts’ Meeting entitled “Fulfilling the Dictates of Public Conscience: Moving Forward with a Convention on Crimes Against Humanity” and the subsequent conference Report published on July 17, 2014. Convened by the Crimes Against Humanity Initiative, the meeting in Geneva brought together leading experts in international criminal law, including members of […]

Forging a Convention for Crimes Against Humanity edited by Leila Nadya Sadat Crimes against humanity were one of the three categories of crimes elaborated in the Nuremberg Charter. However, unlike genocide and war crimes, they were never set out in a comprehensive international convention. This book represents an effort to complete the Nuremberg legacy by […]

Preámbulo Los Estados Partes en la presente Convención, Conscientes de que todos los pueblos están unidos por estrechos lazos y comparten ciertos valores comunes, Afirmando su creencia en la necesidad de proteger de forma efectiva la vida y la dignidad humana, Reafirmando su compromiso con los propósitos y principios de las Naciones Unidas, enunciados en […]

Preamble The States Parties to the present Convention, Conscious that all people are united by common bonds and share certain common values, Affirming their belief in the need to effectively protect human life and human dignity, Reaffirming their commitment to the purposes and principles of the United Nations, outlined in its Charter, and to the […]

Préambule Les États Parties à la présente Convention, Conscients que tous les peuples sont unis par des liens étroits et qu’ils partagent certaines valeurs communes, Affirmant leur conviction selon laquelle la vie humaine et la dignité humaine doivent être effectivement protégées, Réaffirmant leur attachement aux buts et principes des Nations Unies, énoncés dans la Charte, […]

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Preámbulo  Los Estados Partes en la presente Convención, Conscientes de que todos los pueblos están unidos por estrechos lazos y comparten ciertos valores comunes, Afirmando su creencia en la necesidad de proteger de forma efectiva la vida y la dignidad humana, Reafirmando su compromiso con los propósitos y principios de las Naciones Unidas, enunciados en […]

by Leila Nadya Sadat I. Introduction and Background 1. In Spring 2008, under the direction of Professor Leila Nadya Sadat, the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute of Washington University School of Law embarked upon a project to study the need for a comprehensive convention on crimes against humanity, analyze the necessary elements of such […]

March 12, 2010 Whereas over the course of human history, millions of people, particularly women and children, have been subjected to murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, persecutions and other atrocities that have shocked the conscience of humanity, … continue reading

August 31, 2010 In the spirit of humanity and peace the assembled current and former international prosecutors and their representative here at the Chautauqua Institution … Recognizing the continuing need for justice and the rule of law as the foundation to international security, and cognizant of the legacy of all those who preceded us at […]

November 13, 2009 WE THE PROSECUTORS respectively of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon(STL) following constructive discussions on […]