The 2023 Raphael Lemkin Champions of Prevention
Presenting the Tireless Voices of Prevention
According to international law, the obligation to prevent genocide and other international crimes falls primarily on States. However, individuals and organizations across the world have been assuming the responsibility to take positive action to promote a culture of peace and non-violence that includes the respect for diversity and non-discrimination, very often in the face of adversity and sometimes danger. Their work on these and other fundamental human rights standards supports prevention of genocide and related atrocity crimes.
They are men, women and youth, members of civil society organizations, as well as survivors of past genocides or other international crimes, who believe we all have a role to play in building a world free from genocidal and related violence.
This year's Champions of Prevention exihibtion is in honor of Raphael Lemkin, the Polish Lawyer who coined the term genocide in 1943, in response to the horrors of the Holocaust. Lemkin dedicated much of his life to the creation and codification of genocide as a crime under international law, as now set out in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Lemkin also played a key role in advoacing for the ratification and implementation of the Convention by States. Lemkin was a Champion of Prevention. Lemkin hoped the Convention would become a living force in a world society and a protective wing for all groups at risk.
These Raphael Lemkin “Champions of Prevention” serve as examples and inspiration to all of us and their actions honor the victims of this egregious crime. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the 2023 International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide is honored to present their work.
Content provided by the individuals or organizations featured, or based on inputs received.
Mr. Tito and Ms. Miguela Vilhalva
A Shaman couple from the indigenous Kaiowá people of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, Mr. Tito and Ms. Miguela Vilhalva have gallantly fought for the rights of their community of about 100 people for decades. The denial of their land rights has created conditions that constantly threaten the survival of this community. They represent the true spirit of prevention of a protected group that faces annihilation. Throughout their lives, they have been victims of countless forced displacements that expelled them from their traditional lands. Their entire community live in a small area of 50 hectares, part of their original territory called Guyraroka, which was recognized by the Executive but then annulled by the Brazilian Judiciary. Their community of just over 100 people is constantly under threats, attacks by gunmen, and the aerial and ground spraying of pesticides, which prevents them from producing their traditional food and having access to drinking water, in addition to causing diseases, mainly among women and children. Mr. Tito and Ms. Miguela, despite their ages (103 and 96 years old, respectively), are tireless in the prayers for their people, in defense of their territory and in standing ground so that one day their people will be able to take care of their land, bringing back the animals, plants, trees and all the spirits that inhabit those forests. They are guardians and protectors of ancestral knowledge of care for their people and surroundings. Their tireless spirit continues to fight for the definitive demarcation of their traditional territory.
The Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa
“Tell us the truth, where are they?“, was the question that the Mothers of the Srebrenica and Zepa enclaves asked tirelessly in the aftermath of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, after being separated from their sons, husbands, brothers and fathers. This question, repeated in spontaneous gatherings in front of local and international institutions where they did not accept silence as an answer, contributed to the discoveries of first mass graves and scattered remains to whom the International Commission on Missing Persons gave back their identity using DNA provided by the Mothers. It ultimately led to key verdicts by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia which determined that what happened in Srebrenica was genocide. Their tireless campaign also led to the establishment of the Memorial Center in Srebrenica and to bringing their story to many corners of the world.
In 1996, they registered the Association with 8,116 wives, daughters, and mothers of those killed in the UN enclaves of Srebrenica and Zepa, and in 1999/2000 they conducted a public survey to establish a memorial and graveyard in Srebrenica – at the very same place where their loved ones were taken away. The Mothers sough, advocated for, and trusted that justice would be met. Day by day they encouraged competent courts to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators. Day by day they made themselves present in front of ICTY, ICJ, Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, courts in the Netherlands, often standing face to face with those facing trial and denying the crimes the Mothers had witnessed. The Mothers fought for justice, for 'without justice, there is no peace.' They wanted to ensure that what had happened to them, could never happen to anyone again. Like Lemkin’s imprint in the strengthening of international law before, the Mothers’ enduring legacy is in the many judgements which have contributed to the further development of international criminal processes, as is in the European Parliament's resolution to designate 11 July as the Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day. Their daily mission remains to safeguard the facts and testimonies in the face of rampant genocide denial. When asked, they will tell you that their biggest success is raising their children – children who lost one or both parents in the genocide – without revenge and hatred, but with education as the best tool for ensuring justice and truth. Today, they keep on testifying on their experiences across the world, so that 'Never again' truly becomes 'Never again'. and watch a about them.
The Free Yezidi Foundation (FYF)
The Free Yezidi Foundation (FYF) is an apolitical, Yezidi, women-led nonprofit organization founded in August 2014 in response to ISIS’ genocide against the Yezidi community in Iraq. FYF aims to support the Yezidi community through advocacy and assistance in judicial processes, as well as to provide mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), education, and livelihood opportunities to genocide survivors, with an emphasis on women and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including women with children born of rape. FYF’s work is centered around the principles of empowerment and dignity, providing the community with the necessary tools to sustainably improve their lives for a better future.
Since 2014, FYF has been responding to the acute protection needs of Yezidi survivors, IDPs, and marginalized women. FYF’s Enterprise and Training Center (ETC) in Khanke, Duhok, sustainably empowers women to reduce their vulnerabilities through education, MHPSS, skills training, jobs placement, and income generation activities. At the ETC, female artisans are trained in crafting and marketing one-of-a-kind items, including the Chonky Animals? product line of hand knitted stuffed animals and made-to-order traditional carpets. Adjacent to the ETC is FYF's Sugar is Sweet Bakery and Cafe run by Yezidi women. Hundred percent of the proceedings from the ETC and Sugar is Sweet Bakery and Cafe go to the artisans and bakers, and to purchase supplies, and maintain facilities, empowering Yezidi women and survivors to heal and reclaim their agencies. One of only a few internationally recognized links between prosecuting bodies and Yezidi survivors, FYF also compiles unique analyses of crime scenes and suspect files, working closely with UN mechanisms (IIIM and UNITAD) and war crimes units in jurisdictions outside Iraq. FYF’s all-female team of lawyers and investigators integrate survivor-centered practices into all aspects of survivors’ interactions. FYF’s work on justice, accountability, and rescue involves the identification of individual perpetrators that is pivotal to advancing prosecutions across international jurisdictions in alignment with the highest global standards. This commitment is mirrored by FYF’s pursuit of restorative justice through civil cases and comprehensive legal solutions, ultimately striving to help survivors getting reparations and relief for their immeasurable suffering. .
The Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI)
Established under the aegis of American Jewish Committee (AJC) in 1971, JBI seeks to realize the aspiration of AJC leaders who advocated for the creation of the United Nations in 1945 for effective international institutions capable of preventing heinous crimes like those committed during the Holocaust and securing greater respect for the human rights of all in practice. JBI has undertaken many research and advocacy activities to strengthen international institutions and catalyze human rights protection in its more than 50 years of work. These include its 2001 publication of An Epitaph for Raphael Lemkin, by Dr. William Korey, which led the United Nations to formally recognize Lemkin’s responsibility for conceiving and advocating for the adoption of the Genocide Convention for the first time. JBI supported the creation of the UN Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide (OSAPG) and developed,in cooperation with it, a Compilation of Human Rights-Related Risk Factors for Genocide and a Manual on Human Rights and the Prevention of Genocide. These diagnostic tools elaborate on the Genocide Convention’s obligation to “prevent genocide” by identifying the specific patterns of human rights violations that are particularly relevant to genocide prevention as well as the guidance that independent UN human rights mechanisms have given to States in past situations where such patterns of violations have been found to exist. JBI’s Compilation and Manual have provided a framework for efforts to document risks of genocide and call for action to protect at-risk groups in countries including Myanmar and Sudan.
In 2022, in cooperation with the OSAPG, JBI developed the UN Policy Paper Combating Holocaust and Genocide Denial: Protecting Survivors, Preserving Memory, and Promoting Prevention, a tool that educates United Nations as well as other national and international actors about the harmful nature of coded forms of hate speech that target survivors of genocide and their communities and, in some circumstances, can also indicate the enduring presence of a risk of atrocity crimes. It outlines strategies for preventing and responding to Holocaust denial and genocide denial and includes guidance for UN actors as well as stakeholders like social media and technology companies. As antisemitism and other forms of identity-based hatred are being documented today, the work of the Jacob Blaustein Institute to encourage and support United Nations and other relevant actors to catalyze protective, rights-respecting responses and make good on the promise of “never again” remains vitally important. .
Ms. Salima, part of the Shanti Mohila group of Rohingya women
Salima is a Rohingya refugee woman, forcibly displaced from her homeland in Myanmar during the 2017 ‘clearance operations’ during which she was subjected to sexual violence. Currently living in the camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, she is part of a group called Shanti Mohila, a network of 400 Rohingya women, dedicated to advocating for accountability for the serious international crimes that were perpetrated in Myanmar. She also volunteers with Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) as a 'survivor advocate'. Alongside her 45 other fellow female survivor advocates, Salima supports survivors who faced sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Myanmar to be able to participate in, and contribute towards ongoing international justice and accountability processes, and also to access services in the camps for their immediate needs.
She also conducts information sessions in the camps to raise community awareness about ongoing international justice and accountability efforts for the Rohingya. Breaking away from traditional patriarchal norms in Rohingya society, Salima and others engage directly with relevant international actors to advocate for advance efforts to address the impunity in Myanmar. As a survivor herself, she understands the challenges, including societal stigma, fear of retaliation, the psychosocial needs due to the ongoing trauma, and the complexity of providing evidence. When asked about her motivation, Salima says, "If not me, then who? We were targeted by perpetrators with the intent to destroy our roots, identity, culture, and everything. Somehow, I managed to escape the horrors and I lost my family in the course of that. The gift of our survival-and-sufferings would be achieving justice, safe return to Myanmar, dignity, citizenship and punishment for the crimes against us".
She has dedicated years to building trust with other survivors, ensuring that participation becomes more accessible for them. SGBV survivors across genders stand to provide key evidence in the ongoing international justice efforts. Salima's work therefore contributes towards not only supporting the survivors of SGBV but the broader mission of restoring justice for the Rohingya people in Myanmar.
* Salima is a pseudonym used for protection of identity.
The European Roma Rights Centre
The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) is a Roma-led international public interest law organisation working to combat anti-Roma racism and human rights abuses through strategic litigation, action research, policy advocacy and human rights education. More than 80 years after an estimated half-million Roma were murdered in the Holocaust by the Nazis and their allies, Europe’s Roma continue to face structural racism and discrimination, are regularly scapegoated for electoral gain, and targeted with hate speech and racially motivated violence by state and non-state actors. Over the past 25 years, the ERRC has striven to empower Roma to combat discrimination and achieve equal access to justice, education, housing, health care and public services. The ERRC has prevailed in local, national and European courts on a range of issues affecting Roma, including school segregation, reproductive rights, police violence, forced evictions and denial of access to public services. Over that time, the ERRC has secured more than EUR 2 million in damages for Romani plaintiffs in approximately 1000 cases. The ERRC’s landmark victory in the European Court of Human Rights in 2007, D.H. & Others vs. Czech Republic, was hailed as ‘Europe’s own Brown v Board of Education’, and paved the way for further desegregation cases across the continent. At international policy level it transformed the narrative about segregation of Romani pupils, asserting once and for all that this practice amounts to unlawful racial discrimination. Mindful of the gap between judgments and justice, the ERRC continues to campaign for the eradication of school segregation; for effective state responses to violence and hate speech against Roma; for access to clean water and sanitation, and against all forms of environmental racism that threaten the health, safety, and security of Romani communities; for equal access to justice for Roma, and an end to police impunity when it comes to racially-motivated violence.
The photograph shows the funeral of five-year-old Robika Csorba and his father Robert, victims of a murderous series of attacks on Roma settlements across Hungary in 2008 and 2009. Six Roma were slain and over 50 others wounded in the wave of far-right terror, which left the maimed and the bereaved severely traumatized. A report by the ERRC and other human rights groups, found the conduct of the police, paramedics and firefighters at the scene to have been criminally negligent. Rights groups demanded that the police investigate the likelihood that this double murder was a racist hate crime, which led the police to link the racially motivated attacks, and apprehend the neo-Nazi killers.
Kdei Karuna Organization
This innovative, politically neutral NGO has worked in Cambodia’s peacebuilding efforts for more than 10 years. Their programs utilize creative and non-threatening ways to reflect upon conflicts stemming from the past and perceived differences. Their methods involve combining comprehensive interventions based on local contexts, and including dialogue, forum theatre, oral history and creative outreach. KdK has implemented truth-telling and memorialization initiatives between a number of groups, including former Khmer Rouge (KR) cadres and victims, civil parties, ethnic minorities, women and men, youth and local authorities. Various projects, including reparation projects of ECCC, were implemented across the country, with thousands of beneficiaries. The organization intends to reach out to thousands of more, both survivors and youth, pending availability of resources. .
Ms Domitilla Mukantaganzwa
Adapting a traditional form of dispute resolution into a grassroots mechanism for trying genocide cases was an experimental and sensitive undertaking, one which Ms. Mukantaganzwa took on with the purpose of seeking justice for the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, but also of having Rwandans come together. ‘We also need reconciliation – not only justice. And we need to educate our population that we are all the same despite our differences’, she once said. Like Lemkin, leaving her imprint in the shaping of legal systems, Ms Mukantaganzwa is known for contribution to the success of Gacaca courts as the Executive Secretary for National Gacaca Jurisdiction which officially closed in 2012 after trying more than 1.2 million cases related to the 1994 Genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda. It was estimated that 800,000 people participated in the genocide, and with such a strain on the judicial system to process criminal cases, the alternative solution of leveraging traditional communal courts came into being. The word Gacaca means "on the grass." And this is where the gatherings were held in Rwanda, under the trees or on the roads, focused on those suspected of conducting the killings. The Gacaca’s judges were people from the communities, elected by popular vote. The victims and suspects would face each other and talk before these locally elected judges. After the closure of the Gacaca courts, Ms. Mukantaganzwa became first a Commissioner at the National Commission for the Fight against the Genocide (CNLG), and then the Chairperson of the Rwanda Law Reform Commission. She was also among the Commissioners’ which drafted the 2003 Rwanda Constitution, showcasing the power of individuals to influence legal systems which give voices to the victims and seek accountability for crimes committed against them.
Bishop Celestin Hakizimana
During the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, Bishop Celestin Hakizimana received hundreds of Tutsis who had taken refuge at Saint Paul Church and managed to save more than 2000 Tutsi. Throughout the genocide, he used his money, food, and drinks to help those in need. He would pay militias’ off and request them not to kill his people. He managed to convince security guards who worked at the church not to allow the marauding militia onto the church premises.
Father Celestin Hakizimana could stand at the gate in his robes, face the Interahamwe militia, and tell them that there were no enemies in the church but innocent people and that if they wanted to fight the enemy, they should go to the battlefield. Sometimes, he paid them off to leave without killing anybody, he also offered them food and drinks as a price, though sometimes they returned and picked people whom they killed. Hakizimana had to deal with several Interahamwe attacks that left him threatened every time they came, leaving him unsure if he would be successful the next day.
According to survivors who sought refuge at St Paul during the Genocide against the Tutsi, Bishop Celestin Hakizimana lost his father, and chose not to attend the burial, unwilling to leave the people he was safeguarding. He was recognized as Umurinzi w’Igihango – a person who protects and embodies values such as ‘patriotism, integrity, truth, humility, tolerance, impartiality, fairness, and who fights against segregation, genocide ideology and genocide- in 2018.