Download Planethood, a free e-book by Ben Ferencz here. It’s a ‘must read’ for all who care about peace, justice and the planet.
Twenty years ago, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation played a role in the effort to establish the International Criminal Court. Respect for international law has been at the forefront of our efforts for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons since NAPF was founded in 1982.
That’s why we are so shocked and outraged at the U.S. government’s treatment of asylum seekers and migrants at the nation’s southern border: family separation, deplorable conditions in detention centers, and even deaths of children and adults alike while in U.S. custody.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines “crimes against humanity” as including:
- “Deportation or forcible transfer of population;”
- “Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law;”
- “Enforced disappearance of persons;” and
- “Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering.”
When such acts are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, it is indeed a crime against humanity.
Please take a moment to write to your Senators and Representative and tell them that they must do everything in their power to stop these crimes from continuing.
Whether acting as head of state, government official, or individual, under the Nuremberg Principles, anyone committing a crime against humanity is responsible under international law.
Ben Ferencz, a member of the NAPF Advisory Council and the last living Nuremberg prosecutor, called the Trump administration’s family separation policy "a crime against humanity."
Our elected officials, and each of us individually, have a responsibility to speak up against such crimes under international law.
Families must be reunited, and those seeking asylum must be treated with dignity.
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