Acts of genocide and international law

Stefan Kirchner; Doly P. Orozco López

doi:10.25058/1794600X.1906

Acts of genocide and international law

Actos de genocidio y derecho internacional

Published 2021-07-01

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Vol. 14 No. 20 (2021)

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Artículos originales internacionales

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Acts of genocide and international law. (2021). Misión Jurídica, 14(20), 44-54. https://doi.org/10.25058/1794600X.1906

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https://doi.org/10.25058/1794600X.1906

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Stefan Kirchner

University of Lapland

Doly P. Orozco López

Universidad del Cauca

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Stefan Kirchner,

Associate Professor of Arctic Law, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland Adjunct Professor (dosentti) of Fundamental and Human Rights, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland. Senior Researcher, Research Cluster “Impact of Globalization on Law”, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania

Doly P. Orozco López,

Master in Public Policy, Autonomous Metropolitan University, México City, México ; Political Scientist, Universidad del Cauca, Popayán, Colombia

Genocide

United States of America

Human Rights

Migration

Latin America

In addition to the loss of over 200,000 lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic, racist violence, riots, wildfires, storms and political controversies in an election year, the United States of America might now also see acts of genocide. If recent reports are confirmed, multiple acts of genocide have been committed against migrants from Central America, targeting in particular women and children. This text outlines the elements which define the crime of genocide under international law and explains the special, jus cogens, status the prohibition of genocide has under both international treaty law and customary international law. It includes a call for further investigations, pursuant to the obligation of all States to combat genocide.

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