Genocide Watch

Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones,

 But Hateful Words Can Kill You

 By Professor Gregory H. Stanton

Copyright 2012 Gregory H. Stanton

When Raphael Lemkin coined the word “genocide”, he included many of the precursors that lead to the actual killing most people think of as “genocide.”

“By "genocide" we mean the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group…. Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups.”

Much of what Lemkin included in his definition of genocide was cut from the Genocide Convention, so the precursors have been ignored. (Read More)

President of Genocide Watch Elected President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars

At the seventh biennial meeting of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, July 9-13, 2007, Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch, was elected President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars. From 2005-2007, Stanton served as First Vice President of the Assocation, a global, interdisciplinary, non-partisan organization that seeks to further research and teaching about the nature, causes, and consequences of genocide, and advance policy studies on prevention of genocide. For more information on the International Association of Genocide Scholars, please visit the organization’s website.