A new episode of Genocide News Now is out! In this episode, hosts Teresa Merck and Molly Reagan cover stories from India, Rwanda, Sudan, Haiti, and Nigeria.

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While we do not generally involve ourselves in domestic affairs of states unless there is an internal threat of genocide, we must address concerns stemming from recent statements made by
@NikolPashinyan
that appear to diverge from fundamental principles of genocide prevention, genocide recognition, and transitional justice, and that directly relate to issues of Armenian national security. This becomes even more critical in the context of alarming Azerbaijani territorial claims and its enduring genocidal policies against Armenians over the past decades.

In genocide prevention, it is essential that leaders uphold the truth and recognize the importance of accountability. Appeasing perpetrating states almost never leads to increased security for targeted populations. We believe that Armenia can negotiate with its neighbors without adopting denialist narratives. We call on the international community to support truth and reconciliation in the South Caucasus without losing sight of the necessity for justice accountability.

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Check out the newest episode of Genocide News Now. This time, we have stories from Haiti, Ethiopia, and Sudan. We also shine a light on student protestors.

Lemkin Institute Armenian Translation: Թեև մենք հիմնականում չենք ներգրավվում պետությունների ներքին գործերին, քանի դեռ չկա ցեղասպանության վտանգ, մենք անհրաժեշտ ենք գտնում բարձրաձայնելու մեր մտահոգությունները, որոնք բխում են ՀՀ վարչապետ Նիկոլ Փաշինյանի վերջին հայտարարություններից, որոնք, ըստ երևույթին, շեղվում են ցեղասպանությունների կանխարգելման, ճանաչման, և անցումային արդարադատության հիմնարար սկզբունքներից, և որոնք ուղղակիորեն առնչվում են Հայաստանի Հանրապետության ազգային անվտանգության խնդիրներին։ Սա է՛լ ավելի կարևոր է դառնում Ադրբեջանի տարածքային պահանջների և վերջին տասնամյակների ընթացքում հայերի նկատմամբ նրա շարունակական ցեղասպանական քաղաքականության համատեքստում:

Ցեղասպանության կանխարգելման հարցում կարևոր է, որ առաջնորդները խրախուսեն ճշմարտացիությունը և գիտակցեն հաշվետվողականության կարևորությունը: Հանցագործ պետություններին հանդարտեցնելը գրեթե երբեք չի հանգեցնում թիրախային բնակչության անվտանգային երաշխիքների բարձրացմանը: Մենք հավատում ենք, որ Հայաստանը կարող է բանակցել իր հարևանների հետ՝ առանց ժխտողական խոսույթի որդեգրման։ Մենք կոչ ենք անում միջազգային հանրությանը աջակցել Հարավային Կովկասում ճշմարտության ու հաշտեցման հաստատմանը` կարևորելով արդարության և հաշվետվողականության անհրաժեշտությունը:

Հայտարարությունն ամբողջությամբ կարող եք կարդալ այստեղ՝ https://bit.ly/4dIkBmo

As we issue our 8th SOS alert, the @LemkinInstitute is horrified — yet unsurprised — by the lack of action by the international community as Israel presses into Rafah, the supposed refuge to which it directed civilians during its ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza. The "rules-based international order" as we know it is at an end. Tens of thousands more Palestinian lives now hang in the balance unless immediate action is taken by Israel’s supporters to enforce a permanent ceasefire. If these states continue to take no action to stop Israel, the preventable deaths of more Palestinian men, women, and children will be the responsibility of the USA, the UK, and Germany along with Israel.
Read the full text here: https://bit.ly/SOSGaza8

In this episode, hosts Teresa Merk and Molly Reagan cover stories from Ecuador, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, and Guatemala.
Forced conscription, immigration trends, blood minerals, and accountability for the genocide of indigenous peoples in Guatemala are discussed.
https://bit.ly/3V0YKOA

We at the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention are alarmed by the genocidal conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan and dismayed by the world’s inaction. With all eyes on #Gaza, the dire humanitarian disaster in #sudan, coupled with the genocidal rhetoric and assaults by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have largely flown under the radar.
Now, the RSF is pressing in on Darfur’s last regional capital, El Fasher, where over 1 million people are seeking shelter from the war. The RSF explicitly targets ethnically African communities, executing men and sexually assaulting women. As the RSF expands its territory of control in Darfur, the proliferation of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide has followed. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are not without fault. However, the RSF must be stopped.
We call on the international community, UNSC, and AU to step in to protect civilians, immediately broker a ceasefire, and allow in life-saving humanitarian aid.
Read the full alert here: https://bit.ly/SOSSudan

The @LemkinInstitute calls on the @UN to withdraw support for #Azerbaijan as host of #COP29. Azerbaijan is a genocidal state run by a president who routinely expresses genocidal ideology towards Armenians, including referring to them as dogs, jackals, and terrorists.

Azerbaijan is currently illegally detaining an estimated 300 political prisoners & refusing to release them, including eight members of the elected government of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Some detainees have been subjected to torture.

The international community must reject the normalization of genocide and genocidal ideology and withdraw support for Azerbaijan as host of COP29.

Enough is enough!

https://bit.ly/3Ri0NwS

Protests and subsequent police crackdowns in Armenia have increased following discontent amid the unilateral territorial concessions to Azerbaijan as part of the border delimitation process. As critics have stated, the aggressive police responses to dissent seem to serve Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the ruling party’s interests rather than that of the Armenian people; the police should not function merely as an instrument of state control but as servants of the citizens and protectors of democracy.

The flippant response of the US to the human rights violations by Armenian police during the 12 June protests legitimize state repression in the face of democratic expression. The US Embassy in Armenia proclaimed that “the democratic process is the way to resolve political disputes.” In this vein, the US prefers police violence over the freedom of assembly and speech, an ideology it, too, has violated in the violent repression of student-led, pro-Palestine protests across the USA. The condemnation of Georgian police by the US but not the actions of Armenian police show that foreign policy preferences take precedence over human rights violations.

To read the full statement, visit: https://www.lemkininstitute.com/.../statement-condemning...
Photo credits: Edgar Harutyunyan and Aik Romanovich

While American police departments receive weapons and equipment from the US military, many get their training from experts on another continent entirely. 100s of police agencies, including ICE, border patrol, and the FBI, have received training directly from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Israeli police in Israel, and 1000s more have received training from Israeli officials in the US.

It bears mentioning that the UN, US State Department, and numerous organizations in Israel and Palestine have found that Israeli police commit gross violations such as excessive use of force against peaceful protestors, arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings. The racism inherent in the policing arrangement between the United States and Israel is clear, as these techniques are used predominantly against people of color in the US and Palestinians in Israel.

Full statement: https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-condemning-the-global-rise-in-police-violence-within-democratic-states

For weeks across April and May, Georgia has experienced an unprecedented rise in extrajudicial police violence against protesters following the introduction of the controversial “foreign agents” law.

In response to the persistent anti-government and pro-European protests, Georgia’s security services began a violent crackdown on dissent, using unlawful force against peaceful protestors. Protestors have been subjected to intimidation and fear tactics by the police, who have used escalatory and violent methods of crowd dispersal. Such tactics include but are not limited to tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets. Videos posted on social media and covered in regional and world news depict the police using these brutal tactics in an attempt to disperse demonstrators.

Full statement: https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-condemning-the-global-rise-in-police-violence-within-democratic-states

The Lemkin Institute is horrified and heartbroken by the cruel IDF murder of Muhammed Bhar, a 24-year-old Palestinian man who had Down's Syndrome and autism.

The IDF's treatment of Mr. Bhar is not the exception. It is but one of countless similar genocidal atrocities committed by Israel, which our founder, Dr. Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, calls life force atrocities. Life force atrocities aim to destroy the spirit of the group by instrumentalizing family and community bonds, targeting and desecrating community symbols, including the most vulnerable people within a community, and perpetrating sadistic rituals of cruelty that become permanent wounds within the target group's psyche – and also permanent wounds on the body of humanity. Life force atrocities are found in every genocide.

The pattern of life force atrocities in Israel's assault on Gaza is one of the most direct forms of evidence of genocidal intent.

Given this pattern of behavior, the IDF must be considered a genocidal institution. Support for the IDF and for Israel's unending slaughter in Gaza is support for genocide. There is no way around this fact.

We remind the genocide deniers who support this monstrous behavior that the scar of complicity is permanent and can never be removed.

Mr. Bhar died alone, surrounded by Israeli soldiers, as his heartbroken and terrified family members were forced at gunpoint to leave him with his tormentors. The last words his family heard from him was his words to the dog that was killing him. He was saying to the dog, "enough my dear enough" while patting his head with his free arm and trying to free himself from the dog's attack.

Two of Muhammed's brothers were arrested and have not been heard from since. When the family was able to return to its home a week later, they found Muhammed's body near his favorite chair, surrounded by his own blood.

His 70-year-old mother told the BBC: "This scene I will never forget... I constantly see the dog tearing at him and his hand, and the blood pouring from his hand... It is always in front of my eyes, never leaving me for a moment. We couldn't save him, neither from them nor from the dog."

In recent months, Europe has witnessed a concerning rise in police brutality against pro-Palestinian protests. This alarming trend not only highlights the threat of violence employed by law enforcement agencies but also signals a troubling contradiction of the fundamental right to protest in a region that credits itself with inventing modern human rights. Incidents across various European cities have shown a disproportionate use of force, including the deployment of water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and aggressive physical tactics against largely peaceful demonstrators. Such measures, ostensibly aimed at maintaining public order, often result in unnecessary harm and escalate tensions rather than defusing them.

To read our full statement, visit bit.ly/4bzyBwJ

@Europe.Palestine.Network on Instagram serves as a vital platform for uniting pro-Palestinian collectives across #Europe, facilitating global actions, and sharing news within the community. By archiving information, the page highlights the collective efforts of Pro-Palestinian groups in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, and the UK. Among their documentations are student encampments, where young activists establish prolonged protest sites to raise awareness and demand justice. These encampments often become flashpoints for police brutality, with law enforcement using excessive force to dismantle the camps, disperse protesters, and intimidate the movement.

This year, in February, during a revival of farmer-led protests that paralyzed New Delhi in 2020, police fired on protestors with live ammunition, killing a 24-year-old farmer. Amnesty International reports that security forces deployed 4,500 rounds of tear gas in just six hours during the protests.

Separately, police allowed and facilitated mob violence targeting Muslim residents in the N. Indian town of Haldwani. State authorities have stepped up a campaign implemented in 2019 of house and property demolitions targeting Muslim residents. Demolitions follow a similar practice the Israeli government conducts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Curiously, akin to the US, India has maintained a “counter-terrorism” agreement that supports the training of Indian personnel by Israeli officials. Reports of violence marred the recent Lok Sabha, the Indian parliamentary elections. Several voters testified to being compelled to vote for Modi ’s BJP and its allies while security forces stood by.

Full statement: bit.ly/4bzyBwJ