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‘Genocide. What’s that?’ Story Source Scholarship “The crime of genocide should be recognized therein as a conspiracy to exterminate national, religious or racial groups. The overt acts of such a conspiracy may consist of attacks against life, liberty or property of members of such groups merely because of their affiliation with such groups. The formulation of the crime may be as follows: Whoever, while participating in a conspiracy to destroy a national, racial or religious group, undertakes an attack against life, liberty or property of members of such groups is guilty of the crime of genocide.” Raphael Lemkin speaking to the United Nations 1945 “We are in the presence of a crime without a name.” Winston Churchill, August 1941 C B This cartoon by Ed Stein appeared in The Rocky Mountain News in 2006. ‘Genocide concerned acts ‘directed against individuals, not in their individual capacity, but as members of national groups’ Lemkin wrote…’New conceptions require new terms.’ The chosen word [Genocide] offered a reaction against Germany’s ‘gigantic scheme’ of effecting a permanent change in the biology of the occupied territories. The ‘extermination of nations and ethnic groups’ required the intelligentsia to be killed off, culture to be destroyed, wealth transferred. Entire territories would be depopulated, by starvation or other forms of mass killing. Lemkin described the stages of destruction, with examples, like a prosecutor who sets out his case.’ p179 East West Street Prof Philippe Sands QC is a lawyer who is a specialist in international law. He is also an author of East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity A<br>
