We’re thrilled that President Obama announced today that his administration is taking new steps to prevent genocide by imposing serious consequences for human rights violators. The measures—which include the establishment of a standing interagency Atrocities Prevention Board and a proclamation prohibiting perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and serious violations of human rights from entering the United States—are helping to create a world of zero tolerance for human rights abuses.
AJWS President Ruth Messinger said:
“The Obama White House is to be commended for developing new policy and new structures for dealing with serious human rights violations and mass atrocities. In a world where these evils are sadly too common, it is critical that we have mechanisms in place to bar perpetrators from entering the U.S. and that our government take every possible action to identify, prevent and sanction those who would violate the rights and threaten the lives of others. AJWS, an international human rights organization, salutes President Obama and his executive staff for these decisive new steps.”
The global culture of impunity for human rights violations is responsible for many of the injustices that AJWS is working to confront around the globe. AJWS recently published a policy paper called “Risk and Responsibility: Protecting Human Rights Defenders.” This new commitment on behalf of our government to enforce real consequences for perpetrators is a critical step toward ending such atrocities worldwide.
