Sixty-seven years after the Holocaust, genocide and crimes against humanity continue, as repressive regimes and cruel perpetrators target and kill innocent people around the world because of who they are. On July 24, 2012 the Museum will host a forward looking symposium to explore what can be done to prevent these atrocities in the future.
WASHINGTON, DC—On the first anniversary of the separation of Sudan into two sovereign states, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum registered deep concern over escalating cross-border violence as well as ongoing threats to civilian populations in both countries.
Watch a clip from this year's Aspen Ideas Festival (external link), where Michael Abramowitz, Director of the Museum's genocide prevention program, discusses what role the U.S. and international community has in protecting civilians around the world from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing.
The current humanitarian crisis in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan has prompted UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos to issue an urgent statement (PDF; external link) highlighting growing concerns for the safety and wellbeing of citizens in the region. The area, which spans parts of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, has seen intermittent violence between Sudanese government forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North, a rebel group comprised of soldiers who had previously fought against the Sudanese government in the North-South civil war.
WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum today expressed its grave concern for the safety and security of civilians in Syria, and warned of the potential for genocidal acts if nations do not take prompt actions to uphold their responsibility to protect groups and individuals targeted by the Syrian regime.
Today, the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone (external link) sentenced convicted former Liberian President Charles Ghankay Taylor to a term of 50 years in prison for planning and for aiding and abetting crimes committed by rebel forces in Sierra Leone during the country's decade-long civil war. These crimes included acts of terrorism, murder, rape, sexual slavery and conscripting or enlisting of child soldiers, among others. Taylor is the first former head of state to be convicted of war crimes by an international court since the Nuremburg trials after World War II.
New presidential initiatives launched during an election year often suffer from the curse of poor timing—being reduced to a punch line in attack ads or the victim of opposition research. But a critical issue has emerged during this 2012 campaign that should command bipartisan appeal.
Last August, President Obama, in announcing a directive to explore how to improve the US Government’s capacity to respond to genocide and threats of genocide, declared that genocide prevention was in the national security interest of the United States and one of our core moral responsibilities.
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum revoked Aung San Suu Kyi's Elie Wiesel Award on March 6, 2018. Read the Museum's letter to her about that decision. Learn more about the Museum's work on Burma. On Wednesday evening, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum presented the Elie Wiesel Award to Aung San Suu Kyi at its annual National Tribute Dinner. Established in 2011, the award is named in honor of its inaugural recipient, Nobel Peace laureate and Museum Founding Chairman Elie Wiesel. It is given annually to an internationally prominent individual whose actions have advanced the Museum’s vision of a world where people confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.
The last few weeks have brought more evidence of the power of individuals—whether movie stars like George Clooney in Sudan or the little known creators of the Kony 2012 viral video—to shine a light on the world’s worst crimes. This kind of attention is usually for the good, forcing government leaders to confront dire situations that do not typically get the kind of policy focus they deserve.
Find information on historical cases of genocide and other atrocities.
