NON-PUNISHMENT OF CRIMINALS INCREASES RISK OF REPETITION OF GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net - The UN welcomes Armenia's urge to prevent the repetition of the events that took place 90 years ago by joint efforts, UN Secretary General special advisor for genocide prevention Juan Mendez stated during Ultimate Crime, Ultimate Challenge: Genocide and Human Rights international conference today. The conference is organized within the framework of the events marking the 90-th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915. In Mr. Mendez' words, genocide is really the gravest crime in the world, as according to the definition of the concept of genocide, it is directed at extermination of people based on the ethnic, religious or racial criteria. In his words, the feeling of impunity of the criminals increases the risk of repetition of genocides and it is necessary to close the circle via punishing those guilty at the international court. He said that according to the convention on punishment and prevention of genocide, the norms fixed in it have a «jus cogens» status, i.e. even if the state has not joint the convention, it has to fulfill the latter. «The history of Armenia is valuable from the point of view of prevention of genocides,» J. Mendez stated.