Holocaust Survivor Margit Meissner Speaks at US Capitol Event Focused on Assad Regime Atrocities
Holocaust survivor and Museum volunteer Margit Meissner urged listeners to transcend politics and create an effective response to the crisis in Syria.
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Interview: Risk of Mass Atrocities and Policies of Persecution in Burma
“We fear we will be wiped out.” – Tun Khin, Rohingya human rights defender
Electoral Instability Increases Atrocity Risks in Bangladesh
In January, electoral disputes between Bangladesh’s two major political parties ignited a wave of political violence familiar to the country’s recent history. By the end of February, targeted attacks by supporters of the ruling Awami League (AL) and of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), AL’s political opposition—as well as by Bangladeshi police and paramilitary forces throughout the country—against opposition protesters killed more than 100 civilians.
Opinion Pool Update: July 2015
The chart below offers an overview of our opinion pool’s current take on risks of new mass-killing episodes in countries around the world. In contrast to our statistical risk assessments, which focus exclusively on state-led mass killings, these assessments cover all possible mass killings, state-led and non-state alike. Specifically, each question asks: “Before 1 January 2016, will there be a new episode of mass killing in [this country]?”
Introducing a New Framework for Assessing and Mitigating Risks for Genocide and Mass Atrocities
Museum Fellow Dr. Annie Bird has developed a guide for assessing risks of atrocities and identifuing options to reduce the threat of violence against civilians.
India's Gujarat Faces Atrocity Risks Despite New Development Efforts
Less than 20 miles downriver from the GIFT site, the future prosperity of Indian society is less assured. In the Chamanpura area of Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s largest city, sits the Gulbarg Society, a Muslim-majority neighborhood. In February 2002, during Modi’s first term as governor of Gujarat, the Gulbarg Society was the site of one of the two largest massacres in a wave of statewide violence that killed more than 1,000 civilians over the course of three months.
Protests in Burundi and the Risk of Mass Killing
In April 26, Pierre Nkurunziza, the president of Burundi since 2005, announced he would run for a third term in upcoming elections, prompting protests and violence in Bujumbura, the country’s capital. Civil society actors and opposition advocates argue that Nkurunziza and his political party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), have violated the terms of the 2005 Arusha Accords, which ended a decades-long civil war that saw over 300,000 civilian deaths.
Despite Low Mass Killing Risks, Likelihood of New Conflict in Mali Increase as Peace Talks Falter
In the early morning of March 6, a masked gunman attacked a crowded nightclub in Bamako, the capital of Mali. In a combination of automatic gunfire and grenade blasts claimed by the northern Mali-based militant group Al Mourabitoun, the gunman killed five people, including four civilians. Beyond Bamako, rebel violence since the conclusion of a French-led military operation against militants in the country’s northern region in early 2013 has periodically targeted civilians throughout Mali.
In Nigeria, Ongoing Mass Killings Threaten Civilians as Concerns of New Violence Mount
On March 11, Nigerian officials announced that a coalition of West African security forces had occupied 36 towns in northeast Nigeria previously held by Boko Haram, the Nigerian militant group. Earlier the following week, Nigerian security forces also claimed control of Bama, a town in northeast Borno state strategically located along the road between Maiduguri, the state capital, and the Nigeria-Cameroon border. The coalition’s territorial gains are the latest display of military strength by troops that, until recent months, have been unable to stem Boko Haram’s attacks against civilian and military targets in northeast Nigeria, northern Cameroon, and southeast Niger.
Finding a Place for Atrocity Prevention amid New Security Challenges
Experts discuss the growing desire of the policy community to make atrocity prevention a national and international priority.