Ahmadinejad should be indicted for the crime of incitement to genocide

To the Honorable Ban Ki-moon,
Secretary-General of the United Nations

To the Honorable Susan Rice,
United States Ambassador to the United Nations

We, the undersigned, urge you to immediately call upon the United Nations Security Council to refer the case of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to the International Criminal Court for prosecution of the crime of incitement to genocide. An application of international law to Ahmadinejad’s statements and actions demonstrates the urgent and compelling case for such a prosecution.

After the Holocaust, the nations of the world decided that they must never again allow such an atrocity to occur. In 1952, they passed the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. To date, 138 nations including Iran have ratified this most important agreement. This Genocide Convention outlaws not only the commission of genocide, but also the direct and public incitement to commit genocide. By so doing, the Genocide Convention empowers the international community to prevent future genocides by prosecuting the very actions that make genocides possible.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a clear record of incitement to genocide as defined under the Genocide Convention and its application to date. He has sought to dehumanize Israelis and demonize Jews. He has repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction in direct and stark terms. He is getting close to acquiring the nuclear arms with which to make good on this genocidal threat. And, through his active support of Hezbollah and Hamas, he has clearly demonstrated that he is prepared to turn his talk of killing Israelis into deadly action.

The International Criminal Court has jurisdiction over violations of the Genocide Convention. And the United Nations Security Council has the power to refer such violations directly to that body. We therefore urge you to call upon the Security Council to act immediately to refer Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s dangerous pattern of behavior to the International Criminal Court before it is too late.

Had the world listened to Hitler’s words and watched his actions, the Holocaust could have been prevented. The same goes for the words and actions of those who perpetrated the more recent genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. The time has come to learn from these tragedies. The time has come to apply the wise legal measures adopted to prevent such atrocities. The time has come to indict Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for incitement to genocide.