Crimes Against Humanity: A Repeated Pattern of Denial and Delay

The world has a dismal record when it comes to recognizing and acting against crimes against humanity while they are being committed. From colonial-era genocides in Namibia and Tanzania to the Holocaust, apartheid in South Africa, and the Rwandan genocide, the pattern of denial and delay is a stark reality. Despite warnings from human rights groups, diplomats, and others, the international community has consistently failed to take swift action against perpetrators, often citing economic interests, colonial ties, and other pragmatic concerns.

Key Takeaways:

• Between 1904 and 1908, German colonists massacred 65,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama people in Namibia, which is often considered the first genocide of the 20th century.
• The atrocities of this period were documented in the Blue Book, a British government report published in 1918, which included oral testimonies from survivors. However, all copies of the Blue Book were destroyed in 1926, and Germany did not formally recognize the massacre as a genocide until 2021.
• The Maji Maji uprising in present-day Tanzania in 1905 resulted in the killing of an estimated 300,000 people, with rebels publically hanged and their skulls and bones sent to Germany for pseudoscientific experiments. Germany formally apologized for these atrocities in 2023.
• Even in the years leading up to the Holocaust, little was done to protect Jewish people fleeing persecution, with many host countries maintaining restrictive immigration policies and declining to provide humanitarian aid.
• The UK's relationship with apartheid South Africa is revealing, with successive Labour and Conservative governments repeatedly refusing to impose economic sanctions on the apartheid regime between 1960 and 1994.
• President Ronald Reagan's policies of "constructive engagement" and opposition to sanctions undermined the African National Congress (ANC), while Henry Kissinger's diplomatic efforts legitimized the apartheid regime with a visit in 1976.

Statistics:

• Estimated 65,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama people killed in Namibia between 1904 and 1908.
• Estimated 300,000 people killed during the Maji Maji uprising in present-day Tanzania in 1905.
• 250,000 women raped during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
• 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus slaughtered in Rwanda over 100 days in 1994.

Sources:

• "The Blue Book" (1918)
• "Germany Apologizes for Namibia Massacre" (2021)
• "German President's apology to Tanzania for colonial atrocities" (2023)
• "The UK's Relationship with Apartheid South Africa" (various sources)
• "Ronald Reagan's Policies on Apartheid" (various sources)
• "Henry Kissinger's Visit to South Africa in 1976" (various sources)
• "Rwandan Genocide" (various sources)