genocide

OAJ suggests adopting the United Nations Convention definition of genocide, which is intent to destroy part of or the whole of one of four targeted groups:

  1. a religious group;
  2. an ethnic group;
  3. a racial group;
  4. or a national group;

through means such as:

  1. killing members of the group;
  2. causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
  3. deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
  4. imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
  5. or forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Genocide must include both the intent to destroy the group and the physical elements of destruction. The definition specifically excludes political groups from genocide, and excludes destruction of culture of a group but not of a targeted group itself. Likewise, intent must be shown to rise to the level of genocide. Similarly, a forced dispersal or expulsion of a group — such as ethnic cleansing — would not necessarily rise to the level of genocide.

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