The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (LIGP), or simply Lemkin Institute, is a multinational non-governmental organization based in the United States. It describes its mission as being to "[connect] the global grassroots with the tools of genocide prevention".[1] Since 2024, it is a member of Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes (GAAMAC), a network of States, civil society organizations, and academic institutions seeking to prevent atrocities.[2]
We noticed during several trips to northern Iraq in 2016 and 2017 that very little of the work that goes on at high levels of governments, in international organizations, and among large civil society groups ever reaches people facing genocide and mass atrocity, although they are the people for whom all this work is supposed to be done.[3]
The project leaders argued in the following years that global prevention protocols remained insufficient. In August 2021, they developed their project into the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, naming it after Raphael Lemkin (1900–1959), a Polish-Jewish lawyer and Holocaust survivor who coined the term genocide. Originally registered as a nonprofit corporation in Pennsylvania, it obtained federal tax-exempt status in September 2023.[4] In November 2024, Massimino stated that she left the Lemkin Institute.[4]
Aims
The Lemkin Institute aims to identify genocide as a process that can be categorized into ten patterns, rather than as a single event. This framework makes its definition broader than the one found the 1948 Genocide Convention.[5] An eight-step approach to analysis aims to identify genocide in its early stages. The institute defines eleven principles for genocide prevention.[6] The institute considers that genocide can happen to groups everywhere and that it is everyone's responsibility to work to resist it.[7]
Actions
The Lemkin Institute works to advance its ideas of genocide prevention through its publication of Red Flag Warnings for Genocide, Active Genocide Alerts, and Statements, as well as communications with governments and international organizations, as well as through trainings.
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
Azerbaijani Checkpoint at the Lachin Corridor, as viewed from Kornidzor, Armenia
In 2021, the Lemkin Institute began warning of the "potential for genocidal violence" against Armenians, particularly those in Artsakh, from Azerbaijan. After BBC'sHARDtalk, Stephen Sackur suggested in an interview with Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan that Nagorno-Karabakh should work out a political deal with Azerbaijan, the Institute issued a statement criticizing the anchor.[8] It published repeatedly about "the genocidal processes" unfolding in Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijani forces blockaded the Lachin Corridor, which the co-founders witnessed first hand during a visit to the region on May 7, 2023.[9][10]
In September 2023, it issued an SOS Alert following Azerbaijan's initiation of its significant military assault on Nagorno-Karabakh saying Armenians there are "currently being attacked by the genocidal regime of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev" and that various legal experts agreed Azeri actions constituted genocide.[11]
Additionally, it issued an Active Genocide alert and 9 Red Flag alerts on Azerbaijan, warning "the risk of genocide" of Armenians in Artsakh, calling for Azerbaijan's accountability for their crimes against humanity.[12][13]
It published a 126-page report on the risk of genocide by Azerbaijan in Artsakh, using the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes.[14][15] This report also issued a warning regarding the subsequent occurrences such as the forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh.[16]
Bangladesh
In 2022, the Lemkin Institute issued a plea advocating for the acknowledgment of the Bangladesh Genocide. Emphasizing solidarity with the victims, the document highlighted the significance of recognizing genocide as a crucial step in preventing such atrocities. It stressed the importance of acknowledging the victims, their suffering, and promoting accountability and justice.[17] According to the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities, the Lemkin Institute called on the US Congress to officially acknowledge the 1971 Bangladesh genocide and ensure that those responsible for the atrocities are held accountable.[18][unreliable source?]
Israel/Palestine 2023–2025
In early October of 2023, the Lemkin Institute began warning of the potential for genocidal violence by Israel after the beginning of the Gaza war, releasing a statement that identified and condemned atrocities by both Hamas and Israel.[19] On October 27, the Lemkin Institute stated that "[Israel and the US] are committing genocide in Gaza only weeks after enabling genocide on another besieged people" (referring to the Armenians of Artsakh).[20] The institute has also criticized western media coverage of the war for "avoiding historical context", "shifting responsibility away" from the state of Israel, and "ensuring the public will remain ignorant" of the relevant international law.[21]
On 21 January 2025, following the second inauguration of Donald Trump, the Lemkin Institute issued a Red Flag Alert for Genocide in relation to the Elon Musk gesture controversy. The institute stated that it "strongly believe[d]" that the gesture was an intentional Nazi salute and that "leaders, and people in positions of great power, like Elon Musk, [should absolutely be taken] at their word when they signal allegiance with hate groups through signals or through speech".[23] The institute issued two Red Flag Alerts in response to Trump's actions during his second presidency. One was published on 28 February 2025 when Trump passed executive orders that put transgender individuals at risk.[24][25] After a 4 March 2025 speech by Trump describing immigrants as "monsters", "savages", and "terrorists", a Red Alert was issued on 13 March.[26][27][28]
The Lemkin Institute has described gender critical feminism as "genocidal ideology that seeks the complete eradication of trans identity from around the world".[29] In a statement on the issue, the Lemkin Institute argued that rhetoric from anti-trans activists depicting trans women as dangerous were not based on fact, but instead as essential to manufacturing consent for anti-trans violence.[30]
In 2022, the Lemkin Institute declared anti-trans legislation in the United States as genocidal.[31] In June 2025, the Lemkin Institute issued a statement on transgender and intersex rights in the United Kingdom (UK), stating that the actions of UK state institutions, including the EHRC's guidance and the actions of the UK Supreme Court constitute part of a "broader process of erasure". According to the institute, "All the actions described [in its report] fit neatly into the 9th Pattern of Genocide: 'Denial and/or Prevention of Identity.'"[32][33]
Naming dispute
In November 2024, Joseph Lemkin, a US lawyer who is Raphael Lemkin's relative stated to Algemeiner Journal that he objected to the Lemkin Institute's use of the Lemkin name and its use of the word genocide for the Gaza genocide.[4] In September 2025, Joseph Lemkin told The Algemeiner that his family, with the support of the European Jewish Association (EJA), was considering legal action against the Lemkin Institute over use of Lemkin's name. The family had previously requested a name change through formal letters and is awaiting a response. The EJA also contacted Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and the state’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations regarding the matter. According to Lemkin, if no action is taken and state officials do not intervene, the case will be brought before a court.[34]
References
↑ "About Us". Lemkin Institute. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
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