Had I Only Known . . .

By: Cheryl G. Murphy

Imagine if Anne Frank had access to the internet—if others had been informed of her situation, help might have been sent her way before Nazis had the chance to discover her hideout leading to her untimely death in a concentration camp. People in situations of oppression, whose fundamental human rights are being violated, might be able to tell others of their horrific situation and receive help if only given an outlet to do so. Impunity Watch, an interactive website, which operates as a law review, message board, and blog, has been created with the objective of giving a voice to people who are silenced—people like Anne Frank.

Impunity Watch informs people of human rights violations that are committed across the globe. Objective reporting and monitoring of various human rights abuses and impunity-related issues create a global consciousness of these atrocities. Articles written by scholars, professionals, and students are also published on the website, bringing a more in-depth perspective to the abuses and instances of impunity that occur. Those who know of oppressive situations or who are oppressed themselves also have the opportunity to voice these abuses on the website, leading to a greater awareness.

What does “impunity” mean? In a report presented to the Commission on Human Rights, impunity has been defined as the impossibility of bringing human rights violators to account arising from, among other things, a failure of States to meet their obligations to investigate, prosecute, and punish violators or from a failure of States to take necessary steps to prevent recurrence of violations.1 Impunity Watch’s mission is to monitor and address horrific human rights abuses and possible situations of impunity. Whether the atrocities committed are acts of discrimination, acts of human trafficking such as the forced labor or sexual exploitation of individuals, the denial of access to food and water, acts of genocide, or other violations of fundamental human rights, those who commit these inhumane acts should be held accountable and brought to justice.

David Crane, a Distinguished Professor of Practice at Syracuse University College of Law, is the founder of Impunity Watch. Prior to joining the faculty at the College of Law, Crane was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations to serve as Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. After observing firsthand the effects of the pillaging, mutilation and mass murder of civilians that occurred during Sierra Leone’s Civil War, Crane developed the concept of Impunity Watch.

Impunity Watch is completely run by students at Syracuse University College of Law. Approximately 40 students act as editors, researchers and reporters, devoting their time and effort toward informing others of human rights abuses being committed and ensuring worldwide awareness of those who receive impunity for their inhumane actions. Since Impunity Watch will be entirely paperless, all of the reporting and updates can be done at anytime of the day from anywhere in the world. This flexibility ensures that breaking news is continuously posted 24/7, keeping people up to date on the most current atrocities being committed.

On Thursday, October 11th Impunity Watch will officially launch its website during a ceremony at Syracuse University College of Law where Dr. Henry T. King, Jr. will be serving as the master of ceremonies. Dr. Henry T. King, Jr., a prosecutor at the Nuremburg Trials, was assigned to prosecute the German General Staff and High Command. Impunity Watch will know it has made a difference when that first life is affected—when that person can have her thoughts and situation discovered by the world long before the world finds them scrawled into a diary.

Sources:
1. Commission on Human Rights, Report of the independent expert to update the set of principles to combat impunity (Diane Orentlicher) E/CN.4/2005/102/Add.1 (Feb. 8, 2005). See generally OHCHR, Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments (2003).