INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GENOCIDE SCHOLARS STATEMENT OF IRANIAN INCITEMENT TO GENOCIDE

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International Association of Genocide Scholars

Resolution Condemning Iranian President Ahmadinehad’s Statements Calling for the Destruction of Israel and Denying the Historical Reality of the Holocaust; and

Calling for Prevention of Iranian Development of Nuclear Weapons

We, the leadership and membership of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a world-wide professional association of experts on genocide, express profound alarm at openly aggressive statements made by the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling for Israel to be “wiped off the map” and inciting students to scream “death to Israel” at a government sponsored conference on 26 October 2005.

On 14. December 2005, President Ahmadinejad publicly denied the Holocaust and declared it a “myth” created by Europeans to justify creation of a Jewish state in the heart if the Islamic world. The International Association of Genocide Scholars repudiates Holocaust denial.

Since President Ahmadinejad took office, Iran has refused to heed calls by the International Atomic Energy Agency to re-establish full suspension of its uranium enrichment activities, and has re-started programs to develop Iranian capacity to enrich uranium that could be used for nuclear weapons. Iran has missiles that could carry nuclear warheads to destroy Israel.

Iran’s president has thus not only called for the destruction of a national and religious group, the Jews of Israel. But has authorized creation of the materials needed to build the weapons to carry out his genocidal intent. Iran does not yet have such weapons, but is likely to develop them in the near future unless its nuclear weapons program is stopped.

Early warning signs of genocide include open expressions of an exclusionary ideology (hate speech), denial of past genocide (Holocaust denial), authoritarian government that represses dissent (arrest of Iranian moderates), organization of fanatical militias (Revolutionary Guards) and programs to develop weapons of mass destruction ( the Iranian nuclear program.) All of these early warning signs of genocide are evident in Iran today.

Direct and public expression of genocidal intent by a national leader coupled with a clear and present danger that genocidal acts will be committed is incitement to genocide. The risk of genocide against Israel is not yet imminent, but once Iran has nuclear weapons, it will be. When genocidal intent is openly expressed, and means to commit genocide are being prepared, the Precautionary Principle places the burden of proof on those who deny that genocide will be committed. Urgent preventive action should be taken.

We therefore call upon the United Nations Security Council to determine that Iran’s nuclear program poses a threat to international peace, and to take the following diplomatic and economic actions under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter:

1.Direct the International Atomic Energy Agency to demand immediate and continuing IAEA inspections of all Iranian nuclear facilities;

2. Require Iran to suspend its programs to develop facilities to enrich uranium; and

3. Prohibit transfers to Iran of all equipment, materials, and technological assistance that could be used to enrich uranium, or manufacture nuclear weapons.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GENOCIDE SCHOLARS STATEMENT OF IRANIAN INCITEMENT TO GENOCIDE

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