2021 Report to Congress: The Elie Wiesel Act
In 2018, over 600 of our supporters in Tennessee came together to make The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act federal law.
As an organization with years of experience working on the frontlines in Sudan, we are intimately familiar with what happens when the U.S. government fails to take early action in the face of genocide, war crimes, and other mass atrocity crises. This bill was crafted to help ensure the U.S. government has the tools, training, and funding needed to save lives and promote peace when mass atrocity threats emerge around the globe.
We called and wrote our House and Senate congressional offices. Your voices were heard in Washington DC. The Senate passed the legislation by unanimous consent and seven out of the nine Representatives from Tennessee voted in favor of the legislation. On January 14, 2019, we declared victory as the President of the United States signed the bill into law.
That was well over two years ago. Since then, The Elie Wiesel Act has slowly been implemented across the U.S. government. One major requirement of the law — found in Section 5 — is that the President report the following to Congress annually:
What actions have been taken to prevent and respond to mass atrocity crises.
An assessment of countries and regions at risk of atrocity crimes.
Information concerning Foreign Service Officers receiving atrocity prevention training.
Funding used to advance atrocity prevention activities, including transitional justice measures.
Recommendations to further strengthen U.S. capabilities.
The 2021 Report
The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations just released the latest report.
This is an excellent opportunity to understand the lasting impact of our previous advocacy efforts.
This year’s report covers the period of July 2020 to May 2021 and is available to the public through its submission to Congress. The President is also allowed to submit additional classified information if considered necessary, which he chose to do this year.
This report allows organizations like ours that work in atrocity prevention and response spaces to have a better understanding of what the U.S. government is doing. From there, we can provide further recommendations based on what we are seeing on the ground and better allocate our own resources.
You can listen to some introductory remarks about the importance of these efforts and this report from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken:
The full report is rather long and can be viewed here. I’ve provided a summary below:
Global Assessment of Current or Past Atrocities and United States Response
Following the February 2021 coup in Myanmar, Department of Defense engagements were suspended. The Treasury and Commerce departments targeted the regime’s economic revenue generators. The State Department (State) and USAID are supporting human rights documentation to advance accountability.
Secretary Blinken affirmed in January 2021 that the Chinese government is committing genocide against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Treasury sanctioned Chinese government entities and government officials. U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued six orders prohibiting imports of merchandise from Xinjiang that have reasonable indication of forced Uyghur labor. State continued visa restrictions on Chinese government officials believed to be responsible for the Uyghur genocide.
In March 2021, Secretary Blinken stated that acts of ethnic cleansing were being committed in Western Tigray, Ethiopia. USAID Administrator Samantha Power called for humanitarian access. The United States imposed defense trade controls on Ethiopia and provided more than $305 million in humanitarian assistance. USAID increased support to the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission for investigators, strategic communications support, personal protective equipment, and training.
State provided nearly $9 million to UN investigators uncovering ISIS war crimes in Syria and Iraq and $2.3 million to the UN to investigate crimes by the Assad regime in Syria. USAID and State are supporting humanitarian assistance, first responders such as the Syrian Civil Defense, and safe and voluntary returns for displaced persons in Iraq and Syria.
In South Sudan, State coordinated support to establish an African Union hybrid court to investigate and prosecute war criminals. State is supporting civil society documentation to further truth, justice, and accountability and to collect and preserve evidence. USAID is supporting civil society and independent media to promote political stability, peacebuilding, and citizen participation in peace efforts.
Early Warning Assessments of Atrocity Risk
The Atrocity Early Warning Task Force is now utilizing the State Department’s Early Warning Assessment, the Intelligence Community’s Mass Atrocities Risk Assessment, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Statistical Risk Assessment.
State has expanded its quarterly early warning assessment to cover 153 countries, up from 99 countries. This section includes a classified annex that speaks to additional countries being assessed as at risk of atrocities.
State integrated data on political violence targeting women in its analytical products and funded development of gender-sensitive early warning indicators.
Current U.S. Government Efforts To Prevent and Respond to Atrocities
The State Department (State) and USAID formally reported approximately $6.2 million for atrocity prevention programming in FY 2020.
State utilized $2.5 million in Economic Support Funds (ESF) to engage youth to promote justice, reconciliation, and violence prevention; enhance civil society organizations’ capacity to promote social cohesion, truth-telling, and conflict mediation; support civil society and victims’ participation in community and state-level transitional justice processes and mechanisms; strengthen memory sites’ capacity to mitigate atrocity risk; and improve access to accountable and citizen-responsive justice institutions.
State utilized $2.5 million in International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) earmarks to strengthen justice sector capacity to recognize and respond to atrocities and monitor law enforcement abuses.
State utilized a $5 million Congressional directive to promote accountability for mass atrocity crimes through the UN mechanisms for Syria and Iraq.
State used rapid response funding mechanisms to support survivors or those at imminent risk of gender-based violence, victims of religious persecution, and human rights defenders under attack due to their promotion of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex persons.
State funded the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation, a rapid response mechanism that provides transitional justice assistance.
USAID programming in Niger increased access to justice and is addressing societal cleavages. Programs in Burkina Faso built government capacity to prevent and prosecute human rights violations and reduce the appeal of violent extremism. USAID is delivering training on conflict mitigation to women in four territories in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Treasury Department sanctioned individuals in China, Cambodia, Gambia, Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, Russia, South Sudan, and Yemen for their connection to serious human rights abuses.
In FY 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrested 11 individuals for human rights-related violations, removed 30 known or suspected human rights violators, and stopped at least 15 human rights violators and war criminals from entering the United States. DHS opened 24 new criminal investigations and is pursuing over 1,600 leads and removal cases involving suspected gross human rights violators from 95 different countries.
State supported accountability processes for atrocity crime allegations against nationals from the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Chad, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Guatemala, Colombia, and the Central African Republic.
State facilitated the voluntary surrender of Dominic Ongwen to the International Criminal Court, where he was sentenced to 25 years for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Uganda.
State has supported the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which has begun trying individuals for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
State supported transitional justice processes in Colombia, including access for victims to participate. In April 2021, former FARC commanders announced they would accept factual findings of Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace and accept responsibility for charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In April 2021, President Biden formally recognized the Armenian Genocide.
Atrocity Prevention Training for U.S. Government Personnel
State delivered its online atrocity prevention course to 365 personnel and additional courses to 88 personnel. USAID delivered its online course to 78 staff and a multi-day course to 36 staff.
The U.S. Army’s Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute developed a course on atrocity response and a Military Leader Reference Guide on atrocity prevention, civilian protection, and conflict-related sexual violence.
The Department of Homeland Security provided human rights and transitional justice training to its field offices.
The FBI trained 11 field offices on prosecuting atrocity perpetrators, 39 field offices on human rights investigations, and 31 field offices on Chinese human rights violations.
Multilateral and External Engagement
The State Department convened two International Atrocity Prevention Working Group meetings to explore joint actions to mitigate atrocity risk in select countries.
State supported the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance to combat persecution and prevent atrocities.
State participated in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which adopted a Working Definition of Anti-Roma Discrimination in October 2020.
State and USAID briefed Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee members and staff.
In September 2020, State and the U.S. Institute for Peace hosted a joint public event on the Elie Wiesel Act.
The Department of Defense’s Institute of International Legal Studies provided human rights training to 628 participants from 16 countries.
Recommendations To Improve U.S. Government Capabilities
Integrate atrocity prevention into Global Fragility Act implementation.
Advance gender-sensitive atrocity prevention in support of the U.S. Women, Peace, and Security agenda.
Utilize atrocity assessments in development of U.S. embassy and mission strategies where appropriate, pursuant to Section 5 of the Elie Wiesel Act, as amended by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
GET INVOLVED
Preventing and ending genocide and other atrocity crimes requires a whole-of-world approach. Governments, civil society organizations, faith communities, nonprofits, and individuals all have a role to play.
As a nonprofit organization, one of Operation Broken Silence’s top priorities is ensuring the next generation of leaders in Sudan have a fighting chance to move their country forward. That’s why our movement supports 24 Nuba teachers and 1,400 students in Yida Refugee Camp.
You can join us by starting a fundraising page and asking your friends and family to donate, or simply give yourself. Your support ensures that these teachers and students will continue thriving.
In our line of work, there tends to be more darker days than bright ones. It often feels like for every two steps forward, we must take a step back. But this report is a positive reminder that progress can continue to be made as long as we keep pressing forward.
We fought hard for over a year to make The Elie Wiesel Act federal law, and it took more than two additional years for us to begin seeing those efforts bear fruit. Now we know that it was worth every second of our time. Well done.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
About Us
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work. Learn more.
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