1948
United Nations
Genocide Convention
UN CONVENTION on the PREVENTION and PUNISHMENT of
the CRIME of GENOCIDE
The Contracting Parties,
Having considered the declaration made by the General
Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 96(I)
dated 11 December 1946 that genocide is a crime under
international law, contrary to the spirit and aims of
the United Nations and condemned by the civilized world;
Recognizing that at all periods of history genocide has
inflicted great losses on humanity; and Being convinced
that, in order to liberate mankind from such an odious
scourge, international co-operation is required,
Hereby agree as herinafter provided:
ARTICLE 1
The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide,
whether commited in time of peace, or in time of war, is
a crime under international law which they undertake to
prevent and to punish.
ARTICLE 2
In the present Convention, genocide means any of the
following acts commited with intent to destroy, in whole
or in part, a national, ethical, racial or religious
group as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of
the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of
life calculated to bring about its physical destruction
in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within
the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to
another group.
ARTICLE 3
The following acts shall be punishable:
(a) Genocide;
(b) Conspiracy to commit genocide;
(c) Direct and public incitement to commit genocide;
(d) Attempt to commit genocide;
(e) Complicity in genocide
ARTICLE 4
Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts
enumerated in Article 3 shall be punished, whether they
are constitutionally responsible rulers, public
officials or private individuals.
ARTICLE 5
The Contracting Parties undertake to enact, in
accordance with their respective Constitutions, the
necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions
of the present Convention and, in particular, to provide
effective penalties for persons guilty of genocide or of
any of the other acts enumerated in Article 3.
ARTICLE 6
Persons charged with genocide or any of the other
acts enumerated in Article 3 shall be tried by a
competent tribunal of the State in the territory of
which the act was committed, or by such international
panel tribunal as may have jurisdiction with respect to
those Contracting Parties which shall have accepted its
jurisdiction.
ARTICLE 7
Genocide and the other acts enumerated in Article 3
shall not be considered as political crimes for the
purpose of extradition. The Contracting Parties pledge
themselves in such cases to grant extradition in
accordance with their laws and treaties in force.
ARTICLE 8
Any Contracting Party may call upon thr competent
organs of the United Nations to take such action under
the Charter of the United Nations as they consider
appropriate for the prevention and suppression of acts
of genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in
Article 3.
ARTICLE 9
Disputes between the Contracting Parties relating to
the interpretation, application or fulfilment of the
present Convention, including those relating to the
responsibility of a State for genocide or any of the
other acts enumerated in Article 3 shall be submitted to
the International Court of Justice at the request of any
of the parties to the dispute.
ARTICLE 10
The present Convention, of which the Chinese,
English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally
authentic, shall bear the date of 9 December 1948.
ARTICLE 11
The present Convention shall be open 31 December 1949
for signature on behalf of any Member of the United
Nations and any non-member State to which an invitation
to sign has been addressed by the General Assembly. The
present Convention shall be ratified, and the
instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations. After 1 January
1950 the present Convention may be acceded to on behalf
of any Member of the United Nations and of any
non-member State which has received an invitation as
aforesaid. Instruments of accession shall be deposited
with the Secretary of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 12
Any Contracting Party may at any time, by
notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the
United Nations, extend the application of the present
Convention to all or any of the territories for the
conduct of whose foreign relations that Contracting
Party is responsible.
ARTICLE 13
On the day when the first twenty instruments of
ratification or accession have been deposited, the
Secretary-General shall draw up a proses-verbal and
transmit a copy thereof to each Member of the United
Nations and to each of the non-member States
contemplated in Article 12. The present Convention shall
come into force on the ninetieth day following the date
of deposit of the twentieth instrument of ratification
or succession.
ARTICLE 14
The present Convention shall remain in effect for a
period of ten years as from the date of its coming into
force. It shall thereafter remain in force for
successive periods of five years for such Contracting
Parties as have not denounced it at least six months
before the expiration of the coming period. Denunciation
shall be effected by a written notification addressed to
the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 15
If as a result of denunciations, the number of
Parties to the present Convention shall become less than
sizteen, the Convention shall cease to be in force as
from the date on which the last of the denunciations
shall become effective.
ARTICLE 16
A request for the revision of the present Convention
may be made at any time by any Contracting Party by
means of a written notification in writing addressed to
the Secretary-General. The General Assembly shall decide
upon the steps, if any, to be taken in respect of such a
request.
ARTICLE 17
The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall
notufy all Members of the United Nations and the
non-member States contemplated in Article 11 of the
following:
(a) Signatures, ratifications and accessions received in
accordance with Article 11;
(b) Notifications received in accordance with Article
12;
(c) The date upon which the present Convention comes
into force in accordance with Article 13;
(d) Denunciations received in accordance with Article
14;
(e) The abrogation of the Convention in accordance with
Article 15;
(f) Notifications received in accordance with Article
16.
ARTICLE 18
The original of the present Convention shall be
deposited in the archives of the United Nations. A
certified copy of the Convention shall be transmitted to
each Member of the United Nations and to each of the
non-member States contemplated in Article 11.
ARTICLE 19
The present Convention shall be registered by the
Secretary-General of the United Nations on the date of
its coming into force.
