gunduz-aktan-kitap-soyledikleri-ve-yazdiklari
gunduz-aktan-kitap-soyledikleri-ve-yazdiklari
gunduz-aktan-kitap-soyledikleri-ve-yazdiklari
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WHAT HE SAID AND WHAT HE WROTE<br />
culturally, physically and biologically. So, a partial or total<br />
annihilation can be genocide. Therefore, any systematic killing of a<br />
group can be classified as genocide. Later, this concept of genocide<br />
was drastically narrowed down during the negotiations on the<br />
Con<strong>ve</strong>ntion within the UN system, though the first resolution<br />
adopted on genocide by the first session of the General Assembly<br />
was <strong>ve</strong>ry close in respect of the definition of genocide in<strong>ve</strong>nted by<br />
Lemkin himself. Later, howe<strong>ve</strong>r, the Con<strong>ve</strong>ntion was adopted,<br />
signed and ratified from 1948 until 1950 and entered into force.<br />
Here we ha<strong>ve</strong> a precise definition of genocide in Article 2 of the<br />
Con<strong>ve</strong>ntion. Let me read it out to you because it is a <strong>ve</strong>ry short<br />
article.<br />
"In the present Con<strong>ve</strong>ntion, genocide means any of the following<br />
acts committed with intent to destroy... (This is <strong>ve</strong>ry important,<br />
"with intent to destroy")...in whole or in part, 1) a national, 2)<br />
ethnical, 3) racial or 4) religious group as such: (I underline, "as<br />
such".)<br />
(a) Killing members of a group.<br />
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the<br />
group.<br />
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life<br />
calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in<br />
part. (Very important for our topic)<br />
Then there are two other acts, (d) and (e), which are not really<br />
related to our topic, therefore I skip them.<br />
Now the first factor here in this definition is the "protected<br />
groups", of which there are four. What is important is not the<br />
enumeration of these groups, but what is omitted by this<br />
definition. Political groups are omitted, and I do not want to<br />
<strong>ve</strong>nture into the definition of this political group, but you can<br />
imagine what it means if you would later take it up.<br />
"Intent to destroy" is the second and perhaps most important<br />
part of this definition, and it cannot be general intent, but specific<br />
intent. Legally-speaking, therefore, there should be first a long preplanning<br />
period, organisation and organised implementation of<br />
genocide. This is <strong>ve</strong>ry important if there are oral or written<br />
statements by those who are responsible for genocidal acts to<br />
178<br />
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