Washington, DC – The Friends Committee on Nation Legislation (FCNL) expressed disappointment over the recently-released global atrocities report from the State Department. The annual report, mandated by the 2018 Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Act, left numerous unanswered questions and completely avoided several vital subjects and trouble spots.
Contact:
Tim McHugh, media@fcnl.org;
202-903-2515
“The second Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities and Prevention Report should be nothing less than an annual audit of how our government is responding to global violence hotspots,” said Diane Randall, FCNL’s general secretary. “What we got instead was a cursory review of some, but by no means all, nations on the precipice of violence. Sadly, it is little more than the functional equivalent of a Google search.”
FCNL grassroots advocates and members spent more than a decade lobbying Congress on the importance of preventing atrocities and establishing early warning systems. They also stressed the importance of civil society organizations in mitigating such violence.
“Based on the report, there is little evidence the Trump administration is working to prevent genocide and violence throughout the world. However, we will continue to consult with the Atrocity Early Warning Task Force and support efforts to prevent genocide and mass atrocities,” said Randall.
The full State Department report can be viewed here.
To learn more, please visit www.fcnl.org.