Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide, 78 U.N.T.S. 277, entered into force
Jan. 12, 1951.
Ratification
Information
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 hereinafter provided:
Article 1
The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed
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 committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a
national, ethnical, 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 III 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 any of the other acts enumerated in article III.
Article 6
Persons charged with genocide or any of the other acts enumerated
in article III shall be tried by a competent tribunal of the State
in the territory of which the act was committed, or by such international
penal 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 III 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 the 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 III.
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
for any of the other acts enumerated in article III, 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 until 31 December 1949
for signature on behalf of any Member of the United Nations and
of any nonmember 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-General 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 proces-verbal and transmit a copy thereof to each Member
of the United Nations and to each of the non-member States contemplated
in article 11.
The present Convention shall come into force on the ninetieth
day following the date of deposit of the twentieth instrument
of ratification or accession.
Any ratification or accession effected, subsequent to the latter
date shall become effective on the ninetieth day following the
deposit of the instrument of ratification or accession.
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 current 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 should become less than sixteen, the Convention
shall cease to be in force as from the date on which the last
of these 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 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 request.
Article 17
The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall notify all
Members of the United Nations and the non-member States contemplated
in article XI 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 XI.
Article 19
The present Convention shall be registered by the Secretary-General
of the United Nations on the date of its coming into force.