UN experts argued this Monday, February 16, that the files of American pedophile Jeffrey Epstein show atrocities of such magnitude, systematic nature and transnational scope that they could be legally considered “crimes against humanity”.
The documents released on January 30 by the United States Department of Justice “suggest the existence of a global criminal enterprise”, considered nine UN experts in a statement released in Geneva, Switzerland.
They also “reveal terrifying implications on the level of impunity for these crimes”, they said in the joint statement, cited by the Spanish news agency EFE.
The files contain references to possible cases of sexual slavery, reproductive violence, forced disappearance, torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, and femicide, they noted.
The documents result from the investigation into financial consultant Jeffrey Epstein, convicted in 2008 of sexual crimes involving a minor.
Epstein committed suicide in a prison cell in 2019, while awaiting trial on federal charges in the United States over the sexual abuse of dozens of women, including minors.
UN experts called on “all competent national and international courts” to prosecute the alleged crimes.
The alleged crimes were committed “in a context of supremacist beliefs, racism, corruption, extreme misogyny and commodification and dehumanization of women and girls from different parts of the world”, they reported.
Experts called for an independent and impartial investigation to determine how such crimes could occur over such a prolonged period of time.
“It is imperative that governments act decisively to hold perpetrators accountable,” they said.
For UN experts, “no one is too rich or powerful to be above the law”.
The experts also lamented the “serious failures” in the disclosure of the files, which resulted in the exposure of sensitive information about the victims.
“The failure to protect privacy puts them at risk of reprisals and stigmatization,” so that many could feel doubly victimized or subjected to manipulation, they reported.
Signatory experts include the rapporteur on violence against women and girls (Reem Alsalem) and her counterparts on the right to privacy (Ana Brian Nougrères) and freedom of assembly and association (Gina Romero).
The release of the documents, although partial, revealed a web of Epstein’s relationships with people from different areas, such as politics, finance, business or teaching.
The North American president, Donald Trump, is one of the people referenced, as are former ministers or diplomats in several countries, but, unlike other cases, without consequences for the functions he performs.
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