Raphael Lemkin

Raphael Lemkin was a Polish-born jurist who coined the term "genocide" from the Greek genos (race, tribe, or nation) and the Latin cide (killing). He defined genocide as the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people based on their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race. Lemkin's work, particularly his book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe, highlighted the criminal intent to destroy or permanently cripple a human group.1

His efforts led to the United Nations' adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948, which legally defines and prohibits acts committed with the intent to destroy a group. This convention has been crucial in establishing international law against genocide, though debates continue regarding its scope and enforcement. Lemkin's legacy is the international recognition and outlawing of genocide as a crime.12